HURREX 2026: U.S. Navy Launches Major Hurricane Drill to Test Fleet and Shore Readiness

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WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Fleet Forces Command (USFFC) and Commander, Navy Installations Command (CNIC) will launch their annual hurricane preparedness and disaster response exercise, HURRICANE EXERCISE/CITADEL GALE (HURREX/CG) 2026, from April 13-24.

The two-week exercise ensures the Navy's severe weather readiness and exercises response protocols to damaging weather events along the U.S.'s Southern and Eastern coasts. It provides a focused training event for afloat and shore-based commands using simulated hurricane scenarios to prepare for the upcoming hurricane season, ensuring the fleet remains ready for global tasking and a credible deterrent.

Ensuring the resilience of our assets ashore is a critical component of national defense. HURREX/CG 2026 demonstrates the Navy's commitment to maintaining uninterrupted operational readiness, ensuring that our forces can deploy worldwide, undeterred by environmental threats. The exercise sends a clear message to any potential adversary: the U.S. Navy is resilient, protected, and always ready.

"Naval power underpins national security and economic prosperity. That strength begins at our homeports, where a warship's readiness is forged from our shore-side infrastructure and the dedicated professionals who sustain it during calm weather and heavy storms," said Adm. Karl Thomas, commander, U.S. Fleet Forces Command. "HURREX/CG 26 ensures we can harden our installations to protect them and our personnel during the upcoming hurricane season, and to ensure our forces remain ready for global tasking regardless of the environment."

A new element for this year's exercise is the focus on public works scenarios designed to test the Navy's recent Shore Command and Control Realignment. This realignment places Public Works Departments directly under Installation Commanding Officers and CNIC for immediate operational response and maintenance. NAVFAC retains its role focusing on large-scale restoration, major construction, and technical acquisition. HURREX 2026 will be the first exercise to test this new integrated command structure, with scenarios challenging CNIC-led installation teams to respond to infrastructure damage and exercise energy resilience capabilities, such as coordinating the refueling of critical generators.

"Our installations are the bedrock that enables naval power projection, and this year's exercise places that foundation under a microscope," said Vice Adm. Scott Gray, Commander, Navy Installations Command. "By stress-testing our new command and control structure for public works, we are validating our capacity to maintain essential services like power and water in a crisis. This proves our shore enterprise is more than just infrastructure; it is a resilient and indispensable component of the Navy's warfighting team, enabling our Sailors and civilians to remain focused and ready."

The exercise is structured in two distinct phases. The first week focuses on preparedness and response, simulating an approaching hurricane to drill decision-making timelines for setting Tropical Cyclone Conditions of Readiness (TCCOR), evacuating aircraft, and, if necessary, issuing sortie orders for ships to get underway.

The second week shifts to recovery operations. Following the simulated storm's passage, commands will exercise post-storm damage assessments, mustering personnel via the Navy Family Accountability and Assessment System (NFAAS), and restoring base operations. This phase heavily emphasizes coordination with local, state, and federal partners to ensure a unified recovery effort.

Our people are our greatest warfighting advantage, and Sailors and their families are at the center of this readiness effort. All personnel are encouraged to log into the Navy Family Accountability and Assessment System (NFAAS) at https://navyfamily.navy.mil to verify and update their contact information, which is essential for personnel accountability in a crisis.

While measures have been taken to minimize disruptions, the public may notice increased activity on and around naval installations as commands execute their response plans.

For more details on any potential local impacts, residents are encouraged to visit their respective Navy installation's website and social media channels.

For more information on U.S. Fleet Forces or Navy installations, visit the USFF website at https://www.usff.navy.mil or the CNIC website at https://www.cnic.navy.mil. You can also follow them on Facebook and X at www.facebook.com/usfleetforces, www.twitter.com/usfleetforces, www.facebook.com/navyinstallations, and https://twitter.com/cnichq.

Media queries can be sent to USFFC Public Affairs ([email protected]) and CNIC Public Affairs ([email protected]).