What are the maritime security challenges in India? Discuss the organizational, technical and procedural initiatives taken to improve the maritime security.

The term maritime security is defined as comprising those issues which pertain to the sea and have a critical bearing on the country’s security. The threats are of Traditional and Non-traditional (Pirates, Climate Change, Smuggling) types.

Issues in Maritime Security:-

• Multi-level structure: There are approximately 15 agencies involved in various facets of coastal security that lead to inadequate utilization of resources, overlapping jurisdiction. 
• Structural Gap: Sufficient attention has not been paid to provide police stations with essential requirements. 
• Technology: The latest audit showed only about 1,000 vessels were actually equipped with the tracking facility. 
• Domestic industrial base: There is a lack of industrial base to reduce the demand for security related equipment. 
• Absence of a comprehensive policy formulation mechanism:- There is no coordinating body which could formulate national strategies for countering existing and emergent threats. 
• Discontent in fishermen communities:- Growing discontent among them due to the loss of their ‘traditional’ fishing harbors to sensitive and strategic establishments like naval bases, coast guard headquarters, etc. 

Recent Steps Taken

• India has signed the agreement to the Trans Regional Maritime Network (TRMN). The network facilitates information exchange on the movement of commercial traffic on the high seas. 
• Indian Ocean Naval Symposium is a voluntary initiative that seeks to increase maritime cooperation among navies of the littoral states. 
• Indian access to port DUQM in Oman for military use and Logistical support. 
• Developing Andaman & Nicobar which is located at just 90 kms from Malacca strait to irritate China’s Malacca Dilemma. 
• The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) is the first tri-services command in the country where officers and men from all three services. 
• Strengthen patrolling mechanism near Sir creek to check Pakistani infiltration.

All steps were taken in consonance with India’s Maritime strategy to improve our maritime security.