The Navy Center for Language, Regional Expertise, and Culture (CLREC) announced the launch of a mobile application for training products and working aids, Jan. 6.

Hosted by Joint Knowledge Online (JKO) Mobile, CLREC's app allows authorized users to access language, regional expertise and culture (LREC) materials on the go.

"We know that today's global Navy team is looking for ways to accelerate learning, and by leveraging JKO Mobile's existing features, we're able to make many of the resources CLREC has to offer available now whenever and wherever they're needed," said Capt. Maureen Fox, commanding officer of the Center for Information Dominance, which oversees CLREC.

User-friendly materials for various countries on CLREC's JKO Mobile app include operational cultural awareness training (OCAT) videos, culture cards and professional etiquette guides (PEG).

The OCATs, CLREC's flagship products, are narrated videos providing in-depth information on a country's history, language, social norms, culturally appropriate and taboo behaviors and more. The culture cards are 12- or 18-panel printable pocket guides for a specific country summarizing much of the information presented in the corresponding OCAT. Most include a guide to each country's naval rank structure and insignia. PEGs are one-page textual tutorials intended to improve cross-cultural interactions. They focus on cultural norms, do's and don'ts, and basic etiquette and phrases used when meeting and greeting, conducting business and socializing.

"So far, we have published 15 culture cards, 20 PEGs and 26 OCATs for a selection of countries throughout the world," said Chris Wise, director of CLREC. "We expect to continue to add products weekly as they are developed, covering some 187 countries by mid-February."

For quicker access to LREC products and news, new users can visit the JKO website, which is CAC- and password-enabled for authorized users, at http://jko.jten.mil/clrec and create a new student CLREC profile. Once logged in, users select CLREC under the community tab, where instructions for accessing the mobile app are available. After completing a 10-minute mobile course, users will receive a customized personal identification number (PIN) for the Navy CLREC JKO Mobile app. They can download the JKO Mobile app to their personal tablet or smart phone for free in app stores.

Once logged into JKO Mobile, Navy and other LREC materials are available through the library button.

"Whether sitting at your desktop computer or using a mobile device on deployment, LREC training solutions are now just a few clicks away," said Wise. "By adding JKO and JKO Mobile as a path to our resources, we hope to expand the reach of these valuable tools to even more members of the Navy team."

The Navy's CLREC delivers foreign language instruction and training on foreign cultures to prepare Navy personnel for global engagements - to strengthen ties with enduring allies, cultivate relationships with emerging partners, thwart adversaries and defeat enemies. Part of the Center for Information Dominance, CLREC is located at Naval Air Station Pensacola Corry Station.

Additional CLREC training materials and information continue to be available on Navy Knowledge Online at https://www.nko.navy.mil/ under learning and language resources.

For more news from Center for Information Dominance, visit www.navy.mil/local/cid.

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Want to learn more about culture and cultural training in the Department of Defense (DoD)?  CultureReady.org is here to help!  We are a public resource to discover specific information about various cultures and also training on cross cultural competence or general concepts that affect all cultures.  If you are in the military, or support the military, or are thinking of joining the military, we welcome you to check it out!  Some of our Department of Defense (DoD) oriented material is restricted to government ID holders, or password protected, but our goal is to provide you with some training that is easy to access.  Cultural competence is important to military missions, the Department of Defense (DoD), and for all those who support those missions.  Learning about specific cultures will help you accomplish challenging tasks in a culturally complex environment.  Being ready for any cultural challenge in an important aspect of military readiness.  For more information on culture readiness and training, be sure to check back to CultureReady.org