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Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain

Protect the Force

Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFFC) and Commander, Navy Installations Command (CINC), conduct a two-part force protection exercise annually to demonstrate the Navy’s commitment to protecting life, equipment and facilities.

Citadel Shield (CS) is a field training exercise led by CNIC and Solid Curtain (SC) is a command post exercise led by USFFC.

Our Navy security forces train and operate 365 days a year. This exercise simply provides our entire force the opportunity for dedicated training and renewed focus on our force protection mission. It is not related to any current threat.

SC/CS is designed to ensure our people and security forces are at peak readiness to deter and respond to potential security threats. This annual exercise uses realistic scenarios to ensure U.S. Navy security forces maintain a high level of readiness to respond to changing and dynamic threats.

There will be times when the exercise will cause increased traffic around our installations or delays in installation access. Area residents may also see or hear security activities associated with the exercise.
 
USFFC and CINC are also aware of their responsibility to ensure the safety and security of our personnel, equipment and installations. It is also one of their top priorities to make sure our surrounding communities are safe and secure and we continue to be a good neighbor to them.
 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Does the Navy work with other entities during the exercise?

Yes. The exercise is designed to exercise the ability of our Navy installations and regions to coordinate with local emergency responders and the community.
 

What specific training will be conducted during the exercise?

The exercise tests information dissemination, individual response plans, security force response, and Navy installations ability to coordinate with local emergency responders and the community.
 

Will communities surrounding installations participating in the exercise be affected?

Measures have been taken to minimize disruptions within local communities and to daily installation operations. There will however, be times when the exercise will cause increased traffic around our installations or delays in installation access. Area residents may also see or hear security activities associated with the exercise. We encourage the public to stay tuned about potential exercise impacts by following your local installation on Facebook and Twitter.
 

What is the significance of this exercise?

It is the responsibility of our Navy security forces to train and operate 365 days a year and this exercise provides these forces a dedicated opportunity to focus on realistic scenarios to ensure a high level of readiness to respond to changing and dynamic threats is maintained.
 

How will the results and effectiveness of the exercise be measured?

The Navy has established a process that includes observation, discussion, recommendation and comments throughout exercises. Upon completion of the exercise, all lessons learned are evaluated and incorporated into real-world planning efforts and future CS/SC exercises. Training conducted during the exercise is vital for the Navy to be prepared for changing and dynamic threats. ​
 
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