Sagar Kavach drills test coastal security

Panaji: A two-day coastal security exercise, Sagar Kavach, involving all security agencies, commenced on Wednesday to test operational readiness and protocols to prevent terrorist attacks.

The joint exercise, encompassing security personnel from Goa and Maharashtra, saw dummy “terrorists” attempt to destroy Zuari bridge, which security agencies successfully foiled.

“We can see the benefits of the exercise, which is held twice a year. When we see gaps in security protocols, we start plugging them,” said a senior official coordinating the drills.

The exercise entails a red team acting as the aggressor force, and a blue team playing the role of security agencies.

“The red force fails 99% of the time, and we can see how the coastal security mechanism has improved,” the official said. “The objective of this exercise was to assess the effectiveness and robustness of the coastal security mechanism in dealing with maritime threats.”

The Indian Coast Guard, which is coordinating the Sagar Kavach exercise, held a briefing for all the security agencies. “The exercise will simulate realistic scenarios to test and improve our collective response to maritime security threats,” said the Coast Guard in a statement.

The Coast Guard will follow this up with a full-day exercise on Oct 22.



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