CULMINATION OF THE MAIDEN BIMSTEC MARITIME SECURITY EXERCISE AT ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR COMMAND

1. At a Glance

• What it is: The first joint maritime security exercise of the BIMSTEC member navies. The Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) hosted it from 30 Oct to 03 Nov 2026, and it ended at Sri Vijaya Puram on 03 Nov 2026 [1][2].
• Stated aims: Interoperability, professional interaction and mutual understanding. The release calls it a step towards institutionalising maritime engagement among BIMSTEC members [1].
• Strategic significance: BIMSTEC has mostly worked on connectivity, trade and transport. This exercise adds a working security / naval track for the Bay of Bengal [1][4].
• UPSC relevance: It links India's Neighbourhood First and Act East policies with the Andaman & Nicobar Islands' strategic role and regional maritime security. This makes it likely material for GS-II (international relations) and GS-III (security) [1][5].

2. Why in the News

• 03 Nov 2026: The maiden BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise ended at Sri Vijaya Puram, hosted by the ANC [1].
• The exercise was held "in the spirit of" the Delhi Declaration. It also furthered the outcomes of the 4th BIMSTEC Experts Group Meeting on Maritime Security Cooperation (Nov 2025) [1].
• PIB published another release with the same headline under a different ID (PRID 2301975) [2].

3. Background & Evolution

• 6 June 1997: The grouping was founded through the Bangkok Declaration as BIST-EC (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand) [5][3].
• 22 Dec 1997: Myanmar joined at a special Ministerial Meeting in Bangkok, and the name became BIMST-EC. Nepal and Bhutan joined later, giving the current name BIMSTEC [5].
• Sept 2014: The Permanent Secretariat began work in Dhaka [5].
• 1 Nov 2015: The Headquarters Agreement was signed at Dhaka [3].
• 20 May 2024: The BIMSTEC Charter came into force. This marked BIMSTEC's change from a loose grouping into a regional organisation [4][3].
• 4 April 2025: The 6th BIMSTEC Summit was held in Bangkok. Its outcomes included:
• signing of the Maritime Transport Cooperation Agreement [4][6][8];

• adoption of the Bangkok Vision 2030 [6].

• Nov 2025: The 4th BIMSTEC Experts Group Meeting on Maritime Security Cooperation was held [1].

• 30 Oct – 03 Nov 2026: The maiden BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise was held [1].
• Earlier exercises at the ANC: The command has hosted several before, including:
• Ex KAVACH, a joint military exercise [10];
• DANX-17 (Defence of Andaman & Nicobar Islands Exercise) [11].

4. Core Static Facts

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Geopolitical / Strategic

• It adds a security track to BIMSTEC alongside the existing connectivity and trade tracks. The release links it to a "secure, stable and open" Bay of Bengal [1].
• India hosted it at the ANC, which shows how the A&N Islands can serve as a base for regional cooperation, not only for national defence [1].
• It fits with India's other BIMSTEC maritime initiatives, such as the proposed Sustainable Maritime Transport Centre [7] and the India–Thailand strategic partnership's call to implement the Maritime Transport Agreement [9].

Institutional / Governance

• It follows a clear sequence. The Charter came into force (2024) [4], the Maritime Transport Agreement was signed (2025) [6], the Experts Group Meeting on Maritime Security was held (Nov 2025) [1], and then this exercise took place (2026) [1].
• The release says the exercise lays the "foundation for future BIMSTEC initiatives", which suggests it may recur [1].

Security / Operational

• It builds interoperability through coordinated deployments at sea [1].
• The harbour phase is meant to build trust between member navies through professional and cultural interaction [1].
• The "common maritime challenges" it targets are not listed in the release [1]. Do not invent a list in answers.

Economic

• A secure Bay of Bengal underpins BIMSTEC's shipping and cargo cooperation under the Maritime Transport Agreement [6][7].
• It complements the BIMSTEC Master Plan for Transport Connectivity [9].

Administrative

• The ANC's joint structure suits hosting multinational exercises. It has a record of joint exercises such as KAVACH and DANX [10][11].

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• Nov 2025: 4th BIMSTEC Experts Group Meeting on Maritime Security Cooperation [1].
• 30 Oct – 01 Nov 2026 (approx.): Harbour phase at Sri Vijaya Puram. The release gives only the total span and the sea-phase dates, so these harbour-phase dates are inferred [1].
• 02 – 03 Nov 2026: Sea phase off Sri Vijaya Puram [1].
• 03 Nov 2026: The exercise ended [1].
• Context (April 2025, just outside the window): 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok; the Maritime Transport Agreement was signed and the Bangkok Vision 2030 adopted [4][6].

