The seventh edition of the Personnel Recovery Controller and Planner Course (PRCPC), a project initiated and supported by the European Defence Agency (EDA), was held from 4-15 April 2016 at Poggio Renatico Air Base, Italy. The event was hosted for the second time by the European Personnel Recovery Centre (EPRC), a close partner of the Agency.
All in all, 19 students from six Member States (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Spain) benefitted from the knowledge and experience of a cadre of instructors from Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain, and the United Kingdom.
The main focus of the course is to train staff officers in supporting their commanders in Personnel Recovery related issues. The course is designed for personnel who hold personnel recovery positions in tactical operation centres (TOCs), personnel recovery coordination cells (PRCCs) or joint personnel recovery cells (JPRCs). Most of all, the course aims at ensuring that sufficient trained personnel is available to support future PR activities.
Personnel Recovery (PR) is a vital element of modern operational planning as it provides a security net for deployed personnel. Most importantly, it boosts morale and acknowledges national as well as European Union responsibilities to effect the recovery and reintegration of isolated personnel deployed in the context of Crisis Management Operations under the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).
The next EU PRCPC will take place in Veszprem, Hungary from 30 May to 10 June 2016 and will be organised by the Hungarian Defence Forces. EPRC personnel will support this iteration with instructors.
Background
The EDA PRCPC project was established on 30 May 2013 as an EDA Category B project under the lead of Sweden. As of today, it includes six contributing EU Member States (cMS): Austria, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands and Sweden. On 31 May 2015, the cMS agreed to extend the PRCPC Cat B project until 30 May 2017. The EPRC is a potential candidate for the continuation of the project.
The EPRC closely cooperates with the European Defence Agency. It was created on 8 July 2015 by seven nations (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom) with the aim of improving the four phases of Personnel Recovery (Preparation, Planning, Execution and Adaptation) by developing/harmonising the Personnel Recovery Policy, Doctrine and Standards through clear lines of communications with partners/stakeholders (nations and international organisations), and providing assistance in support of education and training, exercises and operations.
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