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Vol. 83, No. 5
February 8, 2019
Navy conducting annual force protection exercise Solid Curtain/Citadel Shield 2019 From Commander, Navy Installations Command and Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command Public Affairs
The Navy commenced its largest annual force protection exercise this week at installations throughout the United States. Exercise Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain 2019, which is scheduled to take place Feb. 4 through 15, is an annual two-week force protection and anti-terrorism exercise conducted by Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) and Commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFFC) on all Navy installations in the continental United States. The exercises are designed to enhance the readiness of Navy first responders and ensure seamless interoperability among Navy commands, other services and agency partners. Citadel Shield is the field training exercise led by CNIC, and Solid Curtain is a command post exercise co-led by USFFC and CNIC. âAnti-terrorism force protection is one of my top priorities; this annual exercise builds readiness by enhancing awareness and increasing lethality across the fleet,â Adm. Christopher Grady, commander of USFFC said. âWe train as a team with local authorities to rapidly iden-
tify and respond to existing and emerging threats to our Navy installations, units, Sailors, our civilian shipmates and families.â These exercises use realistic scenarios to ensure U.S. Navy security forces maintain a high level of readiness to respond to changing and dynamic threats. The exercise is not in response to any specific threat. âOur Navy installations are key enablers that directly support warfighting capabilities and readiness,â Tim Alexander, director of operations for CNIC said. âExercises such as Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain allow our regions, bases and tenant commands to hone our force protection skills.â Measures have been taken to minimize disruptions within local communities and to normal base operations, but there may be times when the exercise causes increased traffic around bases or delays in base access. Area residents may also see or hear security activities associated with the exercise. Advanced coordination has taken place with local law enforcement and first responders. Get more information about the Navy from U.S. Navy Facebook or Twitter. For more news from Commander, Navy Installations Command, visit www.navy.mil/ local/cni.
Onboard NAS Pensacola, base fire and security forces conducted a Citadel Shield active-shooter and mass casualty exercise Feb. 5 in Bldg. 680, Personnel Support Detachment (PSD). (Above, top) Police Officer Samuel Watkins enters Bldg. 680; âOPFOR No.1â AMCS Pasquale Moreland is down, base Anti-Terrorism Officer MA1 Michael Deane looks on. (Below, left) Police Officer Sophia Barnes leads away OPFOR No.2 MA2 James Wilson, followed by Watkins. (Below, right) MA3 Justine Heile helps âwoundedâ AN Joseph Griffin to safety. Photos by Kaitlyn Peacock and Mike OâConnor
VITA tax center is open at NAS Pensacola From staff reports
The 2019 tax season is now under way and the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program is available to help eligible Navy personnel, dependents and retirees. Onboard NAS Pensacola: ⢠Feb. 4 through April 12
⢠Hours are noon to 1 p.m., Monday through Friday ⢠Location: Mega-building (Bldg. 3460), Learning Resource Center, Rm. 2248 VITA is a free selfservice program available to active-duty and retired service members and their de-
pendents. Run by the Internal Revenue Service, VITA is available to Sailors and other customers through Naval Legal Service Command. You should bring the following items: ⢠Valid identification for taxpayer(s)
NASP Notes ...
Fleet rating experts sought; critical to advancement exams By Patti Gibson Naval Education and Training Professional Development Center (NETPDC) Public Affairs
Active-duty Navy chief petty officers (CPO) interested in shaping the future of their rating are needed to serve as Subject Matter Experts (SME) for upcoming Advancement Examination Readiness Review (AERR) panels. NAVADMIN 025/19, released Jan. 31, announced the AERR schedule for April to June 2019. Selected AERR panel members will work as fleet SMEs for their respective rating to develop future E-4 to E-7 rating
advancement exams. Navy CPOs (E-7 to E-9) on active duty, Full Time Support (FTS) and Reservists on Active Duty for Special Work (ADSW) are encouraged to take part in the process by reaching out to their respective Type Commander (TYCOM) for application information. âFleet rating experts bring critical knowledge and experience to the AERRs, as thatâs what ensures relevance in our exams by identifying Sailors with the rating knowledge needed for advancement,â Naval Education and Training See AERR on page 2
⢠Social Security Numbers (including spouse and children) ⢠Income data (W-2s) ⢠All end-year tax documents (1099s) ⢠Student loan payment information ⢠Receipts for child care payment ⢠Receipts for educational expenses Hours are subject to increase with tax season demands.
CBRNE exercise ... Members of the Kentucky National Guard 41st Civil Support Team (CST) sweep a building for a simulated biological threat onboard NAS Pensacola Jan. 29 during a two-day training exercise held in conjunction with Fire & Emergency Services Gulf Coast, NAS Pensacola Security, Escambia County Emergency Medical Services and other agencies. NASP PAO photo
Blue Angels release 2019 practice schedule ... Blue Angels 2019 Practice Schedule (from https://www.facebook. com/notes/us-navy-blue-angels/blue-angels2019-practice-schedule/2536068549754801) Practices will be at 11:30 a.m. unless noted. ⢠March 27 (Orientation flight only; not an actual flight demonstration) ⢠April 2, 3*, 9, 10*, 16, 17*, 18, 19, 23, 24*, 30 ⢠May 1*, 7, 14, 15*, 28, 29* ⢠June 4, 5*, 11, 12, 18, 19*, 20, 21, 25, 26* ⢠July 2, 3, 16 ⢠Aug. 7*, 8, 9, 13, 14, 20 ⢠Sept. 4*, 10, 11*, 12, 13, 17 ⢠Oct. 16*, 22, 23*, 29, 30* ⢠Nov. 5, 6, 7 (2:30 p.m. practices for end of season week) Dates marked with (*) are autograph days at the National Naval Aviation Museum. Practices may be cancelled at any time due to weather or operational commitments.
Published by Ballinger Publishing, a private firm in no way connected with the Department of the Navy. Opinions contained herein are not official expressions of the Department of the Navy nor do the advertisements constitute Department of the Navy, NAS Pensacola or Ballinger Publishingâs endorsement of products or services advertised.