MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. -- Editor’s note: This is the third part in a three-part series to educate Marines on what CAOCL can do for them.
The Center for Advanced Operational Cultural Learning is scheduled to open six Language Learning Resource Centers on Camp Pendleton to help Marine Corps planning and operation in the joint expeditionary environment.
Five 32-seat LLRC facilities are scheduled to open at Camps San Mateo, Horno, Margarita, Flores and Del Mar. Las Pulgas is scheduled to open a 16-seat LLRC, said Rashed Qawasmi, operations officer, CAOCL, Marine Corps Base Quantico.
Camp Del Mar has finished building its LLRC facility and is scheduled to open its doors to Marines soon, although no firm date has been set yet, Qawasmi said.
Camp Pendleton Marines who are interested in broadening their individual cultural knowledge are encouraged to contact their command’s operations or training officer. Once an operations or training officer has contacted the local CAOCL Liaison Officer and obtained permissions for individual Marines to access MarineNet Distance Learning Portal, they may log on using a personal or CAOCL LLRC computer.
The LLRCs are designed to facilitate computer access for Marines who wish to study a mission-oriented language. The computer-based program allows individual Marines to access Rosetta Stone Language Learning Software on personal computers or LLRC facilities. Navy and Marine Corps Intranet computers can utilize the software except for the speech component, according to Marine Administrative Message 661/08.
“Any Marine with MarineNet access can use Rosetta Stone,” said Qawasmi.
Rosetta Stone provides Marines approximately 150 hours of self-paced education that focuses on language familiarization in 31 languages that better prepare them for military operations in current and projected operational environments, according to the message details.
Individual Marines taking Rosetta Stone courses will not be the only beneficiaries from CAOCL LLRC facilities. Units will be able to schedule tactical language periods of instruction at LLRCs all over base for pre-deployment training in Iraqi Arabic, Afghan Pashto and Dari, said Qawasmi. These courses are designed to bring Marines to a basic proficiency of the language.
The desired learning outcome of survival language training, memorized words and phrases, can be accomplished in 40 hours of classroom instruction for most students, Qawasmi said.
“We do understand that short-fused requirements emerge and we will make every effort to provide requested training,” said Qawasmi.
Units who wish to attend CAOCL training are asked to contact their local liaison officer a minimum of 90 days in advance.
For more information, log on to www.tecom.usmc.mil/caocl/ or contact your battalion operations or training officer.