The European Defence Agency (EDA) has developed a software tool to help the J1 (personnel) branch of EU headquarters manage the in-processing and out-processing of personnel at all phases of a CSDP operation. This tool has recently been used at the annual Air Centric Personnel Recovery Operatives Course (APROC). 500 participants from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain, the UK as well as the US attended the course which included academic classes as well as flying sessions, involving fixed wing, rotary wing asset crews as well as Extraction Forces (EF) as the primary training audience.
First demonstrated in 2012, the Agency’s J1 FAS (J1 Functional Area Service) tool allows accurate and fast in-processing of personnel coming from different Member States. Staff can access the J1 FAS via a protected internet link before they deploy and provide the HQ with all the data they need to enable speedy integration within the HQ. J1 FAS also allows important management information to be synthesised from the database. After a trial phase in 2016, the tool has been used at the Operation Headquarters of EUNAVFOR MED operation Sophia. The J1 FAS is also currently under evaluation in an Operational Field Trial within the EU Training Mission in Mali (EUTM Mali).
The J1 FAS was used during the Air Centric Personnel Recovery Operative Course (APROC) organised by the European Personnel Recovery Centre (EPRC) to support the two-day in-processing of the 500 participants. The J1 FAS reduced dramatically queues and waiting time for the participants arrived at the course venue in large groups. The tool demonstrated its ability to support effectively large scale events like the APROC.
Air Centric Personnel Recovery Operatives Course (APROC)
The European Personnel Recovery Centre (EPRC) organises the Air Centric Personnel Recovery Operatives Course (APROC) on an annual basis. The objective of the Course is to educate and train personnel on the planning and conduction of complex missions based on Personnel Recovery (PR) scenarios in which various types of means and various nations are involved. More experienced pilots are trained in the role of Rescue Mission Commander (RMC), allowing them to learn to lead the planning and the execution of complex PR missions, to provide briefings and debriefings regarding the missions to the benefit of the task forces employed and the commanders. Finally, among other objectives, the Course also aims at educating the Extraction Forces to the application of the standards envisaged for the recovery of the Isolated Personnel (ISOP) and to provide the medical assistance required.
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