Conducting Personnel Recovery Missions in a Host Nation

LONDON, March 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

Having the ability to recover isolated personnel swiftly and effectively is a matter not just of tactical importance but of strategic and international importance too, yet the complexity of these missions and search and rescue (SAR) means that they can never be taken lightly.

Wade Chapple, Director at the Personnel Recovery Centre at the US Embassy in Bogota, Columbia spoke to Defence IQ ahead of the 5th annual Joint Personnel Recovery event about just how you conduct personnel recovery operations within a host nation and what the processes are for a successful operation.

The podcast is available to download from the event website: http://www.jointpersonnelrecovery.com/download

Wade will be speaking on this topic on day two of the conference, with particular focus on:

• The effects of the sovereignty and diplomacy factors in Mexico on PR operations compared to missions taking place with unilateral authority, such as with ISAF in Afghanistan;
• An alternative view on PR where military commanders don't hold primary control and the Ambassador does;
• A comparative view of host nation PR missions: The similarities and differences between the Colombian and Mexican operating environments.

Mr Chapple will be joined at Joint Personnel Recovery 2012 by an expert speaker panel including:

• Colonel Jason Hanover, Commander, 563rd Rescue Group, USAF
• Colonel Gokhan Sahin Sonmezates, Chief, JPR Branch Operational Division, Turkish Air Force
• Wing Commander David Gibbs, Commanding Officer, Defence SERE Training Organisation (DSTO), RAF
• Lieutenant Colonel Jorge Luis Suarez Salazar, Director, National Personnel Recovery Center, Colombian Air Force
• Flt Lt Conrad Allen (RAF, ret'd), Managing Director, Urban Sere Limited (conference chairman)

The full Joint Personnel Recovery2012 programme is available to download from the event website: http://www.jointpersonnelrecovery.com/brochure  

The Joint Personnel Recovery 2012 event will bring together key military and government decision makers from across the world and provides an opportunity to interact with the UK and European military and industry joint personnel recovery experts.

Notes to Editors

The Joint Personnel Recovery content library  features complimentary reports, articles and podcasts.

The Joint Personnel Recovery conference will be held from 14th-16th May 2012 at Copthorne Tara Hotel Kensington, London - the conference programme is available for download at http://www.jointpersonnelrecovery.com/brochure

For further information on Joint Personnel Recovery (http://www.jointpersonnelrecovery.com) contact Defence IQ on +44(0)20-7368-9737 or email defence@iqpc.co.uk