A two-day Coastal Security Exercise namely ‘Sagar Kavach’ conducted by the Indian Navy along with Indian Coast Guard and all stakeholders involved in Coastal Security from the coast of Kerala. The exercise was monitored from Joint Operations Centre, Kochi. Sagar Kavach is a half-yearly exercise with an objective to check the Coastal Security mechanism and validate Standard Operating Procedures. The exercise conducted along the coastal areas of Kerala, Karnataka and Lakshadweep assumes significance in the backdrop of the prevailing security situation in the country.
Apart from Indian Navy and Indian Coast Guard, Coastal Police, Coastal District Administration, Cochin Port, Fisheries Department, Customs, Marine Enforcement Wing (MEW), Central Industrial Security force (CISF), Intelligence Bureau (IB), LightHouse Department and fishermen community participated in the exercise.
Participants
- 20 ships of the Indian Navy and Coast Guard as well as 50 patrol crafts manned by various security agencies, took part in the exercise.
- During the exercise, the participants were divided into two teams, Red (attack) and Blue (defence), with the Red Force simulating as terrorists attempting to infiltrate coastal areas of the state for attacks on vital assets as well as vital points and Blue Force carrying out coastal security surveillance to intercept and neutralize 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.
Important takeaways for all competitive exams:
- Chief of the Naval Staff: Admiral Karambir Singh.