A two-day crucial tri-service conference has started at the southern Air Command at Thiruvanathapuram today. Chief of Southern Air Command Air Marshal Sumit Mukherji inaugurated the strategically important conference which is being attended by the commanders and other senior officials of the army, airforce and the Navy. <br/>Since the recent developments along the Indian Ocean region in general and southern peninsula in particular pose considerable security challenges, the two day confernce of commanders of the armed forces is of paramount importance. Sources indicate that the conference is aimed at devising enhanced integration among the armed forces to protect island territories, exclusive economic zones in the Indian Ocean, Arabian sea and the Bay of Bengal. Coastal security will be another area which will prominently figure in the deliberations.