DAHLGEN, Va. (Jan. 22, 2026) – Naval Support Activity South Potomac (NSASP) will participate in Exercise Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain 2026 (CS-SC26), an annual, two-part Navy force protection (FP) exercise conducted by Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFFC) and Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) on all CONUS Navy installations. The exercise is scheduled Jan. 26 – Feb 6.
“Exercise Citadel Shield – Solid Curtain is a valuable training exercise that provides the opportunity for Navy installations to evaluate and validate the effectiveness of emergency response and management procedures, coordinate with tenant commands across the installation, and incorporate local community first responders, to enable future preparedness,” said Capt. John Nadder, commanding officer of NSASP. “The NSA South Potomac Security, Fire, and Emergency Medical forces maintain rigorous training throughout the year to ensure readiness, and the team is expected to perform exceptionally in this training environment as exercise situations are initially recognized, resolved, and throughout the reunification of the installation to standard operating conditions.”
Citadel Shield is the field training exercise (FTX) portion led by CNIC; Solid Curtain is the command post exercise (CPX) led by USFFC.
During the exercise, personnel at Naval Support Facility (NSF) Dahlgren, Va., and NSF Indian Head, Md., may notice increased presence of Security Forces and emergency traffic. Temporary traffic delays and gate closures may result from enhanced force protection measures. Personnel should avoid marked training areas; if they encounter a drill in-progress, they should proceed with caution and follow all instructions of the Training Team members wearing labeled safety vests. All exercise-related communications will start and end with the words “exercise exercise exercise.”
CS-SC26 enhances the training and readiness of Navy security personnel and better prepares Department of the Navy (DON) personnel for potential force protection situations. It also establishes a learning environment for security personnel to exercise functional plans and operational capabilities.
CS-SC26 will exercise and assess Navy Command and Control (C2) capabilities and evaluate the readiness and effectiveness of fleet and installation force protection programs throughout the U.S. Northern Command (NORTHCOM) area of responsibility (AOR), including the elevation of force protection conditions (FPCONs).
This exercise is not related to any current threat; rather it is designed and executed to increase readiness and to deter or respond to potential security threats. For questions related to this exercise at NSF Dahlgren and NSF Indian Head, call NSASP Public Affairs at (540) 653-8153.
“Exercise Citadel Shield – Solid Curtain also presents an amazing opportunity to serve as refresher training for personnel not directly involved for incident notification and response procedures, as well as situational awareness of how force protection incidents may be resolved during an actual event,” said Nadder. “The South Potomac team is looking forward to the opportunity to train, succeed, and adjust as necessary for the future.”
| Date Taken: |
01.22.2026 |
| Date Posted: |
01.22.2026 12:17 |
| Story ID: |
556537 |
| Location: |
DAHLGREN, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: |
65 |
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0 |
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