Former navy vice chief, Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar, who has been handpicked to become India's first national maritime security coordinator (NMSC) will have to deal with around 20 central and state government agencies working in India's maritime domain. Coordination with these multiple agencies will be a challenge for Vice Admiral Ashok Kumar, who will work within the National Security Council Secretariat under National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
"Till date, all the authorities involved in the maritime domain work in silos and has often duplicated the task. NMSC 's main task is to take every agency including MoD, MHA, Port and shipping, fisheries, navy, coast guard, customs and intelligence agencies on board. He will be the country's topmost advisor on maritime security," explains a senior government official, while adding that the Cabinet Committee on Security, headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, gave its nod to the creation of the post of NMSC last November. The move is also part of PM Modi’s Act East Policy vision, which also has SAGAR (Security and Growth of All in the Region), the Deep Ocean Mission, and the Sagarmala project to make India’s 12 major ports world-class.
The thought of having the country's top maritime coordinator came up by the Group of Ministers formed after the Kargil conflict of 1999. And after the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, the need to strengthen maritime security was realised, especially in view of the scattered island territories.
Admiral G. Ashok Kumar, who retired from the navy in June last year, will be an interface between military and multiple civilian agencies. And. the main task of the NMSC is to strengthen the country's coastal security and blue economy needs. India has a long 7,516-km coastline including island territories and a two million sq km exclusive economic zone. And with 90 per cent of India's trade by volume and 70 per cent of worth (value) is transitting through waters.
Vice Admiral Ashok Kumar, a specialist in navigation and direction, has held several challenging staff and command positions during his career spanning more than three decades in the Navy. An alumnus of Sainik School Amravathinagar, who Commissioned in the Executive Branch of the Indian Navy in 1982, has attended the Army Higher Command Course at Mhow and been part of a specialised course on expeditionary operations at Quantico, Virginia, US. After having completed his specialisation in Navigation and Direction at Kochi in 1989, he served as the Navigating Officer of Indian Naval Ships Beas, Nilgiri, Ranvir and Vikrant. His other sea tenures include Commanding Officer of INS Kulish and Ranvir and Executive Officer onboard INS Brahmaputra.
