The Joint Civilian Orientation Conference (JCOC) is a program sponsored by the Secretary of Defense for civilian public opinion leaders interested in growing their knowledge of the military and national defense issues. JCOC is the oldest existing Pentagon outreach program and has been held since 1948.

The conference is hosted in April and October of each year. JCOC participants attend Pentagon briefings by Department of Defense (DoD) military and civilian leadership and then join the military in the field observing exercises, firing weapons, and participating in training.

The Marine Corps can nominate up to 20 candidates to attend each conference. Any Marine Corps general officer can nominate candidates through the Marine Corps Office of Community Relations, Division of Public Affairs.

For more information, please visit the JCOC website at: http://jcoc.dod.mil/

Civilians interested in being nominated can email the Marine Corps Office of Community Relations, Division of Public Affairs at: hqmc.comrel@usmc.mil