Indian Coast Guard

Indian Coast Guard
Indian Coast Guard insignia
Active	18 August 1978 –- present
Country	India
Type	Coast Guard
Size	Active duty: 5,440 personnel
Part of	Ministry of Defence
Motto(s)	वयम् रक्षामः (English: We Protect)
Commanders
Director General	Vice Admiral Anurag Gopalan Thaplial, AVSM
Insignia
Ensign	File:Indian Coast Guard flag.png
Aircraft flown
Helicopter	HAL Chetak HAL Dhruv
Patrol	Dornier Do 228

The Indian Coast Guard (Hindi: भारतीय तटरक्षक, Bhāratīya Taṭarakṣaka) (ICG) is an Armed Force of the Union of India. Its mission is the protection of India's maritime interests and enforcement of maritime law with jurisdiction over both territorial (including contiguous zone & exclusive economic zone) and international waters.

ICG was formally established on 18 August 1978 as an armed force of the Union by the Coast Guard Act, 1978. It operates under the Department of Defence of the Union Ministry of Defence.

The Coast Guard works in close cooperation with the Indian Navy, Department of Fisheries, Department of Revenue (Customs) and the Central and State police forces.

Mission

Coast Guard Office in Kochi, Kerala

Cost Guard helicopter at Chowpatty, Mumbai

The Indian Coast Guard's motto is वयम रक्षामः (Vayam Rakshamah), which translates from Sanskrit as We Protect. Its missions are:

• National Defence during hostilities Peace
• Safety and Protection of Artificial Islands, Offshore terminals and other Installations
• Protection and assistance to fishermen and Mariners at sea
• Maritime safety, search and rescue
• Coastal Security
• Law enforcement in territorial as well as international waters
• Preservation and Protection of marine ecology and environment including pollution control
• Anti smuggling and other Customs & Preventive Operations
• Scientific data collection and support

History

A coast guard ship at the Naval Dockyard (Bombay)

The establishment of the Indian Coast Guard was first proposed by the Indian Navy to provide non-military maritime services to the nation. In the 1960s, sea-borne smuggling of goods was threatening India's domestic economy. The Indian Customs Department frequently called upon the Indian Navy for assistance with patrol and interception in the anti-smuggling effort.

The Nagchaudhuri Committee was constituted with participation from the Indian Navy and the Indian Air Force to study the problem. In August 1971, the committee identified the requirement to patrol India's vast coastline, set up a registry of offshore fishing vessels in order to identify illegal activity, and establish a capable and well-equipped force to intercept vessels engaged in illegal activities. The committee also looked at the number and nature of the equipment, infrastructure and personnel required to provide those services.

By 1973, India had started a program to acquire the equipment and started deputing personnel from the Indian Navy for these anti-smuggling and law enforcement tasks, under the provisions of the Maintenance of Internal Security Act. The Indian Navy sensed that the law enforcement nature of these duties diverged from its core mission as a military service. Admiral Sourendra Nath Kohli, then Chief of Naval Staff, hence made a recommendation to the Defense Secretary outlining the need for a separate maritime service to undertake those duties and offering the Navy's assistance in its establishment. On 31 August 1974, the Defense Secretary submitted a note to the Cabinet Secretary proposing cabinet action on Admiral Kohli's recommendation.

As a result, in September 1974, the Indian cabinet set up the Rustamji Committee, under the chairmanship of Khusro Faramurz Rustamji, with participation from the Navy, the Air Force and the Department of Revenue to examine gaps in security and law enforcement between the roles of the Indian Navy and the central and state police forces. The discovery of oil off Bombay High further emphasised the need for a maritime law enforcement and protection service. The committee submitted its recommendation for the establishment of the Indian Coast Guard under the Ministry of Defense on 31 July 1975. Bureaucratic wrangling followed, with the Cabinet Secretary making a recommendation to place the service under the Ministry of Home Affairs. Then prime minister Indira Gandhi overruled the Cabinet Secretary and decided to accept the original recommendation of the Rustamji Committee to place the service under the Ministry of Defense.

An interim Indian Coast Guard came into being on 1 February 1977, equipped with two small corvettes and five patrol boats transferred from the Navy. The duties and functions of the service were formally defined in the Coast Guard Act, which was passed by India's parliament on 18 August 1978 and came into immediate effect. The Act was introduced under Entry 2 of List 1 in the Seventh Schedule to the Constitution of India; the same entry as for the Army, Navy and Air Force Acts.

Vice Admiral V.A. Kamath of the Indian Navy was appointed the founding Director General. Prime Minister Morarji Desai inspected the Guard of Honour at the service's inauguration. Vice Admiral Kamath proposed a five-year plan to develop the ICG into a potent force by 1984, but the full potential of this plan was not immediately realised due to an economic resource crunch.

