Residents and visitors in the San Diego area are being cautioned to expect traffic delays and increased security presence due to a large-scale Navy exercise being conducted at local installations through February 6. According to CBS8, Naval Base San Diego is participating in the nationwide readiness drill, Solid Curtain/Citadel Shield, which aims to boost the capability of Navy security forces to handle a variety of potential threats; however, this is not in response to any particular threat.
Despite efforts to reduce disruptions, officials have warned that the exercises might lead to sporadic increased traffic, particularly on the date of Wednesday, February 4 while the training is designed to test the responses and coordination among Navy commands, other military branches, and local municipal partners, it is also likely to impact local traffic flows around bases, affecting not just military personnel but also household shoppers at the Navy Exchange and Commissary, clients needing family services, and those with appointments at medical clinics. “Measures have been taken to minimize disruptions to normal base and station operations, but there may be times when the exercise causes increased traffic around bases or delays in base access,” said Capt. Brian Bungay, commanding officer of Naval Base San Diego, per the Naval Base Point Loma.
Naval Base Point Loma took to Facebook to inform the community of the activities, emphasizing the need for those with appointments at the Naval Medical Center San Diego and branch clinics to plan for adjustments in their schedules. The post advised patients to arrive “at least 45 minutes early for scheduled appointments due to the potential for significant delays.” More information on how to navigate these delays or answers to related concerns can be obtained by calling Brian O’Rourke, Navy Region Southwest Public Affairs, at (619) 985-3725, as detailed in Naval Base Point Loma’s Facebook post…