NEW DELHI: Rajinder Khanna, former chief of Research and Analysis Wing (India's external intelligence agency), was on Tuesday appointed as new deputy national security advisor, five months after Arvind Gupta stepped down following competition of his tenure.

Khanna, who retired as head of RAW in December 2016, joined National Security Council (NSC) Secretariat a few months back.

Khanna headed RAW for two years and is considered one of the best counter-terror experts in the country. He is known for his foresight and wide-angle thought process and has thorough perspective on many terror challenges that India faced, including 26/11, Kashmir situation and ISIS footprints in the country.

As deputy NSA, Khanna will lead India's security-related dialogue with a host of countries across Eurasia, Gulf and Southeast Asia.

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet, headed by PM Modi, has approved Khanna's appointment as deputy NSA on re-employment and contractual basis, as per the order issued by the personnel ministry.

Khanna is currently officer on special duty (neighbourhood studies) in the NSC Secretariat. He is also an expert on ethnic issues and insurgencies in northeast and has great insights into Myanmar.