As part of the upcoming biennial coastal defence exercise Sea Vigil 2026, the Naval Officer-in-Charge (NOIC), West Bengal, organised a sensitisation campaign and familiarisation visit for NCC cadets and Bharat Scouts at INS Netaji Subhas in Kolkata on Wednesday, 4 November 2026. The initiative underscores the Indian Navy's deliberate push to anchor youth engagement as a key result area of this year's exercise.

What the Cadets Saw and Learned

During the visit, participants were briefed on the core functions of the Indian Navy, the Examination Services, and the War Watching Organisation (WWO). The session went beyond classroom instruction — cadets were given operational exposure to Fast Interceptor Crafts (FICs) deployed for riverine patrolling across West Bengal waterways. They also received on-site handling familiarisation with small arms used in maritime defence, giving them a tangible sense of frontline coastal security operations.

Exercise Sea Vigil 2026: Scope and Scale

The high-intensity national exercise is scheduled for 18–19 November 2026 and will be the fifth edition of the drill, following its last run in November 2024. The exercise spans the entire 11,098 km coastline of India and covers the country's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of 2.4 million square kilometres. The 2024 edition involved six central ministries, 21 central and state agencies, and drew participation from both the Indian Army and the Indian Air Force — both are expected to participate again this year.

The drill is structured around Red and Blue teams: Red teams simulate attackers, while other agencies defend vital assets including ports, oil rigs, vulnerable areas and points, and cable landing stations. During the 2024 edition, simulated scenarios included dud Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) planted within the Victoria Memorial campus in Kolkata, 'armed' infiltrators entering a port facility, and a waterborne 'strike' attempted against defence shipbuilder Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd.

Why West Bengal Matters to Maritime Security

West Bengal holds particular strategic significance for security planners, owing to the vast expanse of the Sundarbans — the world's largest mangrove forest and delta — which poses formidable monitoring challenges. The region's dense and difficult terrain makes it a priority zone for coastal surveillance exercises. The involvement of NCC cadets, NSS volunteers, Bharat Scouts and Guides, and local fishing communities along the coastline is designed to build a grassroots culture of maritime vigilance that complements formal security deployments.

Post-26/11 Mandate and Coordination Goals

The Indian Navy has been designated the lead agency for maritime security in the aftermath of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Exercise Sea Vigil is central to fulfilling that mandate — validating Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), testing intelligence-sharing mechanisms, and stress-testing inter-agency coordination across central and state security architectures. Notably, it is designed to be as close to real-world conditions as operationally possible, with live-scenario simulations at critical infrastructure sites.

What Comes Next

With the main exercise now less than a fortnight away, sensitisation events such as Wednesday's visit at INS Netaji Subhas are expected to continue across coastal states. The focus will remain on integrating non-military stakeholders into the security framework, ensuring that India's expansive maritime frontier is watched not just by armed forces, but by an informed and alert civilian network.