Seal Beach and Los Alamitos residents can expect to see an increase in traffic and hear sirens near the Naval Weapons Station Seal Beach starting Tuesday.
Base personnel will take part in various security exercises that are occurring nationwide through Feb. 12.
The annual Citadel Shield-Solid Curtain exercise is conducted across all Navy bases in the country. The purpose is to ensure the Navy can efficiently respond to anti-terrorism threats, according to a press release sent out by the Navy on Monday.
Gregg Smith, the Seal Beach station’s public affairs officer, said residents near the base can expect to hear alarms and sirens as well as various first responder activity from law enforcement and the fire department as part of the exercise. Training exercises vary from pre-planned and spontaneous ones called in by the Navy headquarters.
Exercises will primarily take place during the day but Smith said some may occur at nighttime as well.
Traffic could also increase if the exercises include the closing of entrance gates to the base but Smith said gate closures should not exceed more than one to two hours.
Smith said the station has sent out press releases and will inform nearby residents through social media. He added the station has not received any complaints of noise from previous years.
“The primary purpose of the training is to ensure that our security personnel and our emergency management personnel are trained up in the types of things that they would need to do during a real world incident,” Smith said. “It’s also a way to exercise our command and control responsibilities both internally inside the base between all the various base organizations, as well as between the base and headquarters command.”