Maritime interdiction operations
Also called: MIO · Topic: India's External Relations, 1947-1999: Non-alignment, Wars and Nuclear Policy · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
Maritime interdiction operations (MIO) are naval actions to stop, check and control ships at sea. "Interdiction" means blocking or cutting off. They are used to counter piracy, smuggling, terrorism and the breaking of sanctions (trade bans placed on a country). The usual tool inside an MIO is Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS): sailors go aboard a suspect ship, search it and take any illegal cargo. Navies drill MIO together so that they can enforce rules at sea under common procedures, which is called interoperability.
Example
At Exercise MALABAR 2026, the navies of India, Japan, the United States and Australia met at Yokosuka Naval Base in Japan. The Indian stealth frigate INS Sahyadri practised maritime interdiction operations and VBSS drills during the Sea Phase.
Don't confuse with
- Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS): VBSS is one technique, the act of boarding and searching a single ship. MIO is the wider operation, and it can use VBSS as one of its steps.
- Anti-submarine warfare (ASW): ASW means finding and tracking enemy submarines under the water. MIO deals with surface ships and what they are carrying.