The 9th edition of the Personnel Recovery Controller and Planner Course (PRCPC), a project initiated and supported by the European Defence Agency (EDA), was organised and hosted for the third time by the European Personnel Recovery Centre (EPRC), a close partner of the Agency.
The course was successfully conducted from 21 November to 2 December in Poggio Renatico Air Base (Italy). 21 students from 11 countries (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Cyprus, Ireland and the United States) benefitted from the knowledge and experience of a team of instructors coming from Belgium, France, Germany, UK, Italy, The Netherlands, Spain and Canada.
The main objective of the course was to train Personnel Recovery (PR) staff working in tactical operation centres (TOCs), personnel recovery coordination cells (PRCCs) or joint personnel recovery cells (JPRCs) in supporting their commanders in any future PR activities.
Personnel Recovery 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 Karlsborg (Sweden) from 27 March to 7 April 2017 and will be organised by the Swedish Armed Forces.
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 EDA. It was created on 8 July 2015 by seven nations (Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Great Britain) 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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