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NRSW Kicks-off Force Protection Exercise

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS110222-19
2/22/2011

By Mass Communications Specialist 1st Class Heather W. Hines, Navy Region Southwest Public Affairs

SAN DIEGO (NNS) -- All tenant commands throughout Navy Region Southwest (NRSW) are supporting Exercise Solid Curtain/Citadel Shield 2011 (SC-CS11) Feb. 22-25.

SC-CS11 is a four-day force protection exercise designed to enhance the training and readiness of naval security force personnel and their responses to threats to installations and units.

The Navy will be working this year with other military and local, state and federal agencies to enhance the training scenarios.

According to Ed Caviness, NRSW training and readiness program director, SC-CS11 is the largest anti-terrorism exercise to affect all naval installations throughout the U.S. Northern Command area of responsibility.

"This drill is an annual requirement throughout DoD and will include areas as far as Guam," said Caviness. "For the southwest region alone, we have 10 installations that will participate in various security scenarios. There will be increased security measures with ID checks, random vehicle searches, more patrol cars in and around the bases, and an increased presence of Navy patrol boats in the San Diego Harbor."

For the San Diego metro area, Caviness said there are partnering agencies that will also assist.

"During the exercise, access to some of the bases may be affected so people who need to get on and off the base, should be aware of these traffic concerns and work with our security forces," said Caviness. "We are working with the San Diego Police, California Highway Patrol and Cal-Trans, and various other organizations to make sure the traffic concerns are as minimal as possible."

More than 50 different agencies have also partnered throughout NRSW.

Caviness said if there were an actual emergency in the future, this exercise and the partnership with local authorities would play a big part during an overall response.

"It is really important, because if an incident were to occur, whether it's a terrorist attack, flooding, fire or an earthquake, we will be working with our partners in the local community, so it is very important to have this relationship established now," said Caviness.

SC-CS11 and similar exercises are held annually by U.S. Fleet Forces Command and Commander Navy Installations Command, and are used as a way to assess the Navy Command and Control capabilities and evaluate the readiness and effectiveness of fleet and region-level responses.