Indian Navy to conduct fifth Sea Vigil exercise from November 11, covering entire coastline and EEZ

The Indian Navy announced on Wednesday that the fifth round of the nationwide coastal defence drill of the Navy, named Sea Vigil-26, has been initiated with the objective of evaluating India's readiness to handle any maritime security threat as well as to improve coastal defence. It will be held from November 11 to 19, and will encompass the entire coast and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the country.

It will include the participation of all coastal states and UTs, as it is being organised by the Indian Navy as the lead agency.

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It will also involve the participation of fishing communities and others associated with maritime security and coastal surveillance.

As per the Press Information Bureau (PIB) release, Sea Vigil-26 will be held in two phases.

The first phase, which will be called 'Coastal Defence & Security Readiness Evaluation (CDSRE)', will be held from November 11 to 17. The next phase, Sea Phase, will be held on November 18 and 19.

Sea Vigil-26 to involve Navy, Coast Guard and multiple security agencies

The exercise will involve various maritime and security forces to test the coastal defence strategy of the nation.

Various agencies such as the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Coastal Security Police and others engaged in maritime activities will participate in the exercise.

Apart from the various agencies, support from some central ministries such as the Defence Ministry, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas, and Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, will be provided for the conduct of the exercise.

Exercise traces its origins to 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks

The idea behind Sea Vigil was conceived back in 2018 amid the government’s plans for testing the effectiveness of coastal security systems, especially in the backdrop of the terrorist attacks that shook Mumbai in November 2008.

The event clearly showed that there were huge problems related to the efficiency of maritime surveillance and protection, making the government come up with certain solutions for improving coordination between various security agencies as well as monitoring the coast.

From the day when the initiative was implemented, Sea Vigil has become an excellent opportunity for the government to test the effectiveness of the current arrangements throughout the country.

The fifth version will give an opportunity to do this not only on India’s coast but also in its EEZ, helping the authorities to estimate the state of preparedness of maritime organisations.

Sea Vigil-26 to prepare Navy for larger maritime exercise TROPEX

The Sea Vigil-26 would also be a precursor to the Theatre Level Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX) conducted by the Indian Navy biennially. The TROPEX aims at assessing operational readiness in a more extensive maritime theatre.

The Sea Vigil and TROPEX exercises address different elements of India’s maritime security needs. Whereas the Sea Vigil exercise is geared towards coastal defence and security readiness, the TROPEX deals with operational issues in the high seas.

As per the PIB press release, the nationwide exercise would provide a chance to evaluate India’s maritime security and coastal defence readiness.