MARINE CORPS AIR STATION YUMA, Ariz. -- Marines from the Marine Aviation Weapons and Tactics Squadron 1 Ground Combat and Air Officer Departments are training on the Marine Corps’ new Capabilities Set III Combat Operations Center.
The training is embedded in the seven-week Weapons and Tactics Instructors Course.
The Command Operations Center has a new suite of equipment consisting of tents, computers, servers, generators and other equipment essential to conduct combat operations. The COC is produced by General Dynamics Corp., the sixth largest defense contractor in the world, and is currently being fielded throughout the Marine Corps to units at or above the battalion or squadron level.
“A COC’s purpose is to help commanders see everything going on in the battlefield,” said 1st Lt. Daniel Singer, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit target intelligence officer.
“The COC provides a battle staff, both ground and air officers with a greater capability to rapidly integrate their respective efforts in support of Marine Air-Ground Task Force objectives,” added Singer.
“This new system that our students are training with is state of the art,” said Maj. John Lehane, MAWTS-1 artillery officer.
“It is like going from the Stone Age to Star Wars overnight. (Fire clearances) used to be done on a paper map with pins and string to represent gun-target lines and aircraft attack headings. Now we can plot and share that information digitally,” added the West Hempstead, N.Y., native.
One computer program demonstrated within the COC system was Command and Control Personal Computer. C2PC resembles an advanced Google Earth to the casual user, but it provides Marines with the capability to tap into situational awareness tools including digital overlays, friendly and enemy unit locations and fire support information. Other capabilities of the program included the ability to view multiple different maps, and examine the topography through the use of digital terrain elevation data.
With respect to his overall WTI experience, Singer said, “I feel as though I will come away with a much better understanding of what the air combat element does after this course.”
Singer, a Columbia, Md., native, said during the seven-week WTI Course, students are in classes from 7 a.m. until at least 6 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
The employment of the COC is a new addition to the WTI Course.
“It dramatically improves the situational awareness of not only the commander, but also his battle staff, and ultimately reduces the time it will take to make a decision,” said Maj. Robert St. Peter, MAWTS-1 ground combat department head.
“We brought the COC here to train our students not only on the physical aspects of the system, but more importantly to help them understand how to utilize it more effectively.”