The post fell vacant after the resignation of Nehchal Sandhu.

Former Indian Foreign Service officer Arvind Gupta was on Monday appointed as deputy National Security Adviser, a post which fell vacant following the resignation of Nehchal Sandhu.

Mr. Gupta, a 1979 batch officer, will also be Secretary, National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS), an apex advisory body tasked with suggesting to the government on political, economic and strategic security concerns.

The officer, who is at present Director-General of Institute of Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), has been appointed for a period of three years on “reemployment” and on contract basis, said an official order issued by the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT).

The post had fallen vacant after Mr. Sandhu, a 1973 batch former IPS officer who was made Deputy NSA during UPA rule, put in his papers from the post citing personal reasons.

Mr. Gupta, who retired from the IFS in 2013, had taken charge as Director-General of IDSA in January 2012.

Prior to joining IDSA, he was Joint Secretary at the NSCS from 1999 to 2007 during which he dealt with a wide range of international and national security issues. Mr. Gupta had also worked with the Kargil Review Committee to suggest how to stop armed intrusions.

During his stint in the Ministry of External Affairs, he had worked in different capacities and served in diplomatic missions in Moscow, London and Ankara.