- Ten years after “26/11” the Indian Navy is coordinating the largest coastal defence exercise off the Indian coast on 22-23 Jan 19, Exercise SEA VIGIL.
- The exercise, a first of its kind, is being undertaken along the entire 7516.6 km coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone of India and involves all the 13 coastal States and Union Territories along with all maritime stakeholders, including the fishing and coastal communities.
- The scale of the exercise is unprecedented in terms of the geographical extent, the number of stakeholders involved, the number of units deployed, and in terms of the objectives to be met.
- The exercise is a build up towards the major theatre level tri-service exercise TROPEX [Theatre-level Readiness Operational Exercise] which Indian Navy conducts every two years.
- The conduct of the exercise SEA VIGIL has been facilitated by the Ministries of Defence, Home Affairs, Shipping, Petroleum and Natural Gas, Fisheries, Customs, State Governments and other agencies of Centre/ State.
- Post ’26/11′, operational responsibilities for coastal security were entrusted to the Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard. In the discharge of these very responsibilities that Exercise ‘SEA VIGIL’ has been planned by the Indian Navy.
- Exercise SEA VIGIL aims to comprehensively and holistically validate the efficacy of the measures taken since ’26/11′. The exercise will entail both seaward and shore-based monitoring.
- The exercise will in addition to covering the entire coastline, will also go deeper into the hinterland.
- Evaluation of critical areas and processes, including inter-agency coordination, information sharing and technical surveillance will be undertaken. Multi agency audit and identification of gaps, shortfalls and incorporation of lessons learnt into SOPs are also the desired outcomes.
- Exercise SEA VIGIL to provide a realistic assessment of our strengths and weakness and this will certainly help further strengthening of maritime security and in turn national security.
