India must shift coastal security to the Coast Guard; coastal governance gaps hinder India’s security preparedness
The recent car bomb explosion near Delhi’s historic Red Fort on November 10, now being referred to as 10/11, was just a few days before the 17th anniversary of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. As the security grid is tightened along the land borders following these blasts, the loosely guarded coastal borders are becoming even more vulnerable to possible terrorist attacks, especially with the emergence of new technologies such as drones.
India’s national security apparatus has always been preoccupied with the troubled hotspots in Jammu & Kashmir and the northeastern region of the country, as also along the Naxalite-Maoist insurgency-affected “Red corridor”. This, despite the lessons of the 1993 Mumbai blasts and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.
Increased threat perception
Post-Operation Sindoor, the threat perception along our coasts has been very high, especially in the Rann of Kutch and the Sir Creek area. The recent conduct of “Operation Brahma Shira” by the Indian Armed Forces in that area, as part of the larger 'Operation Trishul' was in response to heightened Pakistani activity there in recent months.
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India’s now-revised coastline of 11,098 km covering 13 coastal states and Union Territories (U/Ts) is the frontline where our coastal security is implemented. While the Centre is well aware of the importance of coastal security and has adopted several measures to enhance it, most state governments, unfortunately, remain lukewarm to this initiative for various reasons and believe that the responsibility for coastal security rests with the Centre.
3-tier security
The Indian Navy (IN) and Indian Coast Guard (ICG) are the premier sea-going forces in the country. Post-26/11, the Centre created the State Marine Police (SMP) for each of the 13 coastal states and U/Ts. In the new three-tier security architecture, the SMP patrols up to 12 nautical miles (nm) from the coast, the ICG up to the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 200 nm, and the Navy beyond the EEZ.
The Customs Marine Wing (CMW) is mandated to patrol up to the Contiguous Zone of 24 nm. Though they have a large number of boats, most are suitable only for harbour patrols. The wings face problems similar to that faced by the SMPs and need greater attention of the customs commissioners.
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The Border Security Force (BSF) also has a water wing, which is deployed in specific areas like the creek regions of Gujarat and the Sundarbans. The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has units that carry out waterfront patrols outside major ports and other critical coastal infrastructure.
Lack of sea-going cadre
Thus, it may be seen that a number of forces are involved in coastal security. Unfortunately, other than the Indian Navy and the ICG, the other forces do not have a specialist ‘sea-going cadre’ or adequate marine training facilities. The Navy and ICG do impart sea training to these forces as required. The Centre has set up the National Academy of Coastal Policing (NACP) at Dwarka in Gujarat in 2018, which is yet to become fully operational. For some strange reason, the NACP is headed by the BSF, whereas the ICG would have been a better professional choice.
The fact, however, remains that without a ‘sea-going cadre’, all sea training expertise imparted by the IN, ICG, or NACP is lost sooner rather than later due to the frequent transfers of police personnel.
Challenges faced by State Marine Police
The 13 SMP forces are really the last line of defence against an approaching threat, especially small craft. Coastal security, however, continues to be a new discipline and a low-priority task for the land-oriented state police, who have a multitude of tasks to deal with on a daily basis.
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The SMP, in fact, faces several marine-related issues, such as ageing boats, inability to operate beyond Sea State 3 (wave height 4 ft.), inadequate technical support, lack of maritime orientation, manpower shortages, etc.
Security issues in Indian Ocean Region
Meanwhile, a lot has changed in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) since 26/11. There has been a surge of Chinese maritime activities in the IOR in recent years. Chinese fishing trawlers, which often have a dual role of intelligence collection, abound off India’s EEZ. The number of drugs seizures by the IN and the ICG in the Arabian Sea, all emanating from Pakistan’s Makran coast, has seen a sharp increase in recent years.
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In the east, Bangladesh is in political turmoil and is working closely with Pakistan and China to foment trouble in India. The presence of Pakistan’s ‘Inter-Service Intelligence’ in Bangladesh along with other jihadi elements is worrisome. Myanmar too is in a state of flux and the Rohingya issue poses a serious security problem for India.
Indian Navy stretched thin
Currently the Indian Navy is responsible for overall maritime security, including its component of coastal and offshore security. There is also some overlap in the delineation of responsibilities between the IN and ICG, which needs streamlining. The continued deployment of the IN in coastal security could however affect its primary role of “being prepared for war”, notwithstanding its stellar performance during 'Op Sindoor'.
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The Navy further continues to maintain a high operational tempo with mission-based deployments, multilateral exercises, tracking of Chinese warships and submarines in the IOR, fighting piracy off Somalia, deployments to the South China Sea, and participation in the “Indo-Pacific Initiative”, etc., and is therefore stretched thin.
Coastal security should be Coast Guard’s responsibility
Meanwhile, the ICG, with the active support of the IN, has, over the last almost five decades, evolved into a credible maritime force, with a large number of ships, helicopters, and aircraft. It is now capable of taking on exclusive responsibility for coastal security, thus freeing the IN for its main task as mentioned earlier. Simultaneously, the ICG needs to be shifted out from the Ministry of Defence and placed under the Ministry of Home Affairs that oversees the country’s land and coastal borders, for better integration and oversight over the coastal police forces.
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Thus, a streamlining of the maritime governance structure and renewed focus on “marine training” would enhance the country’s security preparedness and ensure that there is never a repeat of 26/11.
(The Federal seeks to present views and opinions from all sides of the spectrum. The information, ideas, or opinions in the articles are of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Federal)
