The fifth edition of the Personnel Recovery Controller and Planner Course (PRCPC), a project initiated and supported by the European Defence Agency, was organised and hosted by the European Personnel Recovery Centre (EPRC) from 23rd November to 4ᵗʰ December 2015 at the Air Operations Command in Poggio Renatico (FE).
12.10.2015 – Friday, December 4ᵗʰ, was completed the 5ᵗʰ “Personnel Recovery Controller and Planner Course”, for the first time organized by the European Personnel Recovery Centre (EPRC) and held at the Air Operations Command (COA) of Poggio Renatico (FE). In the welcome remarks, Maj Gen. Italian Air Force Fantuzzi, Director of EPRC, stressed the importance of the Personnel Recovery for the protection of personnel employed in operations.
The course, attended by 19 Officers and NCOs from Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States of America, has benefited from the experience of a team of instructors from Belgium, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Netherlands, Sweden and the United States. Students from EPRC and various NATO HQs attended the course and for the first time US instructors from the Joint Personnel Recovery Agency (JPRA) were present. Personnel recovery (PR) is a vital element of modern operational planning, as it is providing a security net for deployed personnel, it boosts morale and acknowledges national responsibilities to safeguard deployed personnel.
The EDA PRCPC project was established on 30ᵗʰ May 2013 as an EDA Category B project, under the lead of Sweden. As of today, it gathers six contributing EU Member States (cMS): Austria, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands and Sweden. The course objective is to train staff, to be employed at various organizational levels within both national and multinational HQs in support of Commanders, able to prepare, plan and execute the recovery and reintegration of isolated personnel. On 31ˢᵗ May 2015, CMS has decided to extend the project PRCPC Cat B until 30ᵗʰ May 2017. The EPRC is a potential candidate for the continuation of the project.
The next PRCPC will take place in Karlsborg (Sweden) from 29 February to 11 March 2016 and will be organized by the Swedish Armed Forces, while the following one will be organized by EPRC and will be conducted from 4ᵗʰ to 15ᵗʰ April 2016, at the Air Operations Command (COA) Poggio Renatico (FE).