New Delhi conducted its “largest” ever maritime defense drills along its entire 7,516 km coastline, as well as in the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which includes the waters around the Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal and Lakshadeep in the Arabian Sea.
A press statement by the Ministry of Defense on Thursday said that Exercise Sea Vigil-22, held on November 15-16, witnessed the participation of more than 17 government agencies from nine coastal states and four federal territories on both the eastern and western seaboard.
More than 500 surface assets from the Indian Navy and the Coast Guard, as well as from law enforcement agencies in coastal states, participated in the drills.
The Defense Ministry statement added that participants focused on “mitigation measures” during various contingencies that may arise both in peacetime and at war, while the drills also “validated” security mechanisms in place to deal with acts of “maritime terrorism,” which may involve possible attacks on the country’s ports.
Finally, the exercise tested India’s “technical surveillance infrastructure,” with the Information Management and Analysis Center (IMAC) near New Delhi coordinating information sharing among personnel, vessels, and aircraft deployed at different locations.
“The cooperation and coordination amongst various agencies involved is a reassuring sign of progress made in the realm of coastal defense and the exercise would go a long way in enhancing coastal defense and national security in the maritime domain,” the Defense Ministry statement noted.
The ministry said that Sea Vigil-22 serves as a "build-up" towards the Theater Level Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX), another maritime defense drill spearheaded by the Indian Navy and held once every two years.
It added that Exercise Sea Vigil and TROPEX together cover the “entire spectrum of maritime security challenges” faced by India.