Visakhapatnam hosts Colombo Security Conclave table top exercise

• A three-day table top exercise, conducted under the aegis of the Colombo Security Conclave (CSC), concluded at the Eastern Naval Command (ENC) in Visakhapatnam on September 12.

• The CSA has six member countries — India, Sri Lanka, Maldives, Mauritius, Bangladesh and Seychelles.

• The objective of this exercise was to develop a coordinated response to address non-illegal maritime activities in the Indian Ocean Region.

• The simulated operational drill featured discussions on challenges such as maritime terrorism, drug trafficking, human trafficking, and Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated (IUU) fishing.

• This exercise strengthens the shared commitment of CSC countries towards peace, stability, and prosperity in the region and aligns with the vision of MAHASAGAR (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions).

Colombo Security Conclave

• The Colombo Security Conclave was founded as a trilateral security framework between India, Sri Lanka and the Maldives in 2011.

• It has since expanded to include Mauritius and Bangladesh and Seychelles as members. 

• CSC deals with maritime security, counter-terrorism and cybersecurity with India bringing to the fore its own strategic concerns in the Indian Ocean.

• The CSC’s core objective is to promote regional security by addressing transnational threats and challenges of common concern to the Member States.

Cooperation under the CSC focuses on five pillars.

They are:

i) Maritime safety and security.

ii) Countering terrorism and radicalisation.

iii) Combating trafficking and transnational organised crime.

iv) Cyber security and protection of critical infrastructure and technology.

v) Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief.