THE MARITIME DIMENSION

2. THE MARITIME DIMENSION

3. INTRODUCTION

4. PRESENTATION SCHEME Maritime scenario features Contemporary threats Security elements Action points Conclusion

5. Features of Maritime Scenario Maritime environment is peculiar Operations stretch seamlessly Littoral seas are a very crowded space

6. CONTEMPORARY THREATS Small submersible craft carried by merchant ships or even submarines can launch terrorists close to the target Ships or containers can block ports� navigable channels Illicit cargo guns & explosives in containers Possibility of dirty bomb The state sponsored, and state tolerated, terrorists can travel close to the intended port or location in a larger merchant ship also carrying small submersible craft. Such craft can be manned & launched close to the coast, enter harbor under autonomous propulsion and disembark the men & materiel at the place of their choosing. Likewise, terrorists can be brought close to the victim coast in submarines and launched in rubber dinghies from there. Small merchant ships with papers certifying legitimate mercantile marine activity could enter victim port, pretend machinery breakdown and block narrow channels. In the mid eightees there were a series of claimed accidents wherein containers were dropped as well as ships ran aground right inside Mumbai harbor, severely constricting the navigable channel. Likewise, apparently legitimate craft could purposefully collide with oil tankers in an economically vital port thereby blocking the channel, cause large scale oil spillage & play havoc with the economy. Containers loaded with explosive devices, illicit arms & ammunition etc could be transported as legitimate cargo. Gun-running by the sea is by far the safest means of transferring arms & ammunition around the world, while drug trafficking is the most lucrative. There is a symbiotic relationship between the two and it is impossible to control one without controlling the other. Possibilities of some terrorist groups procuring components from open market, assembling conventional explosives to disperse radioactive material and delivering this �dirty bomb� and / or other chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear devices; are no longer a mere security nightmare. These are real threats which need to be neutralized. The adverse effect on public sentiment could be devastating if, replicating serial blasts on land, a terror group were to arrange delivery of containerized �dirty bomb�, chemical/ biological agent dispersing devices; cause oil spillage in & blockage of a financial hub port and inflict damage on offshore installations, an oil refinery, nuclear establishment, missile base or a population centre. Consumer technologies today provide the requisite wherewithal to orchestrate such nefarious activities. �The state sponsored, and state tolerated, terrorists can travel close to the intended port or location in a larger merchant ship also carrying small submersible craft. Such craft can be manned & launched close to the coast, enter harbor under autonomous propulsion and disembark the men & materiel at the place of their choosing. Likewise, terrorists can be brought close to the victim coast in submarines and launched in rubber dinghies from there. Small merchant ships with papers certifying legitimate mercantile marine activity could enter victim port, pretend machinery breakdown and block narrow channels. In the mid eightees there were a series of claimed accidents wherein containers were dropped as well as ships ran aground right inside Mumbai harbor, severely constricting the navigable channel. Likewise, apparently legitimate craft could purposefully collide with oil tankers in an economically vital port thereby blocking the channel, cause large scale oil spillage & play havoc with the economy. Containers loaded with explosive devices, illicit arms & ammunition etc could be transported as legitimate cargo. Gun-running by the sea is by far the safest means of transferring arms & ammunition around the world, while drug trafficking is the most lucrative. There is a symbiotic relationship between the two and it is impossible to control one without controlling the other. Possibilities of some terrorist groups procuring components from open market, assembling conventional explosives to disperse radioactive material and delivering this �dirty bomb� and / or other chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear devices; are no longer a mere security nightmare. These are real threats which need to be neutralized. The adverse effect on public sentiment could be devastating if, replicating serial blasts on land, a terror group were to arrange delivery of containerized �dirty bomb�, chemical/ biological agent dispersing devices; cause oil spillage in & blockage of a financial hub port and inflict damage on offshore installations, an oil refinery, nuclear establishment, missile base or a population centre. Consumer technologies today provide the requisite wherewithal to orchestrate such nefarious activities. �

7. SECURITY ELEMENTS Intelligence Same as on land Co-ordination between agencies and between Governments Surveillance Surface, subsurface and airborne Detection, tracking, identification Interception and neutralisation Anywhere within security perimeter Most critical 50 km seaward to 5 km inland

8. SECURITY ELEMENTS ( CONTD.) Establishment Security Perimeter security cordon Access control Screening of men, materiel, vehicles Sensors, communications & manpower Cargo Security Bulk, liquid and gas cargo Potential threat at each stage of handling Containers convenient for smuggling

9. ACTION POINTS Responsibility Materiel Training, contingency planning Citizen participation

10. 40 ships and submarines under construction In addition to 06 OPVs currently in inventory, 05 OPVs under construction in India �Sagar Prahari Bal� raised for coastal defence on lines of Border Security Force along land border I.N. Acquisitions

11. ICG currently has 43 ships, 25 boats and 45 aircraft Post 26/11 Government sanctioned additional 40 ships, 20 boats and 12 aircraft Acquisition of 07 OPVs, 20 Fast Patrol Craft and 12 Dorniers on fast track 3299 additional personnel sanctioned for ICG ICG currently has 7500 personnel By 2012, ICG would be of the largest Coast Guard forces ICG Acquisitions

12. Desiderata Light weight bullet proof jackets and helmets for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, Ministry of Home Affairs, State Police and other security personnel. Arms and equipment for the Ghatak commando groups attached to all infantry battalions. Video camera equipped Remotely Operated Vehicles, modular weapon mounting systems, stun guns, anti material rifles, light support weapons, conventional guns & pistols, signal monitoring devices, night vision devices, body worn audio & video bugs, armored vehicles etc for the elite National Security Guards. Highly sophisticated, specialized sensors and listening devices for intelligence and investigative agencies. Bullet proof observation towers, sentry posts, bunkers and machaans for various users including state governments. Hovercraft, bullet proof jackets, GPS instruments for BSF; camera-based undercarriage inspection system, hand held explosive & gas detectors, NBC protected suits for CISF; bomb baskets & explosive detection kits, bullet-proof helmets, a large number of bomb suits, bomb trucks & bomb blankets and real-time X-ray viewing systems for CRPF; hand held thermal imagers for ITBP etc. Routine but urgent replacement of command, control & communication systems as well as of lower denomination accouterments with high-effective ones in each organization.

13. ACTION POINTS Responsibility Materiel Training, contingency planning Citizen participation

14. CONCLUSION