MCPC readies Marines for future operations

Twentynine Palms -- The Marine Air Ground Task Force Communication Planners Course (MCPC) began Jan. 9, 2017, aboard the Combat Center and will serve as the advanced planners’ course for the Marine Corps.
Open to senior enlisted personnel as well as officers, the course provides training in such subjects as project management, contracting, MAGTF information management for air and ground command and control systems, and in-depth analysis of cyberspace operations. The instructors will bring in approximately 30 lecturers to teach throughout 63 training days.

“While attending MCPC, students develop the necessary critical thinking skills to plan Advanced MAGTF Communications Architectures spanning the full range of military operations in a contested, denied, degraded command and control environment with planning considerations spanning the full spectrum of cyberspace operations,” said Capt. William Hochrine, MCPC director, Marine Corps Communication-Electronics School. “Students will also plan for Joint and Coalition Communications Systems and information sharing requirements.”

Guest speakers to date include Army Lt. Col. Scott Applegate, deputy branch chief, Cyber Policy Branch, Strategic Plans and Policies, and Marine Brig. Gen. Ryan Heritage, deputy director of operations, U.S. Cyber Command.

“My lecture will give the students an overview of how cyber operations policy is conducted at the national and joint level,” Applegate said. “This will cover how cyber operations are conducted and the coordination one would need to conduct these types of operations. This is a good course and [the instructors] are leading the students in the right direction and building a program that I believe will be world-class.”