3-tier National Security Council set up

NEW DELHI, Nov 19 (PTI) — The government today established a three-tier-high-powered National Security Council (NSC) headed by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to undertake a strategic defence review and decide on long-term policy options.

The establishment of the council, approved by the Prime Minister, is essentially based on the report of the task force chaired by former Defence Minister KC Pant and submitted to Mr Vajpayee recently, an official announcement said.

The NSC will have as members Ministers of Home, Defence, External Affairs and Finance and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman. Other ministers will be invited to attend as required.

The establishment of the council, promised in the National Agenda of governance for the BJP-led coalition, comes eight months after the assumption of office by the Vajpayee government.

Prime Minister’s Principal Secretary will be the National Security Adviser and the channel for servicing the council.

The back-up for the council will consist of three elements — the secretariat which will be the joint intelligence committee (JIC), the Strategic Policy Group and the National Security Board.

The release said the JIC would be suitably revamped to meet the demands of its new role. A new chairman of the JIC would be named shortly, it added.

The Strategic Policy Group, recommended by the 1996 proposals on the National Security Council, would comprise the three Service Chiefs, Cabinet Secretary, Foreign Secretary and Secretaries of Home, Defence, Defence Production, Finance, Revenue, Space and Atomic Energy, RBI Governor, Director of Intelligence Bureau, Raw Secretary, Scientific Adviser to Defence Minister and JIC Chairman.

Other invitees would be brought in as required, it said.

"One of the priority tasks of the strategic policy group will be to undertake the strategic defence review, which is part of the national agenda for governance", the release said.

The National Security advisory board will comprise persons of eminence from the government covering expertise in external security, strategic analysis, foreign affairs, Defence, armed forces, internal security, science and technology and economics.

The board would meet at least once a month and more frequently as required. Its principal functions would be to provide long-term prognoses and analyses for the National Security Council and recommend solutions and policy options to the issues raised by them. The board would also be asked by the council from time to time to study particular issues.

The names of board members would be announced shortly, the release said.

The National Agenda for governance issued by the BJP and its allies in March this year promised to form the National Security Council, in fact, the government had already announced in Parliament its intention to set up the National Security Council as soon as possible.