INTRODUCTION
The exercise CJPRSC (Combined Joint Personnel Recovery Standardization Course) is a vital tool in military capability that demonstrates the will and the ability to rescue individuals (military and civilians) in whatever circumstances.
CJPRSC is a European Air Group project that has been running for 8 years and is designed to equip all participants with a thorough understanding op Personnel Recovery, their roles and tactics and techniques required for a successful outcome within a dynamic, multi-national environment.
HISTORY
1996 – European Security and Defence Identity
1999 – Helsinki Headline Goals CSAR one of the implied tasks
2000 – Helsinki Force Catalogue defined a CSAR deficiency
2002 – CSAR Action Plan
1. Electronic Equipment For Isolated Personnel
2. Rescue Assets
3. CSAR Training For Isolated Personnel
4. Multi-national CSAR Exercises
5. Training For C2 personnell
2006 – Initial Discussions with TLP
2007 – CJCSARSC 2007 Florennes, BEL
2008 – CJCSARSC 2008 Florennes, BEL
2009 – CJPRSC 2009 Cazaux, FRA
2010 – CJPRSC 2010 Lechfeld, DEU
2011 – CJPRSC 2011 Albacete, ESP
2012 – CJPRSC 2012 Holzdorf, DEU
2013 – CJPRSC 2013 Cazaux, FRA
2014 – CJPRSC 2014 Florennes, BEL
COURSE AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
Educate and train multinational Personnel recovery (PR) task force elements to plan and execute PR operations in accordance with NATO / EU standards, facilitated in live flying events.
This is to enhance the knowledge and proficiency required to plan and execute a PR mission in a non-permissive, international environment and to improve and streamline international co-operation with other European and NATO partners. The objective is to enhance proficiency in flying within a personal recovery task force (PRTF) as an element of a composite air Operation (CAMAO), working through operational documents and with tasking documentation of a JPRC and understand the tasking process. Another focus is to train in gathering reliable INTELL for safe PR operations.
The course is set up with three simple mindsets, to be current, on either procedures or equipment. This to compose a flexible and Adaptive task force within the CJPRSC.
The course consisted on flying several missions in different circumstances, day and night. After getting the introduction the second part of the program was the focus of the Rules of engagement in real life hostilities. The third and fourth day missions was to streamline CSAR and PR profiles, this was to ensure they could carry out the next three day missions with untrained personal. Like said there were also night missions with the emphasis on flight safety while flying in straight forward tactical scenarios.
Mission planning was another part of the course, and had to be aligned with standard COMOA procedures. The planning was done using visual aids by means of FALCON VIEW (planning software program) and planning boards. Parallel and distributed planning was carried out with eye on changing Task force composition, the use of extraction forces with a designated rescue mission commander (RMC).All planning had to be carried out without losing the rules of engagement, which is a vital part of combat nowadays.
On Florennes airbase a simulated forward arming and refueling point was set up to simulate these tasks like real combat. Supporting activity was carried out by 5 nations (GBR, ITA, BEL, NLD, and FRA) and was running for the sixth year already. All this was to ensure further development of FARP in the future and cross train ground crews on various types of aircraft.
PARTICIPATION
CJPRC is the only course of its kind in Europe and this year there were 400 personnel from 11 countries: (BEL, DEU, ESP, FRA, GBR, HUN, ITA, NLD, POL, SWE, USA) taking part in the Course, executed by 23 aircraft. This will be the final CJPRSC to be conducted by the EAG prior to it being handed over to the EPRC.
List of Aircraft participating:
2x F-16 BAF 3x A-109 BAF 17sq 2x SA342 FAr 3RHC 2x EC725R FAr EH01.067 2x AB-212AM/ICO ITaf 21°Gr 3x CH-53GE/S GAF HSG64 3x AMX ITaf 51°St/132°Gr 2x Mi Mil-24V PolAF 56BLT 2x W-3PL PolAF 56BLT 2x AS332B SpAF 803Esc
WHAT LIES AHEAD
During recent contingencies it became clear that PR became an enabling factor and shows that combined training is still exists. No other international training opportunity is available to fill this gap. All training has to be carried out using real life combat environment and has to be a combined task force and has to include the whole PR spectrum required to carry out the mission.
There are, as expected different issues with the focus on enhancing the CJPRSC as the training locations are limited and defence budget cuts within the participants makes it difficult to get budgetary independence. Future training will be a factor of the availability of a Task Force (TF) to attain certain training objectives. As well as available assets to optimize the training objectives as most forces are stretched throughout different theaters worldwide. So the next CJPRSC will be a challenge to organize but it will go on and will be held at PAPA airbase in Hungary from 9 until 24 September 2015.
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
CSAR – Combat Search and Rescue
C2 – Command and Control
PR – Personnel Recovery
PRTF – Personnel Recovery Task Force
COMAO – Composite Air Operations
INTEL – Intelligence
TTP – Technical and Tactical Publication
EF – Extraction Forces
X-Training – Cross Training
ROE – Rules of Engagement
CR – Combat Recovery
FALCON VIEW – Flight planning software program
RMC – Rescue Mission Commander
FARP – Forward Arming Refueling Point
SERE – Survive Evade Resist Escape
DISTAFF – Directing Staff
MIMO – Mission Monitor (Instructor)
OPFOR – Opposing Forces
JAPCC – Joint Air Power Competence Center
MDC – FRA Headquarters
EAG – European Air Group
EPRC – European personnel Recovery Center
BIG THANKS TO
Adjudant-Chef Philippe van Huyck of the Belgian Air Force and Lieutenant-Colonel Fred Wesseling, EPRC Area Director of the European Air Group.
Report and photo’s by Roelof-Jan Gort.