Sagar Kavach: India's Coastal Security Exercise

Introduction: Sagar Kavach is a coastal security exercise conducted to test India's preparedness against maritime threats and improve coordination among naval, coast guard, police and other coastal security agencies.

Key pointers

  • Primary objective: Strengthen coastal security and evaluate responses to threats originating from the sea.

  • Participating agencies: Depending on the exercise, participants may include the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard, coastal police, customs, port authorities and other security agencies.

  • Exercise format: Simulated security scenarios and coordinated deployment of sea and air assets.

  • Key focus areas: Maritime surveillance, protection of vital installations, harbour security and inter-agency communication.

  • Coastal communities: Fisherfolk can help identify suspicious activities and contribute to coastal vigilance.

  • Strategic relevance: India's long coastline, ports and offshore infrastructure require layered maritime protection.

  • Post-26/11 relevance: The 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks highlighted the need for stronger coordination and surveillance along India's coastline.

  • Recent example: The Sagar Kavach exercise conducted along the Maharashtra and Goa coastline on 19–20 November 2025 involved multiple central and state agencies.

UPSC focus: Sagar Kavach concerns coastal security. Do not confuse it with naval combat exercises such as Malabar or bilateral army exercises.