The first coastal defence exercise, conducted by the Navy and Coast Guard in close coordination with State Governments and Union Territories, has concluded, a Defence release said Wednesday.
Codenamed 'Sea Vigil, the exercise, which concluded last night, was to test the country's preparedness against any attack through the sea route.
Over 100 ships, aircraft and patrol boats manned and operated by various security agencies took part in the exercise, the largest the country had witnessed in recent times, the release here said.
The exercise had commenced Tuesday morning and comprised two distinct phases.In the first phase, all stakeholders assessed the robustness of their own organisations.
During the second phase, simulated attacks were carried out on vital installations and assets by infiltrating through the sea, in Kerala and Lakshadweep.
The security agencies were able to thwart attempts by the opposing force to infiltrate onto the coast using commandeered fishing boats, the release said.
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Response of agencies to other security contingencies such as hijacking of a ship and attack on offshore installations off Kochi Harbour was also assessed,it said.
"All infiltration attempts will be analysed promptly to identify gaps in the multi-tier security layers at sea, close to the land and also in the hinterland in close coordination with concerned stakeholders," it said.
The exercise that lasted over two days, including the mobilisation phase, witnessed a high tempo of operations by all agencies and large-scale deployment of forces.
All operational centres of the Navy and Coast Guard and control rooms of Police and Kochi Port were fully activated and exchanged information with each other.
During the exercise, multi-agency teams also evaluated the security set up implemented by agencies including at fishing harbours, fish landing centres, police control rooms and ports, among others.
Sea Vigil conducted by the Indian Navy and assisted by all stakeholders will facilitate in establishing shortfalls, working out new ways to optimise resources, recommend solutions to higher authorities and refine Standard Operating Procedures, the release said.
With active support from all stakeholders, such exercises further strengthen the overall security architecture and enhance confidence to thwart any misadventure by anti-national elements, it said.
Vice Admiral Anil Kumar Chawla,Commander-in-Chief, Coastal Defence, periodically reviewed the progress of Sea Vigil in the presence of senior officers from Navy, Coast Guard, Coastal Police and other agencies at the Joint Operations Centre, here, the release added.
Following the 2008 Mumbai attacks, both central and state governments have instituted a number of steps to build coastal security capacity and capability of all stakeholders.
"It has been more than 10 years since this attack and, hence Exercise Sea Vigil, which will see participation by all agencies associated with coastal security, is well-timed," a defence release had earlier said.