Navy to conduct multi-agency defence exercises on Nov 15-16

Mumbai: The Indian Navy's Western Naval Command will conduct a coastal defence exercise 'Sea Vigil 2022', on November 15 and 16 involving the Indian Coast Guard (ICG), Maharashtra police and other stakeholders, a senior Navy official said on Monday.

Apart from ICG and police from Gujarat, Maharashtra, Goa and Karnataka, personnel from the customs, Central Industrial Security Force, department of fisheries, Directorate General (Shipping), port authorities, oil handling agencies, Directorate General of Lighthouses and Lightships and other relevant state and central agencies will be part of the exercise, Captain Sunil Menon, Command Coastal Security Officer of the Indian Navy said. The exercise is part of the overall drill conducted by the Navy nationwide, he said.

"The exercise aims to validate the efficacy of the coastal defence organisation at the national level against threats emerging from the sea. The involved agencies will undertake extensive deployment of their assets to guard against any attacks from sea," Captain Menon said.

Coordination between agencies, seamless flow of information, sharing of intelligence inputs with relevant security authorities and implementation of best practices and validation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) for various contingencies will be other issues assessed during the exercise, it was stated.