In a significant step toward bolstering its civil defense infrastructure and testing multi-agency coordination, the Government of India will conduct Operation SHIELD, a nationwide emergency preparedness drill, across key border regions on May 31 at 5 PM.
The Ministry of Home Affairs confirmed that the simulation will cover over 60 strategically sensitive districts across Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, and parts of the Northeast. The exercise will include the participation of state disaster response forces (SDRFs), border security agencies, local police, and paramilitary units, alongside civil administration and community volunteers.
Simulating High-Threat Scenarios
The drill will simulate real-world contingencies such as cross-border infiltration, chemical attacks, evacuation under shelling, and communication breakdowns. As part of the protocol, mock sirens will be activated, medical teams will conduct triage simulations, and schools and marketplaces in selected villages will practice lockdown and evacuation procedures.
“Operation SHIELD is part of a wider initiative to institutionalize community-based disaster resilience in border zones prone to both natural and man-made threats,” said a senior official from the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
Officials noted that the acronym SHIELD stands for “Strategic Homeland Integration and Emergency Logistics Drill”, a framework introduced after recommendations from a 2023 parliamentary panel on border vulnerability assessment.
Why Now: Rising Tensions and Policy Reforms
Though the government has stated this is a routine preparedness measure, security experts point to recent escalations along the Line of Control and increased transnational infiltration attempts as a likely backdrop. Earlier this year, the Home Ministry had called for state-wise emergency audits and identified lapses in civilian-military coordination during past incidents of shelling in border villages.
India’s last large-scale mock exercise of this nature was Operation Suraksha in 2018, which focused on urban terror scenarios following the Pathankot and Uri attacks.
Preparedness Beyond the Military
Unlike purely military drills, Operation SHIELD is civilian-inclusive, with school teachers, Panchayati Raj institutions, healthcare workers, and local transport providers briefed on basic response mechanisms. NDMA has circulated Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to all participating districts, and dry runs have already begun in Jammu, Pathankot, and Barmer.
Community feedback mechanisms will be employed post-drill to evaluate the clarity of warnings, speed of response, and areas needing improvement. NGOs and academic institutions like NIDM (National Institute of Disaster Management) will assist in documentation and analysis.