Sea Vigil-26: Indian Navy to Coordinate 5th Pan-India Coastal Defence Exercise

The Indian Navy is organizing the 5th edition of the Pan-India Coastal Defence Exercise, called Sea Vigil-26 from 11th to 19th November 2026. This exercise aims to evaluate the preparedness of coastal defence and maritime security along the entire Indian coast and Exclusive Economic Zone. This will be conducted by the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, Coastal Security Police, Customs, Coastal States and Union Territories along with fishing and coastal communities. It was conceived in 2018 after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks.

Overview of Sea Vigil-26

• Exercise: Sea Vigil-26
• Edition: 5th
• Organized by: Indian Navy
• Nature: Pan-India Coastal Defence Exercise
• Date: 11th Nov 2026 to 19th Nov 2026
• Area covered: Entire Indian Coast and EEZ
• Involves regions: All Coastal States and Union Territories
• Conceived: 2018
• Objective: Evaluate maritime security and coastal defence
• Related Exercise: TROPEX

Phases of the Exercise

The exercise will be conducted in two phases,

Phase	Date	Objective
Coastal Defence and Security Readiness Evaluation (CDSRE)	11th Nov 2026 to 17th Nov 2026	Evaluates coastal defence and security readiness
Sea Phase	18th Nov 2026 to 19th Nov 2026	Evaluate maritime security and conduct activities at sea

This will create an opportunity to evaluate the preparedness of various agencies and maritime stakeholders.

List of Various Agencies Involved

The exercise involves various central and state level agencies.

Major agencies involved are,

Indian Navy

• Indian Coast Guard
• Coastal Security Police
• Customs
• Various other maritime agencies
• Coastal States and Union Territories
• Fishing Community

Various ministries have been involved in facilitating the exercise.

• Ministry of Defence
• Ministry of Home Affairs
• Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways
• Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas
• Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying

Involving coastal communities is important as fishermen and others living along the coast can help with maritime surveillance.

Why was Sea Vigil Conceived?

Sea Vigil was conceived in 2018 to verify the measures taken to improve India’s maritime security following the 26 th November 2008 Mumbai Terror Attacks (26/11).

This exercise was created to evaluate the preparedness of agencies involved in security. It helps improve the coordination between organisations tasked with protecting our coastline.

As it is conducted along the entire coastline and EEZ it is a national level assessment.

Link with TROPEX

Sea Vigil also acts as a preparatory exercise for the Indian Navy’s biannual Theatre Level Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX).

Exercise and It’s Focus

• Sea Vigil: Coastal defence and maritime security along the Indian coastline and EEZ
• TROPEX: Operational readiness and maritime security up to high seas

Overall this provides a broad overview of the maritime security challenges that we face.