What is the coastal security exercise 'Sagar Kavach'?

Coastal security exercise Sagar Kavach concluded on Thursday along the Kerala and Karnataka coasts. It was a two-day half-yearly exercise for coastal security and was conducted by the Navy and the Coast Guard and was closely monitored from the Joint Operations Centre, Kochi.

Key Highlights:

1- Sagar Kavach aims to check the Coastal Security Mechanism and validate Standard Operating Procedures.

2- During the two-day exercise, 20 ships of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard took part. 50 patrol crafts manned by several security agencies also took part in the exercise. 

3- Coastal Police, Coastal District Administration, Coochin Port, Fisheries Department, Customs, Marine Enforcement Wing (MEW), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Intelligence Bureau (IB), LightHouse Department and Fishermen Community took part in the Coastal Security Exercise. 

4- Multi-layer security, infiltration from seaward, simulated attacks on vital installations/assets, hijacking of merchant ships, and cross landings were exercised. 

Why was the exercise conducted?

The exercise was conducted to check the preparedness of all the agencies in dealing with an asymmetric threat emanating from the sea. 

How the exercise was carried out?

The participants were divided into two teams-- Red (Attack) and Blue (Defence). The Red team acted as terrorists attempting to infiltrate the coastal areas by attacking at important points while the Blue team with the help of coastal security surveillance intercepted and neutralized the attempts. 

Extensive air patrol and surveillance of the adjoining seas were also undertaken by the aircraft, helicopters and Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard to detect ships and vessels of the opposing force.

Why there is a need for the exercise?

The 1993 Bombay Bombings and the 2008 Mumbai Attacks happened due to the poorly guarded maritime border. In both cases, the terrorists entered the country via sea. Therefore, to counter the challenges emanating from the border, there is a need for robust coastal security. 

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