Sailors and civilians, serving aboard U.S. Naval Base Guam (NBG), participated in Exercise Citadel Pacific 2019 (CP-19) June 24-28.

Sharpening the integrated capabilities of NBG’s security personnel, to include reserve and auxiliary forces, the exercise consisted of simulated, real-world training operations that helped gauge how the base community would respond when faced with acts of terrorism.

NBG Installation Training Officer Dennis Polli advocated the importance of the base forces being prepared to respond efficiently and effectively in spontaneous emergency situations.

“The hope and goal is to make sure that our young Sailors are exposed to events and responses that hone their skills in the future, so the first time they see it isn’t the first time they’ve seen it; that their neurological response and their thought processes will be engaged to understand and comprehend circumstances if ever – hopefully never – encountered,” he said.

NBG Security Forces Police Instructor Lt. Henry Flores, who served as the CP-19 anti-terrorism training coordinator, emphasized how critical it was that base forces identify training deficiencies and gaps in security posture during the exercise, and to streamline emergency response procedures with other agencies.

“(CP-19) helps us become better force protection, especially when it comes to safeguarding people (and) assets because Naval Base Guam is a very strategic location when it comes to Navy operations within the AOR [area of responsibility],” he said. “All CP-19 is…is getting better at what we do and making sure we stay mission-ready, and we develop warfighters that can help defend the installation, as well as the island of Guam, against potential threats within the Pacific region.”

NBG Security Officer Lt. Cmdr. Robert Files stressed CP-19’s strategic value, as it ensures that base forces are able to go from the every day security force posture to an intense security force posture, and that the exercise aimed to test, train, and evaluate the total NBG community, as security is everyone’s responsibility.

“I want them to get in the mindset of: It’s not if it’s going to happen," he said. "It’s when it’s going to happen. Our mission is to eliminate the enemy, secure [the] installation, and keep it secured. Train like you fight. Fight like you train. Fight to win.”

NBG Security Forces, Fire and Emergency Services, Fleet and Family Support Center, Emergency Operations Center, and other stake holding organizations were activated for multiple evolutions, such as surveillance, suspicious package and bomb threat response, high-risk traffic stop execution, active shooter drills, and more.

CP-19, an anti-terrorism and force protection exercise, is conducted by U.S. Pacific Fleet (PACFLT) and Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) on Navy installations in the Pacific region. Joint Region Marianas, Navy Region Japan and Navy Region Hawaii participated in this eighth iteration of the exercise.

Get more information about the Navy from US Navy facebook or twitter.

For more news from U.S. Naval Forces, Marianas, visit www.navy.mil/.