National Maritime Security Coordinator

Table of Contents

National Maritime Security Coordinator: Relevance

GS 3: Security challenges and their management in border areas – linkages of organized crime with terrorism.

Recently, Government of India has decided to appoint Vice Admiral G Ashok Kumar (Retd) as the first National Maritime Security Coordinator (NMSC) of India to ensure cohesion among various key stakeholders with an overall objective to secure the country.

NMSC has been appointed within the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) under National Security Advisor Ajit Doval.
The post of the NMSC is the second to the Military Advisor’s post that was created to bring in inputs related to military matters.
- The post of Military Advisor was created in 2011.
The NSCS is headed by the NSA who is also the secretary to the apex National Security Council headed by the Prime Minister.

NMSC will have the responsibility of coordinating between all the agencies involved in maritime security and maritime civil issues.
He will also be responsible for improving the needs of blue economy of India.
He will look at all aspects of maritime security, and will be the nodal point for all issues related to it.
He will also be tasked with ensuring better coordination between the different authorities that work on maritime issues, but work independently.

The need NMSC was first expressed by the Group of Ministers (GoM) formed after the Kargil War, more than two decades ago.
- The Kargil Group of Ministers’ had recommended in its report that an apex body for management of maritime affairs should be formed for institutionalised linkages between the Navy, Coast Guard and the concerned Ministries of the Central and the State Governments.
- The GoM has therefore asked the Defence Ministry to take necessary action to constitute the apex body.
After the 26/11 terror attacks in 2008, the Defence Ministry had proposed to create Maritime Security Advisory Board, and appointment of a Maritime Security Advisor. However, that was kept pending.
Again, in November 2021, the Cabinet Committee on Security finally cleared the creation of the NMSC.

Also Read:

Different Layers of Soil Horizon	SMILE scheme \| A Scheme for Transgender and Beggar Community	Modernization of Police Forces (MPF) Scheme \| Police Reforms in India	Sedition Law (Section 124A of IPC)
Quad Ministerial Meeting 2022	One Ocean Summit	Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya	Central Media Accreditation Guidelines 2022
North East Special Infrastructure Development Scheme (NESIDS)	Safer Internet Day: Internet and Children Safety	Analysis of Yojana Magazine: ”NEAT 3.0”	List of Peasant Movements in India
Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) \| Analysing the Performance of PMMVY	PM Kisan Sampada Yojana Extended	Coastal Vulnerability Index	Exchange Rate: Types of Exchange \| Exchange Rate