One of the historic operational successes of the ICG occurred in October 1999, with the recapture at high seas of a Panamanian-registered Japanese cargo ship, MV Alondra Rainbow, hijacked off Indonesia. Her crew was rescued off Phuket, Thailand. The ship had been repainted as MV Mega Rama, and was spotted off Kochi, heading towards Pakistan. She was chased by ICGS Tarabai and INS Prahar (K98) of the Indian Navy, and apprehended. It was the first successful prosecution of armed pirates in over a century.

The Indian Coast Guard conducts exercises with the other coast guards of the world. In May 2005, the ICG agreed to establish liaison links with Pakistan's Maritime Security Agency (PMSA). In 2006, the Indian Coast Guard conducted exercises with its Japanese and Korean counterparts.

After the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the Indian government initiated a program to expand the ICG force, assets and infrastructure. The force is expected to be tripled between 2010 and 2019 in manpower, vessels and aircraft.

Personnel

Coast Guard Officers

The ranks for Indian Coast Guard officers in order of increasing seniority are:

• Assistant Commandant = Lieutenant
• Deputy Commandant = Lieutenant Commander
• Commandant (Junior Grade) = Commander
• Commandant = Captain
• Deputy Inspector General = Commodore
• Inspector General = Rear-Admiral
• Additional Director General = Vice Admiral
• Director General = Vice Admiral

Officers are appointed in the Coast Guard in one of four branches, as either General Duty officer, Pilot officer, Technical officer or Law officers. Women are appointed as officers in all branches, but serve only on shore establishments/Headquarters. They are not deployed on board Indian Coast Guard ships.

General Duty officers

ICG offshore patrol vessel ICGS Vishwast visiting Kobe, Japan

General Duty branch is the Executive branch of Indian Coast Guard. This executive branch being the biggest is sub divided as Gunnery, Navigation and direction, Signal Communication, Pollution Response and Intelligence. The Command of all ships and Establishments of Indian Coast Guard can be exercised only by the GD branch Officers. Only these executive branch officers can exercise command of any maritime operations.GD branch officers of the Indian Coast Guard are assigned operational tasks, including command of weapons systems, navigation systems, crews and vessels. Command of Coast Guard operations at sea, and the safety of crew and ships is the primary responsibility of these officers. All the District Commanders (COMDIS) and Commander in Chiefs (COMCG)appointments can be exercised only by an Executive branch Officer of the Indian Coast Guard.

Pilot officers

Pilot officers are also GD branch officers only.They are appointed into the Air Wing of the Coast Guard.But the Air crew sailors are generally not posted on board ships they being vertically specialised in Air Arm of the service. They serves many of the Air Stations operated by the Indian Coast Guard.The Command of the Air stations are again the responsibility of Pilots being part of the General Duty Arm(excluding the short service entry CPL Holding pilots) of the Service. Indian Coast Guard pilots operate rotary wing and fixed wing aircraft from Coast Guard ships and Air Stations.

Technical officers

Technical officers are responsible for operation of advanced technology and sensor systems on board Coast Guard vessels and aircraft, as well as on shore installations. They also command the maintenance wings of the force. Technical officers are usually required to have a graduate degree in Engineering.

Law Officers

Law officers act as legal advisers to their respective commanders. They represent the Indian Coast Guard in legal actions filed by or against the organisation. They also perform the duties of Trial law officers in Coast Guard Courts, convened to try delinquent Coast Guard personnel.

Enrolled Personnel

Enrolled personnel in the Coast Guard serve as either a Yantrik (Technician) or Navik (Sailor).

Yantriks are responsible for operating and maintaining mechanical, electrical or aeronautical equipment and systems on board the Coast Guard vessels and aircraft.

Naviks may further serve in the General Duty or Domestic branches. The General Duty Naviks serve as sailors, weapons systems operators, communication specialists, divers, etc. or in specific maritime or aviation support roles. Domestic branch Naviks serve in roles such as stewards, cooks, etc. on board Coast Guard vessels.

All personnel are trained in operation of weapons systems in cases of emergency.

Training

Currently, Officers of Indian Coast Guard undergo Basic Military Training at the Indian Naval Academy, Ezhimala along with their Counter parts of Indian Navy.This helps in the mutual interchange of Officers among these two sister services.while the Indian Coast Guard Academy is under construction in Azhikkal, Kannur district, Kerala. The Sailors of Indian Coast Guard gets trained along with Indian Naval Sailors at the Indian Naval training establishment INS Chilka.All the training under taken by Indian Coast Guard Officers and men are the same as those under taken by Indian Naval Officers and sailors.

Organization

The Indian Coast Guard operations are split into 5 regions:

• Western Region headquartered in Mumbai
• Eastern Region headquartered in Chennai
• North East Region headquartered in Kolkata
• North West Region headquartered in Gandhinagar
• Andaman & Nicobar Region headquartered in Port Blair

Leadership

The ICG is led by the Director General of Coast Guard, who is an officer of the rank Vice Admiral, presently (as of February 2013), Vice Admiral Anurag G Thapliyal, AVSM.

