CS/SC is an annual two-week anti-terrorism and force protection exercise conducted by Commander, Navy Installations Command and Commander, and U.S. Fleet Forces Command on all Navy installations in the continental United States.
“I am very pleased with the way our team responded to the drill on Friday,” said Capt. Homer Denius, NSA Annapolis commanding officer. “Conducting the drill in an academic building on the yard allowed all of us to review our pre-planned responses and test lines of communication both internally and with our local government partners.”
This year’s drill was the first in several years conducted on the U.S. Naval Academy campus, otherwise known as the Yard. While not common, active shooter situations have occurred on military installations in the past. The capability of Naval Security Forces (NSF), first responders, U.S. Naval Academy Faculty, Staff and Midshipmen, and NSA Annapolis personnel to respond quickly and efficiently, is a matter of life or death.
“This drill tested our systems and challenged our watchstanders, said Joshua Theisen, NSA Annapolis Emergency Management Officer. “This year, we implemented a new way of communicating within the emergency operations center (EOC), which we found to be very effective. We will bring this feedback into future exercises to ensure were are continually improving our response procedures.”
To be kept informed of upcoming drills and real-world events, personnel should register for the NSA Annapolis AtHoc wide-area alert network. The AtHoc system informs personnel of force protection conditions and other emergency, environmental, or exercise-related impacts on the installation. Personnel should also familiarize themselves with their command or tenant command anti-terrorism plan.
All Navy installations within the continental United States participate in the annual two-week anti-terrorism and force protection (ATFP) exercise. Citadel Shield takes place the first week and is run by Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC). The second week, Solid Curtain, is run by Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFFC). During CS/SC, Navy security forces undergo realistic scenarios intended to help maintain a high level of readiness.
For more AtHoc information visit: www.cnic.navy.mil/regions/ndw/about/waan.html
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For more news from Naval District Washington, visit www.navy.mil/local/ndw/.