Colonel Rajeev Agarwal (Retd) was commissioned into Regiment of Artillery in June 1990. An alumnus of the prestigious Defence Services Staff College, Wellington, he has had varied operational and service experience for over 30 years. He has commanded his Regiment on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir. He has been a Military Observer with the United Nations in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He has served as a Director in the Military Intelligence Directorate for three years handling key international issues. He was also a Research Fellow at MP-IDSA, New Delhi from September 2012 to September 2014.
Prior to assuming charge as Assistant Director (Admn), MP-IDSA on August 28, 2020, Colonel Agarwal was Director at the Ministry of External Affairs, New Delhi.
Select Publications“Escalating Tensions and Threat of Military Conflict in the Gulf Region: Who has the Edge”, Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF), July 01, 2019.“Terror at Pulwama – ‘Game Over’ for Pakistan”, Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), February 15, 2019. “The Iranian Regime and the US Pull out from Nuclear Deal: Mounting Trouble or a Timely Lifeline”, Centre for Land Warfare Studies (CLAWS), June 02, 2018.
“The Increasing Control of the Armed Forces: The Deteriorating Security Situation in Egypt”, in Sanjay Singh (ed.), West Asia in Transition-Volume II, DPG and IDSA, Pentagon Press, New Delhi, March 2018.
“Gulf Security Architecture and the GCC: Time to Shed Past Baggage and Start Anew”, in Prasanta Kumar Pradhan (ed.), Geopolitical Shifts in West Asia: Trends and Implications, IDSA, Pentagon Press, New Delhi, 2016.
“Role of Militaries in the West Asian Region and Engagement Options for India”, in Arundhati Ghose (ed.), West Asia in Transition, IDSA and DPG Publication, 2015.“Egypt’s Uneasy Transition: Internal and External Dynamics and Challenges for India”, IDSA Occasional Paper No. 35, August 2014.“Threat of Israel’s Regional Isolation and Imperatives for the Future”, IDSA Occasional Paper No. 34, June 2014.“Turkey and its Quest for Leadership Role in the West Asian Region”, IDSA Monograph Series No. 32, January 2014.
“Afghanistan Post-2014: Can India Emerge as a Key ‘Security Collaborator’?”, in S D Muni and Vivek Chadha (eds.), Asian Strategic Review 2015: India as a Security Provider, IDSA, Pentagon Press, New Delhi, 2014.
“US Pivot to the Asia Pacific: Impact and Implications for West Asia”, in S. D. Muni and Vivek Chadha (eds.), Asian Strategic Review 2014: US Pivot and Asian Security, IDSA. Pentagon Press, New Delhi, 2014 (co-authored).
“Security in the Gulf Region: India’s Concerns, Vulnerabilities, Interests and Engagement Options”, in Rumel Dahiya (ed.), Developments in the Gulf Region: Prospects and Challenges For India in the Next Two Decades, IDSA, Pentagon Press, New Delhi, 2013.
