NAS Fallon wraps up Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain exercise

The Navy conducted its annual large-scale protection exercise in mid-February for two weeks at installations around the world.

Navy Region Southwest, which includes Naval Air Station Fallon, conducted the Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain 2024 exercise in Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and California.

The exercise trains and ensures the readiness of Navy security personnel who must respond to threats to or within their installations and units. The drills are normally not a response to a specific situation, but they are used for experience and training.

During previous exercises, personnel at NAS Fallon trained for situations involving active shooters, gate runners, protestors outside the gate, hostile media, air evacuation, hostage taking, triage, first aid and evacuation. In some training years, NAS Fallon will train with local civilian agencies; other years, the involved personnel come directly from the installation.

NAS Fallon’s Emergency Operations Center simulates the procedures personnel must take during an emergency.

The Navy’s process 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,” the Navy said. “Training conducted during the exercise is vital for the Navy to be prepared for changing and dynamic threats.”

This year’s Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain 2024 exercise at NAS Fallon was more internal than in previous years, while other installations had a wider security mission during the two weeks.