UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — CULMINATION OF THE MAIDEN BIMSTEC MARITIME SECURITY EXERCISE AT ANDAMAN AND NICOBAR COMMAND

Q1. With reference to the Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC), which hosted the maiden BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The post of its Commander-in-Chief is not reserved for any one service, and officers of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force have each held it.
  2. Coast Guard assets in the islands stay outside its integrated structure and answer only to Coast Guard headquarters.
  3. A contingency in the islands that needs land, sea and air assets can be handled under a single Commander-in-Chief, not through separate service commands.
  4. It is one of several integrated theatre commands that India runs, each covering a stretch of the country's land or maritime frontier.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 3 and 4 only
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q2. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. The Andaman and Nicobar Command is often cited as a template for the theatre commands India plans to set up.
  2. In the Andaman and Nicobar Command, land, naval and air elements in one geographic area operate under a single Commander-in-Chief, not under separate service-wise commands.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q3. Consider the following developments relating to BIMSTEC: the BIMSTEC Charter came into force in May 2024; a Maritime Transport Cooperation Agreement providing for national treatment of partner vessels and a Joint Shipping Coordination Committee was signed in April 2025; an Experts Group Meeting on Maritime Security Cooperation was held in November 2025; and in 2026 member navies held their first maritime security exercise, with a harbour phase and a sea phase. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

  1. BIMSTEC has become a collective defence alliance whose members are bound to defend one another against external attack.
  2. BIMSTEC's maritime agenda now covers both the facilitation of shipping and the security of the waters that shipping depends on.
  3. Navies of member states that took part in the exercise were placed under the operational command of the Indian host command.
  4. BIMSTEC's maritime security cooperation has moved from expert-level deliberation to practical operational activity.
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 2 and 4 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 4 only
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q4. Suppose the national treatment provision of the BIMSTEC Maritime Transport Cooperation Agreement, which covers the vessels, crew and cargo of the parties, is fully implemented. Consider the following statements about its likely consequences: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A Bangladesh-flagged cargo vessel calling at an Indian port could not be charged higher dues than a comparable Indian vessel in matters the agreement covers.
  2. A Thailand-flagged vessel in an Indian port would be exempt from Indian port-safety and pollution-control rules and governed only by Thai law.
  3. Member states would have to give up their national ship registries in favour of a single common BIMSTEC flag.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1, 2 and 3

Q5. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. The BIMSTEC Maritime Transport Cooperation Agreement is mainly a collective security instrument that commits member navies to joint patrols in the Bay of Bengal.
  2. The BIMSTEC Maritime Transport Cooperation Agreement provides for mutual recognition of certificates and documents and for a dispute settlement mechanism.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q6. In military usage, the terms 'joint' and 'multilateral' describe different kinds of exercises. In this context, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. A 'joint' exercise is one in which two or more services of the same country's armed forces train together.
  2. An exercise counts as multilateral when forces of more than two countries take part, even if each country sends only its navy.
  3. Ex KAVACH, held under the Andaman and Nicobar Command, is an example of a joint exercise in this sense.
  4. Because India hosted it at its own command, the BIMSTEC Maritime Security Exercise is classed as a bilateral exercise.
  • A. 2, 3 and 4 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1, 3 and 4 only

Q7. Which one of the following groups consists only of member states of BIMSTEC?

  • A. Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal and Thailand
  • B. Bangladesh, Indonesia, Myanmar and Sri Lanka
  • C. Bangladesh, Myanmar, Pakistan and Sri Lanka
  • D. Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal and Thailand

Q8. Consider the following assertion: 'BIMSTEC, long focused on connectivity and trade, is acquiring a security dimension in the Bay of Bengal.' Which of the following statements support/supports the above assertion?

  1. Member states have held successive Experts Group Meetings on Maritime Security Cooperation, the fourth of them in November 2025.
  2. Member navies carried out coordinated deployments at sea during BIMSTEC's first maritime security exercise.
  3. BIMSTEC's Permanent Secretariat has functioned from Dhaka since 2014.
  • A. 1, 2 and 3
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1 only