Exercise Sea Vigil-26:
The Navy recently kicked off the fifth edition of ‘Sea Vigil-26’, the country’s largest coastal defence exercise.
- Exercise Sea Vigil-26 is the fifth edition of the pan-India Coastal Defence Exercise.
- The exercise is being coordinated by the Indian Navy as the lead agency.
- Objective is to assess and strengthen the country’s maritime security and coastal defence
- Exercise Sea Vigil was conceptualised in 2018 to validate the measures instituted to strengthen maritime security in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
- The 2026 edition will cover the entire Indian coastline and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), involving all coastal states and Union Territories, along with various maritime stakeholders, including fishing and coastal communities.
- It is the first since India’s coastline was officially re-measured at 11,098.81 km, nearly 48 percent longer than the 7,516.6 km figure used for decades.
- The exercise is being conducted in two phases. The Coastal Defence and Security Readiness Evaluation (CDSRE) phase, followed by the Sea Phase on November 18 and 19.
- The exercise will bring together personnel and assets from the Indian Navy, the Indian Coast Guard, Coastal Security Police, Customs, and other maritime agencies.
- The exercise is being facilitated by the Ministries of Defence; Home Affairs; Ports, Shipping and Waterways; Petroleum and Natural Gas; and Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, along with other central government agencies and coastal states and Union Territories.
- Sea Vigil also serves as a precursor to the Indian Navy’s biennial Theatre Level Readiness Operational Exercise (TROPEX).
- Together, Sea Vigil and TROPEX address the entire spectrum of maritime security challenges, from coastal defence to operations on the high seas
