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Ensuring coastal
security: How to avoid a repeat of 26/11
While the Indian Navy
and Indian Coast Guard have increased and maintained their alertness, related
agencies from coastal states must do much more to ensure security of their
coastal stretches, ports and harbours, writes Anil Bhat for South Asia Monitor
By Anil Bhat JAN 23, 2019
The heinous attack of November 26, 2008 on Mumbai by a group of
terrorists belonging to Pakistan’s Lashkar e Taiyyaba, who came by the sea
route, without being detected, exposed many weaknesses and lacunae in India’s
coastal security. The attack shook the government into realising the urgent
need to tighten the security of India’s long coastline of 7,600 km, including
its island territories and 2,000,000 square km of Exclusive Economic Zone
(EEZ). A beginning was made by the ministries of defence and home affairs
deciding on sanctioning of long overdue equipment, activities like increased
patrolling, joint tactical exercises and multi-dimensional expeditions to
explore and familiarise the armed forces with stretches of India ’s vast
seaboard.
In February 2009, the
government designated the Indian Navy as the authority responsible for overall
maritime security, which includes coastal security and offshore security,
assisted by the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), state marine police forces and other
central and state agencies. The ICG was designated as the authority responsible
for coastal security in territorial waters including areas patrolled by the
coastal police. Further, to ensure that assets are optimally deployed and there
is synergy between the two organisations, the Navy was assigned to control all
Navy and Coast Guard joint operations.
The ICG is the
smallest armed force under the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Its jurisdiction of
India’s coastline and EEZ involves patrolling the distance between the
shore and 12 to 200 nautical miles. From 74 vessels, the ICG fleet has grown to
162, including four advance offshore patrolling vessels, three fast patrolling
vessels, two hovercraft and one harbour craft. Its air wing has increased from
44 aircraft in 2008 to 58 aircraft.
To infuse urgency in
boosting coastal security, the Offshore Security Co-ordination Committee (OSCC)
met in Mumbai on January 8 under the chairmanship of Rajendra Singh, Director
General Indian Coast Guard, to review the preparedness and effectiveness of the
security of India’s offshore installations. Constituted in 1978 to ensure
smooth and effective functioning of offshore security arrangements, the OSCC is
the apex body for reviewing and evaluating offshore security in India. The
Committee, comprising members from the ICG, Navy, Air Force, Intelligence
Bureau, Ministry of External Affairs, Police and Oil and Natural Gas
Commission, meets every six months to examine issues related to the safety of
national offshore assets.
Singh underlined the
importance of oil exploration in maritime regions and the need for a secure
environment for exploration and production activities. Highlighting the
challenging impact of climate change, which saw 14 depressions and seven
cyclones in 2018, he emphasized the need to adapt equipment, systems,
operations and doctrines for climate change and natural disasters. Singh
stressed the importance of pre-emptive measures and coordination among agencies
during disasters.
Drawing attention to
the challenges posed by trans-boundary and dynamic maritime threats, Singh
urged collective thinking and a coordinated approach to achieve offshore
security, like inter-agency coordination, surveillance around offshore
development agencies, and urged involved agencies to address pending issues
urgently, within the deadlines. As an economically progressive peninsular
nation with probabilities of maritime asymmetric threats, there must be an
optimum balance between economics, productivity and security to ensure the
nation’s demand for energy and security were met.
In collaboration with
National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM), the ICG held the first of its
kind two-day national level seminar “Maritime Disaster Management in India-
Risk to Resilience” in New Delhi on January 11 and 12. Over 70 delegates from
various agencies across the country related to disaster management, including
National Disaster Management Authority, Department of Animal Husbandry,
Dairying and Fisheries, State Disaster Management Authorities from Odisha,
Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Kerala, ISRO, IMD, Headquarters Integrated
Defence Staff and National Disaster Relief Force participated to improve
preparedness and response towards maritime disasters.
Delivering the keynote
address, Lt Gen NC Marwah (retd), member NDMA, brought out the need for greater
cohesion and optimising resources between armed forces, civil administration
and community to improve response and preparedness during disasters.
Highlighting
vulnerabilities of the Indian coast, ICG Additional Director General VSR Murthy
said the risks involved in maritime disasters were greater than disasters over
land; therefore planning, preparedness and coordination assume greater
importance. He said no single agency or administration can fulfill all roles in
the disaster sequence; hence knowing each other's strengths, leveraging
technology, domain specific skills, integration with community and learning
lessons from past disasters will provide ways to improve capabilities and
preparedness in managing risks and challenges posed by such
disasters.
The ICG organized the
seventh National Pollution Response Exercise at Mumbai from January 7-11, a
table-top exercise, which included a workshop titled “Marine Environment
Protection”. The workshop comprised presentations by delegates from the Coast
Guards of Bangladesh, Japan, Korea and Sri Lanka, and the National Institute Of
Oceanography, Directorate General Shipping, Oil and Natural Gas
Commission and ICG.
In addition, the US
Coast Guard, Australian Border Force, Vietnam Navy, Thailand Coast Guard,
Tanzania Maritime Department, Seychelles Coast Guard, Nigerian Maritime
Administration and Safety Agency, Mozambique Maritime Department, Maldives
National Defence Force, Mauritius Police Coast Guard, Kenya Maritime Authority,
Indonesian Coast Guard, Benin Maritime Department and Cambodia Maritime
Department all participated as international observers.
A table-top exercise
simulating a mock oil-spill disaster was also organised. For a realistic demonstration,
a sea exercise with participation of major platforms of stake holders and the
ICG capabilities was held on January 9 off Mumbai harbour to combat a real
oil-spill scenario. The exercise was intended to validate procedures for
inter-agency coordination and preparedness of the ICG, which holds the largest
stockpile and capabilities in South-East Asia for marine oil spill response,
resource agencies and other stakeholders in responding to a major oil spill in
Indian waters and littoral states.
Considering the extent
of India’s coastline and the multiple threats and liabilities it faces,
particularly in context of the 26/11 attack, and while the Indian Navy and
Coast Guard have increased and maintained their alertness, related agencies
from coastal states must do much more to ensure security of their coastal
stretches, ports and harbours.
(The author, a
strategic analyst and former Ministry of Defence and Indian Army spokesperson,
can be contacted at wordsword02@yahoo.com)
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