CAPE MAY — U.S. Coast Guard Training Center Cape May staff will be conducting an exercise Feb. 11-12 to increase the force protection level to Charlie.
According to Chief Warrant Officer Mike Lutz, Public and Governmental Affairs officer for TRACEN, community members around the area should expect an increase in public safety personnel, vessels, sirens and simulated activities.
“We just have the one main gate, so entry to the base will be more scrutinized and limited,” Lutz stated in an email, noting that will include car searches and delayed time to get through the gate.
All recruit training and mission-essential activities will continue. However, access to the training center will be limited during the exercise, he said.
“The most noticeable thing will be increased security forces patrols in the area around housing and likely the use of lights and sirens periodically. None of it will impact our primary mission of recruit training,” Lutz stated.
“Exercises such as this one provide an opportunity to test our capabilities and identify any deficiencies,” said Capt. Amanda Lee, TRACEN commanding officer. “This allows us to be better prepared against potential threats that may impact our communities. These types of exercises are how we make readiness routine.”
FPCON Charlie is the fourth-highest alert level, indicating an incident has occurred or intelligence suggests an attack against personnel or facilities is likely. The highest level, FPCON Delta, means an attack is imminent or occurring.