7. Prelims Hooks

• The maiden BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise was hosted by the Andaman and Nicobar Command [1].
• The ANC is India's only Operational Quad Service Command [1].
• The exercise ended on 03 Nov 2026 at Sri Vijaya Puram [1].
• The exercise ran from 30 Oct to 03 Nov 2026; the sea phase was 02 – 03 Nov 2026 [1].
• It had two phases: harbour phase, then sea phase [1].
• It was conducted in the spirit of the Delhi Declaration [1].
• It furthered the outcomes of the 4th BIMSTEC Experts Group Meeting on Maritime Security Cooperation (Nov 2025) [1].
• BIMSTEC was founded on 6 June 1997 by the Bangkok Declaration. Its original name was BIST-EC, with 4 members [5].
• Myanmar joined on 22 Dec 1997, and the name became BIMST-EC [5].
• BIMSTEC has 7 members: 5 South Asian and 2 Southeast Asian (Myanmar, Thailand) [3].
• The BIMSTEC Secretariat is in Dhaka, working since Sept 2014 [5].
• The BIMSTEC Charter came into force on 20 May 2024 [4].
• The Maritime Transport Cooperation Agreement was signed at the 6th Summit, Bangkok, 4 April 2025. It created a Joint Shipping Coordination Committee [4][6].
• The 6th Summit adopted the Bangkok Vision 2030 [6].

8. A Naval Drill Is Easier Than a Working Security Agreement

• Ships can sail together long before governments agree on rules
• The exercise mainly tested interoperability (navies being able to work together at sea, using the same signals and procedures) [1].
• The 4th Experts Group Meeting was hosted by the National Security Council Secretariat (NSCS) on 24–25 Nov 2025. Even at that fourth meeting, members were still working on guidelines for maritime security, including HADR (Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief) [15].

• So the practical side, the drill, has moved ahead of the rulebook. There is still no agreed BIMSTEC procedure for sharing information or chasing a suspect boat.

• The release does not name any threat

• It talks about "common maritime challenges" but does not say what they are [1].
• A joint exercise without a named threat trains navies to sail together. It does not train them to catch smugglers together.

• A good Mains answer should say this plainly: the exercise builds trust and is a first step. It is not yet joint enforcement.

• BIMSTEC has a record of slow follow-through

• In a lecture hosted by MEA, an expert noted that BIMSTEC's free trade agreement, trade facilitation and energy links have made "painfully slow" progress [18].
• If the security track goes the same way, this exercise could stay a one-time event. The release only says it lays a "foundation" [1]. It does not commit to holding it every year.

9. The Real Threats in the Bay Are Drugs and Crime, Not Warships

• Drug smuggling by sea is already happening at scale
• Indian authorities seized 371 kg and 1,156 kg of methamphetamine (a synthetic drug) from two vessels in the Bay of Bengal [16].

• Catches this large show that the Bay is a working smuggling route. These are not small cases.

• Parliament says India's current effort is not enough

• The Standing Committee on External Affairs (Aug 2025) listed piracy, narcotics trafficking and China's growing influence as Indian Ocean threats [14].

• It said plainly that "current efforts are insufficient" [14].

• Why a navy exercise alone cannot fix this

• Drug boats and trafficking networks are crimes. Police, customs and courts deal with crime. Warships do not.
• BIMSTEC already has a legal base for this. Its Convention on Combating International Terrorism, Transnational Organised Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking came into force in 2021, and a Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance (helping each other with evidence and court cases) was signed in 2022 [5].
• The exercise was not linked to these conventions [1]. So what the navies practise at sea and what the law allows on land are still separate.

10. Why India Chose BIMSTEC and Not SAARC for This

• SAARC is stuck, so BIMSTEC is the only regional group that works
• SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation) has not held a summit since 2016, when Pakistan was due to host it. Its work is now limited to technical and official-level meetings [17].
• Even when SAARC was active, trade among its members was only about 5% of their total trade with the world [18].

• Pakistan is not a BIMSTEC member [3]. So India can move forward without a member that blocks it.

• The cost of this choice: not every member has a navy

• Nepal and Bhutan are landlocked (they have no coastline). They cannot send ships to a sea exercise.

• So a "BIMSTEC" naval track really depends on the five coastal members. Nepal and Bhutan need another role, such as working on drug routes on land and in the legal process, or they will see little benefit in the security pillar.

• The quiet China question

• Parliament's committee names China's growing influence as a threat [14]. The exercise release does not mention China at all. It uses neutral words like "open" and "stable" [1].
• That neutral language is deliberate and useful. Smaller members are more likely to join a crime-and-disaster agenda than a drill they see as aimed at China.

11. What Should Happen Next, and Who Should Do It

• NSCS and member navies: turn the guidelines into working procedures
• The Experts Group was already working on guidelines, including on HADR [15].

• The next step is a written procedure (an SOP, or standard operating procedure) for sharing ship tracking data and for handing over a suspect vessel. The next exercise should practise exactly that.

• India: add joint patrols and intelligence sharing

• The Standing Committee recommended better maritime domain awareness (knowing which ships are where, using technology), stronger naval capability, intelligence sharing, joint patrols and better coastal surveillance [14].

