Naval Base San Diego (NBSD) is participating in a large-scale force protection training exercise being conducted at Naval installations across the country, through Feb. 6. Held annually, Exercise Solid Curtain/Citadel Shield enhances the training and readiness of Navy security personnel to respond to threats to installations and units. It is not a response to specific threats but is regularly scheduled for practical experience and learning.
“Measures have been taken to minimize disruptions to normal base and workforce operations, but there may be times when the exercise causes increased traffic around bases or delays in base access,” said Capt. Brian Bungay, commanding officer, NBSD. “Area residents may also see increased security presence associated with the exercise.”
These delays could impact visitors to San Diego-area bases, particularly on Wednesday, Feb. 4, including Navy Exchange and Commissary shoppers, family services clients, and individuals with medical clinic appointments.
“The exercise scenarios are designed to be both realistic and challenging,” said Bungay. “Testing the seamless interoperability between Navy commands, other military services, and our essential municipal agency partners allow the base to validate the Navy’s ability to deter and respond to threats in real-time.”
Naval Medical Center San Diego and branch medical clinic patients, visitors and hospital staff may also experience significant delays and increased traffic. Patients are advised to arrive at least 45 minutes early for scheduled medical appointments and plan accordingly.
The exercise will also execute the Ashore Navy Security Operations Exercise Program (NSOXP), which will enhance threat detection from both land and sea. NSOXP is a structured training system providing commanders with standardized force protection scenarios and evaluation tools to assess watch standers and small units, ensuring readiness for real-world threats.
"Force protection is everyone’s responsibility whether in competition or crisis, and Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain is a critical test of our preparedness and responsiveness,” said Adm. Karl Thomas, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command. “This exercise tests more than just our security forces and is a measure of our entire force to say something if they see something, an opportunity to flex our command-and-control structure and validates that our platforms and people are ready to respond decisively against a variety of threats."
Established in 1922, NBSD is the largest West coast naval installation and principal homeport of the Pacific Fleet, supporting more than 60 combatant and auxiliary surface ships and more than 250 shore commands.
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