Secretaries
| No. | Director | Took office | Left office | Career Highlights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | R. N. Kao | 1968 | 1977 | Founder of RAW, ARC • Bangladesh Liberation War • Operation Smiling Buddha • Amalgamation of Sikkim • ELINT operation with the CIA against China |
| 02 | K. Sankaran Nair | 1977 | 1977 | Resigned from service in protest of downgrading the designation of Head of RAW as Director, RAW instead of Secretary (R). |
| 03 | N.F.Suntook | 1977 | 1983 | Founder Director of RRC, ETS • He had the unique distinction of working under Indira Gandhi, Morarji Desai and Charan Singh. |
| 04 | Girish Chandra Saxena | 1983 | 1986 | Collaborated with the Intelligence Agencies of United States, the erstwhile USSR, China, Iran, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, etc. • Kanishka Bombing • Operation Blue Star |
| 05 | S.E.Joshi | 1986 | 1987 | Continued collaboration with Intelligence Agencies • During his tenure, the post of Director of RA&W was re-designated as Secretary (R) and this designation has continued since then. |
| 06 | A.K. Verma | 1987 | 1990 | Operation Cactus • Indian Peace Keeping Force |
| 07 | G.S. Bajpai | 1990 | 1991 | Counter Insurgency operations |
| 08 | N. Narasimhan | 1991 | 1993 | |
| 09 | J.S. Bedi | 1993 | 1993 | Chief during 1993 Mumbai bombings • Specialist in China, Pakistan and counter terrorism. |
| 10 | A.S. Syali | 1993 | 1996 | Increased economic surveillance • Emphasis on advanced training and more recruitment |
| 11 | Ranjan Roy | 1996 | 1997 | Negotiation on Farkhor Air Base |
| 12 | Arvind.K.Dave | 1997 | 1999 | Kargil War • Operation Shakti |
| 13 | A.S.Dulat | 1999 | 2000 | Negotiated with IC 814 hijackers |
| 14 | Vikram Sood | 13 December 2000 | 31 March 2003 | Founder of National Technical Facilities Organisation |
| 15 | C D Sahay | 1 April 2003 | 31 January 2005 | Revamped ARC • Inauguration of RAW headquarters at Lodhi Road, New Delhi |
| 16 | P K H Tharakan | 1 February 2005 | 31 January 2007 | Was instrumental in setting up of Nuclear Command Authority (India) |
| 17 | Ashok Chaturvedi | 1 February 2007 | 31 January 2009 | Investigation of Samjhauta bombings• Tenure marred by many allegations of nepotism and corruption. |
| 18 | K. C. Verma | 1 February 2009 | 30 December 2010 | Investigation of 2008 Mumbai attacks assisted by Raj singh, Pramod Kumar and Debraj Choudhury |
| 19 | Sanjeev Tripathi | 1 January 2011 | Present | |
| 20 | Alok Joshi | 1 January 2013 |
Most of the Directors of Research and Analysis Wing have been Indian Police Service (IPS) officers. RN Kao and Sankaran Nair belonged to the Imperial Police (IP), of the British colonial days which was renamed as the Indian Police Service after Indian Independence in 1947. N.F.Suntook had served in the Indian Navy, then in the Indian Police Service and in the Indian Frontier Administration Service. Vikram Sood was from the Indian Postal Service and was later permanently absorbed in the RAS cadre. Now he acts as Advisor to Fair Observer. A.S. Dulat was an Indian Police Service officer deputed from the Intelligence Bureau, while K.C. Verma is an ex-Intelligence Bureau officer. All the Directors have been experts on China or Pakistan except for Ashok Chaturvedi, who is an expert on Nepal. Sanjeev Tripathi is the current Director of RAW from the RAS cadre.
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