Naval Station Newport announced on Thursday that it will join Navy installations nationwide in conducting their annual two-part force protection exercise Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain (CS-SC) February 5-16, 2024.
“The Navy has a responsibility to ensure the safety and security of its personnel, assets, resources and installations,” said Capt. Henry Roenke, commanding officer, Naval Station Newport in a statement. “In order to maintain readiness and respond to events which possess inherent abilities to deny or cripple our Navy missions, we must continuously train and hone our skills to prevent these actions. Citadel Shield and Solid Curtain are additional opportunities for us to prove our competency, proficiency, and agility in this area.”
Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFFC) and Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) conduct the exercise Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain jointly at all Navy installations in the continental United States. In the first week, Exercise Citadel Shield, installations will conduct field-training exercises led by CNIC. The second week, Exercise Solid Curtain is a command post-exercise led by USFFC. The combination of these exercises accesses Navy Command and Control (C2) capabilities and evaluates the readiness and effectiveness of fleet and installation force protection programs.
The annual CS-SC exercise is not in response to any specific domestic or foreign threat but rather part of regularly scheduled force protection training and evaluation events for Navy installations. The exercise enhances readiness for Navy security forces and ensures seamless interoperability across commands, other services and agency partners.
According to Roenke, NAVSTA Newport has taken measures to minimize disruptions in the local communities and to normal base operations but noted there may be times when the exercise causes delays in gaining base access or creating restrictions of movement on the installation. He has asked for patience and understanding from the community as the Navy carries out the series of drills and exercises this year.
“We anticipate there will be times during the exercise the installation will need to demonstrate its real-world response to a realistic, simulated threat and this can translate in to minor impacts for our installation population,” added Roenke. “However, it is critically important for our team and mission partners to train like the way we will fight. This exercise tests information dissemination, response plans, security force personnel, and our ability to coordinate with local emergency responders and the communities outside our gates.”
