KOCHI: As part of a national-level exercise coordinated by the Indian Navy to validate India’s maritime defence and security capabilities, the Southern Naval Command will organise a coastal defence exercise — ‘Sea Vigil’ — along the coasts of Kerala and Lakshadweep on November 20 and 21.
The Joint Operations Centre of the Navy will coordinate the operation in association with 16 agencies in Kerala including the Coast Guard, Coastal Police and the fisheries department.
“This exercise is aimed at validating and enhancing measures adopted to bolster coastal defence. Sea Vigil, coordinated by the Indian Navy, is a national-level exercise that provides a holistic appraisal of India’s maritime defence and security capabilities.
Similar exercises will be organised by the naval commands at Mumbai, Visakhapatnam and Andaman simultaneously, which will be coordinated by the naval headquarters,” said Captain S Omanakuttan, in charge of safety and security, at a media briefing held at the Kochi Naval Base.
The Joint Operations Centre (JOC) in Kochi was set up as the nodal centre to coordinate with all coastal security stakeholders in the wake of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
IT is equipped with all facilities to monitor the coastline. The fourth edition of ‘Sea Vigil’ for Kerala and Lakshadweep will be coordinated by Southern Naval Command Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief Vice Admiral V Srinivas.
“The exercise will provide an opportunity to assess the preparedness of all maritime security agencies and to identify their strengths and weaknesses,” said JOC Officer-in-Charge Commander Krishnadas.
As the first phase, a coastal defence and security readiness evaluation has been launched, which will conclude on Tuesday, he said. “The evaluation will audit infrastructure, assets and standard operating procedures available with each stakeholder involved in coastal security.
During the second phase, simulated attacks will be carried out at select Vital Areas and Vital Points on November 20 and 21. The exercise will witness enhanced preparedness, response mechanism, surveillance capabilities and coordination between all the security agencies,” Krishnadas said.
The 590km-long coastline of Kerala has been divided into four zones for the exercise. Kerala has one major port and 17 minor ports, apart from 204 notified fish landing centres and 43 non-notified fish landing centres. The agencies will use the help of fishermen in gathering intelligence.
“There will be two forces involved in the operation. The Red Force will be the infiltrators who will try to attack coastal assets like ports, oil rigs, single point moorings, cable landing points and critical infrastructure.
The Blue Force will represent the national security force trying to foil such attacks. Both teams will have their own strategy. Numerous meetings and interactive sessions have been conducted to ensure seamless coordination between the Navy and the 21 agencies involved in the operation,” Omanakuttan said.