Coastal defence exercise on Nov 20-21

Berhampur: Indian Navy is set to conduct the fourth edition of the ‘Pan-India’ Coastal Defence Exercise ‘Sea Vigil-24’ on November 20 and 21. One of the aims of the exercise is to raise awareness among coastal communities about maritime security. Involvement of fishing communities, coastal populace and students from NCC and Bharat Scouts and Guides will add to the fervour.

This phase of the exercise will emphasise assessing the infrastructure and material readiness of essential coastal assets, including Marine Police Outposts, ports, lighthouses, fishing harbours and fish landing centres. By ensuring the readiness of these assets and raising awareness, Sea Vigil-24 will reinforce India’s commitment to secure and resilient coastal defence.

While coastal security exercises are conducted by individual coastal States and maritime security agencies regularly, Exercise Sea Vigil, coordinated by the Indian Navy, stands out as a national level initiative that provides a holistic appraisal of India’s maritime defence and security capabilities. The exercise offers a significant opportunity to assess the current preparedness of all maritime security agencies, identify their strengths and weaknesses and enhance the nation’s overall maritime defence framework.

To prepare for the upcoming Coastal Defence Exercise Sea Vigil-24, the Naval Officer-in-Charge (Odisha) personnel are conducting a series of Community Interaction Programmes (CIPs).

As part of Sea Vigil-24, a Coastal Defence and Security Readiness Evaluation (CDSRE) was conducted. The evaluation involved collaborative efforts by teams from Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Marine Police, Customs and other State agencies engaged in coastal security in Odisha’s six coastal districts. This year, participation by other Services (Indian Army and Air Force) and planned deployment of large number of ships and aircraft have enhanced the tempo of the exercise.

The exercise, spanning across India’s entire 11,098 km coastline and 2.4 million square km exclusive economic zone, will involve six ministries and 21 agencies, making it the largest of its kind.

Originally conceptualised in 2018, Sea Vigil was designed to validate and enhance measures adopted to bolster coastal defence post 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. Encompassing the entire coastline, this comprehensive exercise will engage complete coastal security infrastructure and all maritime stakeholders, including the fishing community and coastal populace, simultaneously.

Serving as a precursor to the Theatre Level Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX), conducted biennially by the Indian Navy, Sea Vigil-24 will serve as an essential measure in reinforcing India’s commitment to safeguarding its maritime boundaries and ensuring coordinated efforts among all stakeholders in coastal defence, sources said.

The Coastal Defence and Security Readiness Evaluation (CDSRE) phase of the exercise is being conducted by Naval Officers-in-Charge of all coastal States and Union Territories (including Lakshadweep, Andaman and Nicobar Islands) since October 24, wherein thorough audit of coastal defence and security infrastructure is being carried out, it said.