In an work to make sure there is no repeat of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, the Indian Navy and all other connected agencies in a two day Ex-Sea Vigil tested the efficacy of the measures taken to tighten the coastal safety. The huge drill was carried out at a time when each 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-extended coastline and exclusive financial zone. According to the Indian Navy which carried out the drill the envisaged objectives have been met by all the stakeholders.
Who all have been deployed?
All the assets of the complete coastal safety and 110 surface assets of the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard have been all deployed in the workout. This is regarded to be the biggest coastal safety workout in the nation.
According to an official statement released by the Indian Navy on the conclusion of the workout, “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” have been carried out by the state police teams, Indian Navy Marine Commandos and Commandos from the National Security Guard.
The technical surveillance infrastructure referred to as 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 many nodes across Indian Navy and Coast Guard stations have been also involved in coordinating the surveillance and info dissemination mechanism.
Indian Navy in IOR
The developing presence of the Chinese trawlers have been noticed in the area and in a clear message to the Chinese side, the Indian Navy has elevated its deployment of warships, submarines and other assets inside the Indian Ocean Region.