SCHOFIELD BARRACKS -- After many months of planning and preparation, Pacific Signal University, the Communications-Electronics Command's newest location, opened its doors to students Aug. 1 and was formally stood up Oct. 1.
The faculty comprised of personnel from USARPAC G6 and CECOM Logistics and Readiness Center, chose CompTia Security+ as PSU's inaugural class.
"The Pacific Signal University provides the flexibility to offer any course offered by CECOM and give our Soldiers and Civilians the best training in the world, right here on the island of Oahu," said Sgt. Maj. Shane Layo, USARPAC G6 Operations SGM.
Courses offered by PSU will depend on unit requirements. The school has the capability to provide a variety of courses, but actual instruction received on site will vary based on each unit's needs. Unit leaders can also request or create additional courses, or deviate from scheduled courses, to meet deployment or mission requirements.
"When units need a more specialized course or one that is not available on location, we reach out to other CECOM assets and see if we have the means to conduct it, said Sgt. Maj. Lindsay Thompson, USARPAC G6. "For example, a company commander from the 25th Infantry Division requested a PRC 148/152 Tactical Radio course for his unit prior to deploying, and the University was able to dedicate an entire class to their group."
New faculty who were hired and have been teaching courses to date include the Commandant Mr. William Woodard, a Tactical Radio instructor and a WIN-T instructor with expertise in Warfighter Information Network-Tactical communications. The LRC is currently seeking an on-site DoD 8570 instructor for the Schofield location with expertise in Security+, Net+, and other Information Technology-related certification courses.
According to Woodard, with the ever-changing signal environment, the Signal universities contribute in maintaining a technically proficient Warfighter. Signal Universities offer a wide range of instruction to their students to include Department of Defense 8570 courses, theater-provided equipment and WIN-T.
As of early December, PSU had trained 363 Soldiers and anticipated more than 800 will be trained by March 2015.
The university program was established by USARPAC G6 and the LRC to provide Signal Soldiers and Civilians worldwide the opportunity to receive up-to-date training and skills needed to maintain occupational specialty success; a methodology Pacific Signal University will also adhere to.
"Our expectations are to make Signaleers of the Pacific the best communicators in the Army," Thompson said. "We hope the Soldiers we have trained will go back to their units and share what they have learned."
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