Naval Station Great Lakes Participates in Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain 2022

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Brigitte Johnston | GREAT LAKES, Ill. (Feb. 1, 2022) Naval Station Great Lakes Navy Security Forces police officer takes a simulated active threat into custody in visitor’s center parking garage at Recruit Training Command during Exercise Citadel Shield. Exercise Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain 2022 is a two-part, anti-terrorism force protection exercise that is being conducted nationwide on navy installations, Jan. 31 - Feb. 11. The annual exercise is not in response to any specific threat, but is used to evaluate the readiness of fleet and installation security programs. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Brigitte Johnston)  

GREAT LAKES, ILLINOIS, UNITED STATES

02.04.2022

Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Brigitte Johnston 

Naval Station Great Lakes

GREAT LAKES, Ill. (February 4, 2022) – Navy installations across the country are participating in an annual two-week force protection exercise, Jan. 31- Feb. 12.
Exercise Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain 2022 is conducted by Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command and Commander, Navy Installations Command on all Navy installations in the continental U.S., including Naval Station Great Lakes.
On Feb. 1, the NSGL installation training team, led by Installation Training Officer Terry Lanners, conducted an active shooter drill that evaluated information dissemination, individual response plans, security force response, and the ability to coordinate with local emergency responders and the community. A simulated active shooter took place at the USS Midway Drill Hall at Recruit Training Command in a graduation day scenario. Naval Security Forces and Great Lakes Police responded to multiple simulated threats in the Visitor’s Reception Center and adjacent parking garage. Great Lakes Fire & Emergency Services additionally simulated triaging victims.
“Practicing our responses to these scenarios is crucial to supporting our mission, said Capt. Jason J. Williamson, NSGL’s commanding officer. “Our drill went smoothly both on scene with our security forces and in the Emergency Operations Center with the incident management team. We really strive to be prepared for these scenarios and we exhibited that.”
The local community was informed prior to the exercise, warning of traffic, sirens, and other possible minor disturbances that could affect the area. The use of outdoor warning sirens is used in lockdown procedures to inform the base to lock down or shelter in place. Part of the simulation included practicing lockdown procedures.
“You never want to just jump into something without fully understanding the situation,” said Culinary Specialist 2nd Class Brandon McPhan, the drill’s Emergency Operations Center Liaison. “Without proper training you will not know what to do.”
In addition to Great Lakes resources, outside law enforcement agencies included Gurnee, Wauconda, Lake Forest, and Buffalo Grove Police Departments and the Naval Criminal Investigation Service. Lanners states that incorporating help from federal and local partners makes this exercise complex and realistic.
“You want to train as much as possible,” said Chief Master-at-Arms Zachary Plumb, NSGL’s security department training officer. “When you work with a small unit, they become cohesive. Here, we need to bring all of those units together to execute those mass casualty events. This gives us the opportunity to do that, refine that, and work out any kinks in the communication and response systems. We can figure out best practices together and change what needs to be changed and move forward in the direction we need.”
“Naval Station Great Lakes would like to thank all of our partners, both federal and local, who participated,” said Lanners. “Without your assistance, cooperation and dedication this exercise would not have been as successful as it was.”
Exercise Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain 2021 is a regularly scheduled exercise that reinforces the need for everyone to maintain a force protection mindset and a readiness to respond to threats. We encourage personnel to remain aware of their surroundings throughout the exercise and to not assume that any suspicious activity is part of the exercise. Community members are asked to report any suspicious activity to Great Lakes Police at [phone] for non-emergencies and to call 911 for emergencies.
For updates during the exercise, visit the base’s Facebook account at www.facebook.com/NavalStationGreatLakes, and the base’s Twitter account at twitter.com/navstaglakes.

• Date Taken: 02.04.2022
• Date Posted: 02.04.2022 10:24
• Story ID: 413983
• Location: GREAT LAKES, ILLINOIS, US