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The webinar, “Safeguarding the Coast: Coastal Security in India’s National Security Strategy” is organised by the Centre for Public Policy Research (CPPR), in collaboration with The Asia Foundation (TAF), as part of the Indian Coastal Think Tank Network (ICTN) project.

INTRODUCTION

The Indian coastal line has always been vulnerable to criminal activities and terrorist threats, which include the smuggling of goods, gold, narcotics, and arms. Incidents such as the smuggling of explosives for the 1993 Mumbai blasts and the Pakistani terrorist attack on November 26, 2008, were notable. The 26/11 brought a huge change in the shift in coastal security, as before it was always overshadowed by the focus on land border security. Coastal security often refers to safeguarding the coastline and marine approaches against non-state actors and criminal groups. However, a comprehensive definition is lacking. India’s vulnerability arises from its coastal arrangement, geographical location, and continuous maritime border conflicts, worsened by critical strategic sites and heightened marine traffic. This has led to raising the standards to the international level, such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and fostering regional cooperation mechanisms. In today’s world, coastal security doesn’t just mean safety; multiple things, such as the protection of maritime infrastructure, economic assets, and ecological balance, fall under that column, making it a multidimensional imperative.

Coastal security economies hold strategic economic and environmental significance within India’s national security framework. India’s maritime domain, which includes a 7,500-kilometre coastline and a 2-million-square-kilometre Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), contains essential infrastructure such as ports, nuclear facilities, and oil rigs that require careful safeguarding. As 90% of the trade of India happens through the sea, a hindrance in this can be a threat to the economic stability of the country. Illegal fishing, marine pollution, and climate-induced disasters like cyclones complicate matters. Coastal security strengthens national sovereignty by combating non-state actors, espionage, and territorial transgressions in an increasingly competitive Indo-Pacific area.

Considering the progress that was made after the 26/11, many operational dilemmas arose, such as interweaving with the dense fishing communities and complicating surveillance and coordination among agencies like the Indian Navy, Coast Guard, and coastal police. Furthermore, the lack of understanding of the technology in the Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA), outdated surveillance systems, and resource constraints—for example, the lack of training and equipment for the force—show the vulnerability of the system. With this, there are non-traditional threats such as drug trafficking, human smuggling, and climate change, which are exacerbated by rising sea levels and require solutions through adaptive strategies. The strengthening of coastal security is done through programs like Phase II and joint exercises like Sagar Kavach. However, there are still problems with how agencies work together and how the community is involved.

This webinar will try to find answers to the complexities of this topic through a blend of expert insights, case studies, and a technological showcase. As the main topic in this generation is AI, the webinar will be looking at how AI-driven surveillance and satellite monitoring will help while also addressing ongoing challenges, including climate resilience and the inclusion of fisherfolk.

This webinar aims to strengthen coastal security as a fundamental component of India’s comprehensive national security, promoting economic prosperity, ecological sustainability, and sovereign resilience in a changing global context.

This webinar is organised as part of CPPR’s project, “Indian Coastal Think Tank Network: Addressing Traditional and Non-traditional Challenges in the Indian Coastal Region from Regional and National Perspectives”.

KEY DISCUSSION POINTS

● Coastal security in India and differential frameworks for resilience in the western coast and eastern coast of India.
● Growing importance of coastal security within the ambit of the national security post the Mumbai attacks.
● Environmental and non-traditional security concerns in coastal India.
● Artificial intelligence, digitalisation and coastal security.
● Strategies to strengthen India’s coastal defense for a secure future.
● Policy recommendations to improve coastal security.

SPEAKERS

K V Thomas

K V Thomas has over 36 years of distinguished service in the Intelligence Bureau, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. He has worked in various capacities in different parts of India including insurgency-affected areas of the North East, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Kerala and is well-versed in the socio-economic, political and developmental issues in those states.

He has vast experience in the fields of intelligence, national security, policing, human/civil rights, ethnic conflicts and left-wing extremism.

As a Fellow of National Police Academy, Hyderabad, he had undertaken a research project on Policing and Human Rights in Andhra Pradesh during 1998.

Dr Ravindranathan P

Dr Ravindranathan is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, Manipal Academy of Higher Education (MAHE), Manipal. He earned his post-graduate degree in International Relations from the School of International Relations and Politics, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam, Kerala and completed M Phil and PhD from the Latin American Division of the Centre for Canadian, US and Latin American Studies, School of International Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi.

At the Department of Geopolitics and International Relations, MAHE, he teaches courses on ‘Arms Control, Nuclear Disarmament and Nuclear Futures’, ‘India and Maritime Security in the Indian Ocean’, ‘Research Methodology’, ‘Indian Politics and Government’, and ‘Globalisation, Geo-economics and the World Order.

Before joining MAHE, Ravindranathan worked as an Academic Associate at the Academic Staff College JNU, Research Associate at the Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), and as a Copy Editor at the Encyclopaedia Britannica(online), New Delhi.

MODERATOR

Atiya Gopinath

Atiya Gopinath is a Research Consultant at The Asia Foundation and also Ph.D. candidate in Sociology at the Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi. With a diverse and extensive background in policy research, governance and journalism, she has worked as a Fellow at the Delhi Assembly Research Centre, contributing to key government initiatives and also has experience as a journalist at Bloomberg TV India, where she covered the Finance Ministry, Planning Commission, and Health Ministry.

Her research interests include international development, maritime trade in the Indo Pacific region, urban policy, labor studies and social justice. Having collaborated with leading academic and policy institutions like the London School of Economics, Centre for Equity Studies and the Rosa Luxembourg Stiftung amongst others, Atiya brings a sharp analytical perspective as today’s moderator.

HOST

Aleena T Sabu

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