• Each of these can be built into the BIMSTEC track, so the exercise leads to real patrols.

• MEA: one coordinating office and regular checks on results

• The Committee found India's use of groups like BIMSTEC, IORA and the Quad "fragmented". It also found there is "no dedicated inter-ministerial mechanism" (no single body joining up the different ministries) [14].
• It asked for a central coordination mechanism in MEA, money and technical support, and "periodic assessment of outcomes" (checking results at regular intervals) [14].

• For BIMSTEC, this means checking whether drills lead to fewer drug and trafficking cases, not just counting how many drills were held.

• Link the sea drill to the law

• Future exercises should include customs and police officers, and should practise steps under the 2021 Convention on terrorism, crime and drugs [5].
• Then a seizure at sea can actually lead to a conviction in court.

12. Anchors for Answers

• Data: 371 kg and 1,156 kg of methamphetamine seized from two vessels in the Bay of Bengal, which shows how big sea-borne drug smuggling is [16]
• Report/Committee: Standing Committee on External Affairs (Chair: Shashi Tharoor), Evaluation of India's Indian Ocean Strategy, 11 Aug 2025. It found India's use of BIMSTEC and other regional groups "fragmented" and current security efforts "insufficient" [14]
• Law/Case: BIMSTEC Convention on Combating International Terrorism, Transnational Organised Crime and Illicit Drug Trafficking (in force 2021); BIMSTEC Convention on Mutual Legal Assistance (signed 2022) [5]
• Comparison: SAARC has not held a summit since 2016 and now works only at the technical level. This is why India puts its regional security cooperation through BIMSTEC [17]
• Scheme: SAGAR / MAHASAGAR, India's Indian Ocean vision. The Committee found the two overlap and asked for a full review [14]

13. Mains Relevance

• GS-II: India and its neighbourhood; bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India.
• GS-III: Security challenges and their management in border areas; linkages between development and security.
• Possible question stems: 1. The maiden BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise marks BIMSTEC's evolution from a connectivity platform to a security community. Critically examine. (250 words) 2. Discuss the strategic significance of the Andaman and Nicobar Command in shaping India's maritime cooperation in the Bay of Bengal. (150 words) 3. Institutionalising maritime cooperation within BIMSTEC is key to a 'secure, stable and open' Bay of Bengal. Analyse the challenges and prospects. (250 words)

14. Related Topics to Study Next

• BIMSTEC Charter (2024) and sectoral pillars: the institutional base for the new security track.
• BIMSTEC Maritime Transport Cooperation Agreement (2025): the economic counterpart of maritime security.
• Bangkok Vision 2030 and PM's 21-point Action Plan: BIMSTEC's agenda after 2025 [6][7].
• Andaman and Nicobar Command: its structure, its role, and earlier exercises such as KAVACH and DANX [10][11].
• SAGAR / MAHASAGAR vision and IFC-IOR: India's wider Indian Ocean security architecture.
• Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA) and Colombo Security Conclave: overlapping regional maritime forums, useful for comparison.
• India–Thailand Strategic Partnership (2025): it refers to BIMSTEC maritime connectivity [9].
• Exercise MILAN: the multilateral naval exercise India hosts, useful for comparing formats.

15. NCERT Concepts to Revise

• BIMSTEC (Geography): The grouping hosting this first security exercise; know its members, 1997 founding, Charter and shift from trade to security.
• Bay of Bengal (Geography): The exercise aims at a secure, stable and open Bay of Bengal, where the Andaman and Nicobar Islands sit.
• Interoperability (Polity): The exercise's main stated aim: letting member navies operate together using compatible procedures and signals.
• Jointness (Polity): Explains the Andaman and Nicobar Command as a joint tri-service command, and how it differs from 'combined' multinational exercises.
• SAARC (Geography): Explains why India uses BIMSTEC for regional security: SAARC summits are stalled and Pakistan is excluded.
• SAGAR (Geography): India's Indian Ocean vision (extended as MAHASAGAR) that frames this maritime cooperation; the note lists it as a comparison anchor.

16. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• ANC is a tri-service plus Coast Guard command, called "Quad Service" in the release. Do not call it a Navy-only command. It is India's only Operational Quad Service Command [1].
• Bangkok Declaration vs Delhi Declaration: The Bangkok Declaration (1997) founded BIMSTEC [5]. The exercise followed the Delhi Declaration [1]. Do not mix them up.
• Year confusion: Founded 1997, Secretariat 2014, Headquarters Agreement 2015, Charter in force 2024, Maritime Transport Agreement 2025, exercise 2026 [3][4][5][1].
• Membership: BIMSTEC has 7 members. Maldives and Pakistan are not members. Myanmar and Thailand are the Southeast Asian members [3].
• Venue name: Sri Vijaya Puram is the present official name of Port Blair. Older PIB releases use "Port Blair" for the ANC headquarters [12].