Home Minister ji There Is A Hole In The Coastal Command

It has been over two months since the Mumbai Terror attacks on 26 Nov. A lot had been promised by our government and some changes have already happened.

Where do we stand with the coastal command structure that was proposed by the Home Minister. From what I have heard so far, I see a major hole in the proposed coastal command.

Home Minister Chidambaram has been talking about the new coastal command that is being set up in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks. The components of this coastal command seem to be the following:

• Basic infrastructure
• Set up maritime security command under Indian Navy supervision
  
• Set up an intelligence network connecting the security command with coastal police stations, the home ministry and intelligence agencies
  
• Increase number of coastal police stations
• Purchase boats and better equipment for coastal police, coast guard and Navy
  
• Set up helipads along the coasts

• Prevention
• Increase patrolling of the coasts using speed boats and helicopters
  
• Increase manned surveillance of roads along the coasts
• Improved Radar surveillance along coastline
• Automatic Identification System for all sea vessels to monitor identity, speed, location and course
  
• Biometric Identity cards for fishermen

• Crisis response
• Set up zonal crisis management cells
• Equip marine police and coast guards with latest firearms
• Designate hospitals in coastal zones and prepare them to handle emergency situations

This is great but....

The Hole

I agree the marine police, coast guard and navy need the best and the latest equipment. But the plan so far looks heavily dependent on having more security men. It also seems to be saying, come and do your thing Mr. Terrorist and we will try to catch you. Instead what we really need to be saying is dont even try anything because we will surely catch you even before you reach our shores.

Home Minister Chidambaram's approach to me seems to be only about providing better fire power to the forces and on physical surveillance of the seas. It is necessary to do that but our aim should be to make sure they are stopped at sea. But to do that is it enough to just patrol the seas using boats. In a mall which is usually less than 100m x 100m in size how many security men do we require to monitor the premises? Well without CCTV cameras it turns out that a mall would require at least 150-200 security men working in 3 shifts. The Indian coasts are much much bigger. So how many coast guards will we require? The answer is too many.

It is very clear that a surveillance system that is based entirely on physical monitoring by coast guards and police is not enough. Just like the mall requires CCTV systems to reduce the load and make security more effective, the seas need electronic surveillance and not just an increased number of well armed coast guards.

Put in the combat multipliers

A good security force makes intelligent use of combat multipliers.

What is a combat multiplier? A combat multiplier is technology and intelligence that allows non linear scaling. Which means that with just a few security men the force is effective in stopping attacks.

Till some years back an army was as good as the number of soldiers it had. Then slowly missiles, bombs, tanks, aircrafts, aircraft carriers, submarines etc. were introduced which allowed an army to scale up non linearly. Army men armed with spears were needed in large numbers. With guns, you needed fewer men to inflict the same damage. With missiles and bombs you needed even fewer.



In the Mumbai attack what if the terrorists had been intercepted at sea? Once they had reached the hotels and other destinations, no matter how good the guns our police force was carrying, it was very difficult to stop them from causing damage. So in this case the combat multiplier would have been better surveillance of our coasts, of our hotels and stations, to stop the terrorists early. Once the terrorists had taken up their positions, they became very powerful.

What must be put in place

We must have:

• Networked Sonar and Radar net around the coasts
  
• Aerial surveillance using ISRO satellites
  

Our Home Minister must think of using sonar, radar and satellites to do the surveillance. He has talked very fleetingly about increased radar surveillance and automatic identification system for ships, but that idea needs to be broadened and its scope increased. Only then it will have the necessary combat multiplier effect. This can be the CCTV system of the seas. The coast guard then becomes even more effective by utilizing this intelligence. So in addition to the things already proposed by him, the Home Minister must put in place a system to provide electronic surveillance of our seas and coasts. Such a system can be put in place by utilizing the combined knowledge of ISRO, DRDO and other research organizations in the country.


Also Read:
Coastal command structure
Securing our coasts against terrorists and enemies

Read: Complete Counter Terror Series