Navy Region Hawaii Conducts Solid Curtain Citadel Shield '11

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Robert Stirrup, Commander, Navy Region Hawaii Public Affairs

PEARL HARBOR (NNS) -- Various commands throughout Navy Region Hawaii participated in Solid Curtain-Citadel Shield '11 (SC-CS 11), an annual security training exercise held by U.S Fleet Forces Command and Navy Installations Command, Feb. 22-25.

SC-CS 11 is a four-day force protection exercise designed to enhance the training and readiness of naval security force personnel and their responses to threats to installations and units.

"Across the nation, every naval installation and unit is involved with SC-CS 11 to varying degrees," said Dr. Michael Smith, director of training and readiness for Commander, Navy Region Hawaii. "In all more than 300 individual training events takes place during the exercise. "Here at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam (JBPHH) and at the Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF), we exercised our anti-terrorism/force protection plans by simulating various terrorist attacks."

Smith also noted the importance and the intentions of the training exercise.

"This type of training ensures U. S. Navy security forces maintain a high level of readiness when responding to threats, and it is through exercises such as SC-CS 11 that we are able to maintain the ability to respond to threats and deter a real-world attack," Smith said. "From the civilians and Sailors providing the security force to those working in either the Regional Operations Center or the Emergency Operations Center, each gets to practice what they would be required to do in an emergency."

Training aboard JBPHH included a small boat attack involving the guided missile destroyers, USS Russell (DDG 59) and USS Hopper (DDG 70), and the attack submarines, USS Texas (SSN 775) and USS Olympia (717). At PMRF on Kauai, drills included active shooter and suicide bomber scenarios.

Other events involved the cycling of different levels of force protection, increased security throughout the base and a non-compliant driver attempting to gain access to the base at an entry control point.

SC-CS 11 consisted of more than 300 individual training events at Navy installations across the country, each designed to test different regional AT/FP operations. Scenarios ranged from events such as recognizing and countering base surveillance operations, to higher-tempo and active simulated emergencies such as small-boat attacks on waterfront bases and cyber attacks on installations.