“It is just a matter of time before a multilateral coastal security exercise along the entire coast of India is conducted,” Vice-Admiral Sunil Lanba, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief of the Southern Naval Command, has said. Coastal security exercises, launched in the aftermath of 26/11, graduated over time from intra-state drills to combined exercises involving agencies of more than one coastal State. While there was a proposal for integrated exercises along each coast sometime ago, it would happen first along the western coast, said Vice-Admiral Lanba in his first interview, given to The Hindu on Tuesday, after taking over the command a month ago.
The Coast Guard, responsible for the security of territorial sea, had recently appointed an additional director general for the entire western coast which would doubtless fast-track coordination among multifarious agencies of coastal states on the western front. The ultimate goal, however, would be to evolve this into dynamic coastal security exercises covering the entire coastline, he said. The just-concluded ‘Theeravetta’ half-yearly security exercise along the Kerala and Lakshadweep coasts, the Vice-Admiral said, was a stupendous success, as it “reinforced the following of standard operating procedures (SOP) by all coastal security stakeholders.” The agencies had become more responsive, effective and better prepared now. Periodic exercises, he said, enhanced coordination among various central and state agencies. AIS chains and coastal radars provided better technology and Joint Operation Centres (JOC) ramped up domain awareness and synergy of operations.
