In an effort to ensure there is no repeat of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, the Indian Navy and all other related agencies in a two day Ex-Sea Vigil tested the efficacy of the measures taken to tighten the coastal security. The massive drill was conducted at a time when both India and China are locked in a border standoff in eastern Ladakh. The two-day drill which involved multi-agencies covered the 7,516 km-long coastline and exclusive economic zone. According to the Indian Navy which conducted the drill the envisaged objectives were met by all the stakeholders.
Who all were deployed?
All the assets of the entire coastal security and 110 surface assets of the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard were all deployed in the exercise. This is considered to be the largest coastal security exercise in the country.
According to an official statement released by the Indian Navy on the conclusion of the exercise, “The entire coastline and exclusive economic zone of the country and contingencies from peace to war-time were included in the Sea Vigil. And, alongside the mitigation measures, on shore, just in case of any breach in coastal security were also validated.
There were a large number of platforms of the Marine Police and the Customs Department which were deployed in the drill.
In fact the entire coastline was kept under surveillance by the Indian Navy and Coast Guard aircraft. The helicopters of the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard were also hovering to reinforce special operations personnel operating onboard offshore platforms.
Importance of the drill
According to the Navy, this exercise helped in validating the security mechanisms, and also in assessing the crisis management plans in place. Drills to tackle possible acts of “maritime terrorism” were carried out by the state police teams, Indian Navy Marine Commandos and Commandos from the National Security Guard.
The technical surveillance infrastructure called the National Command, Control, Communication and Intelligence (NC3I) Network was also validated.
According to the Navy, the Information Management and Analysis Centre (IMAC) at Gurugram and its various nodes across Indian Navy and Coast Guard stations were also involved in coordinating the surveillance and information dissemination mechanism.
Indian Navy in IOR
The growing presence of the Chinese trawlers have been noticed in the region and in a clear message to the Chinese side, the Indian Navy has increased its deployment of warships, submarines and other assets within the Indian Ocean Region.
