MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Service members attended the Naval Space Operations Course at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan, April 11-13, 2017.

The course was brought to MCAS Iwakuni because it offers aviators a on the installation an opportunity to learn about capabilities in space.

“Everyone’s affected by space in some respect,” said U.S. Marine Corps Capt. Jonathan Clapp, an AH-1W Cobra pilot for Naval Warfare Command and NSOC instructor. “Typically people assume it’s all about communications, operations and networks, but it really applies to everything.”

Clapp also said students come from all types of backgrounds. They offer and add different perspectives and knowledge to the course.
NSOC helped the service members understand how utilizing technology in space can assist people.

“The course provides a level of awareness of how we’re operating on a day-to-day basis and of the (space) systems that are impacting us,” said Clapp. “Understanding how to operate without space systems and how the technology works is very important to the war-fighting effort.”

NSOC covers how space affects people every day and how they can use it to their needs over three days.

“The first day is explaining the fundamentals of how space works,” said Clapp. “On day two we talk about the space systems that are out there: the national system that we have, what’s available on the commercial market for civilians and their capabilities. On day three we talk about how those systems are used and how we leverage them on an everyday basis.”

Civilians, contractors and service members from different branches attended the course to learn and research space and what advancements it has to offer.

“When I got here as the XO, I wanted to educate our entire force,” said U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Col. Gary Thomason, executive officer of MCAS Iwakuni. “We have a lot of aviators and there are some things they need to know because their platforms are either a capability or a vulnerability.”