The ICG as of now is headed by a naval officer of the rank of Vice Admiral on deputation to the Coast Guard as a direct entry Coast Guard Officer is yet to reach the age/service to become equivalent to Vice Admiral as it is the Youngest of all the all Armed Forces started in the 70's. Two of the Director Generals (the 12th and 16th), Rameshwar Singh and Prabhakaran Paleri, were career Coast Guard officers, in the sense that they were Indian Navy officers on permanent secondment to the Indian Coast Guard. DG Rameshwar Singh had spent twenty years in the Indian Navy, before he was seconded permanently to the Indian Coast Guard. His tenure lasted for six months, between March 2001, and September 2001. Dr. Prabhakaran Paleri was commissioned in the Indian Navy in 1969, and permanently seconded to the Coast Guard in 1981. His tenure lasted for five months, from February 2006 to August 2006.

Each coast guard region is led by an Inspector General (IG) or a Deputy Inspector General (DIG). The IG and DIG are appointed as Coast Guard Officers, often graduates of the Indian Defence Service Colleges, though not necessarily.

Each of the regions is further divided into multiple districts, typically covering a coastal state or a union territory.

Establishments

By the end of 2012, the Indian Coast Guard is on track to operate:

• 42 Coast Guard Stations
• 5 Coast Guard Air Stations
• 10 Coast Guard Air Enclaves

Equipment

Surface vessels

Ships belonging to the Indian Coast Guard are prefixed ICGS, abbreviation for Indian Coast Guard Ship.

Ship Class	Type	Origin	Displacement	In service	Notes
In Service: 93 ships
Samar class	Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel	India	2005 tons	6
Vishwast class	Offshore Patrol Vessel	India	1800 tons	2
Vikram class	Offshore Patrol Vessel		1220 tons	6	1 Decommissioned
Samudra class	Pollution Control Vessel(PCV)	India	4300 tons	2
Rajshree class	Inshore patrol vessel	India	275 tons	4
Rani Abbaka class	Inshore patrol vessel	India		1
Sarojini Naidu Class	Extra Fast Patrol Vessel (XFPV)	India	270 tons	7
Priyadarshini Class	Inshore Patrol Vessels		215 tons	8
Tarabai Class	Inshore Patrol Vessels	India/Singapore	236 tons	6
Rajhans Class	Seaward Defence Boat		203 tons	2	3 decommissioned
Jijabai Class	Inshore Patrol Vessels	India/Japan	181 tons	0	7 decommissioned
Pulicat Class	Patrol Boat	USSR	80 tons	0	5 decommissioned
L&T fast interceptor crafts	Interceptor Boat	India	90 tons	1
ABG fast interceptor crafts	Interceptor Boat	India/Australia	75 tons	13
Bharati class interceptor boat	Fast Patrol Vessels (FPV)	India	65 tons	1
AMPL Class	Interceptor Boat	India/UK	44 tons	9	1 transferred to Mauritius
Swallow Craft Class	Inshore Patrol Craft	South Korea	32 tons	5
Mandovi Marine Class	Patrol craft	India	10 tons		5 status unknown
Timblo Class	Interceptor Craft	India	7 tons	10
Bristol Class	Interceptor Craft		5.5 tons	4
Vadyar Class	Interceptor Craft		2.4 tons	8
Griffon/Grse Class	Air Cushion Vehicle (Hovercraft)	UK	N.A.	10
Under Construction/Order: 156 ships
Samar class	Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel	India	2230 tons	1
GSL Class	Advanced Offshore Patrol Vessel	India	2400 tons	6	2 Keel laid
Vishwast class	Offshore Patrol Vessel	India	1800 tons	1
Samudra class	Pollution Control Vessel(PCV)	India	3300 tons	1
Rajshree class	Inshore patrol vessel	India	275 tons	4	8 ordered, 4 commissioned
Rani Abbaka class	Inshore patrol vessel	India		4	5 ordered, 1 commissioned
HSL class	Inshore patrol vessel	India		8
Griffon Class	Air Cushion Vehicle (Hovercraft)	UK	N.A.	8	12 ordered, 4 commissioned
	Air Cushion Vehicle (Hovercraft)	UK	N.A.	6	As per Griffon's website, status unknown,
L&T fast interceptor crafts	Interceptor Boat	India		35+18	36+18 ordered, 1 commissioned
Cochin Fast Patrol Vessels	Fast Patrol Vessels (FPV)	India		20	2 launched
Bharati class interceptor boat	Fast Patrol Vessels (FPV)	India	65 tons	14	15 ordered, 1 commissioned
Timblo class patrol craft	Patrol craft	India	15 tons	30

Aircraft inventory

Main article: List of active Indian military aircraft

See also

• Indian Navy
• Military of India

External links

• Official Indian Coast Guard site
• Ministry of Defence site
• Indian Coast Guard orders six Griffon hovercraft