| By U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Mark Watson U.S. CENTCOM Public Affairs |
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NORTH ARABIAN GULF, Nov. 7, 2006 -- While the world focuses on the land war in Iraq, its nearby coastal waters have long been another active front in helping to provide security and stability. Only miles offshore, near the Iraqi port of Umm Qasr are ships belonging to the U.S. Navy, Coast Guard and other coalition forces. Sailors on these ships patrol the waters conducting maritime security operations and help train Iraqi marines on procedures for boarding vessels to help secure their territorial waters. A recent exercise, Rapid Talon, reviewed the procedures the Iraqi marines took when boarding a U.S. Coast Guard cutter, the Monomoy, playing a suspect vessel. "It is a quality-assurance exercise that is geared toward training the Iraqi marines to conduct boardings on ships inside their territorial waters," said Lt. j.g. Jason Moritz, the operations officer for the Monomoy. U.S. and coalition forces conduct maritime security operations to help set the conditions for security and stability that will help provide an opportunity for Iraqis to determine their future. The marines’ performance was critiqued and feedback was given on their tactics and procedures. "This is one of the first steps in turning over the stability," Moritz, of Old Tappan, N.J., said. "They are going to be the ones who are going to be in charge of enforcing the laws and rules that govern their country. The first step is to provide them the training and this, as the second step, is where we assess the training that they have learned and determine where they need to go before they can take over for the security operations for their country." The exercise helps the Iraqis get back on their feet. "This is very much a part of providing security and improving the stability of Iraq," Moritz added. "If they are not able to enforce their own laws, they will not be able to bring stability and structure to their country. We aren't always going to be here. They are the ones who are going to provide the law enforcement to their country," he said. Not only are coalition forces training the marines, but approximately 45 U.S. and coalition ships are patrolling the waters both inside and outside the Arabian Gulf. American forces are standing alongside Iraqis to protect the Al Basra
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and Khwar Al Amaya oil terminals -- the site of more than 80 percent of Iraq’s economy. "Our security team is here to help the Iraqis develop their force protection posture," said Lt. Dan Salvatierra, the officer in charge of security operations on the Khwar Al Amaya oil terminal. The Iraqi marines run daily drills and react to the occasional true breach of the terminal's buffer zone. Ships and fishing dhows occasionally enter the zone, causing the service members of both countries to escalate their protective posture. U.S., coalition and Iraqi forces maintain a robust layered defense posture around the oil platforms around the clock. Since the coalition forces began training the Iraqi marines, an improvement in the Iraqis’ performance has been noted. "The Iraqis do welcome our presence," Salvatierra, from Ewa Beach, Hawaii, said. "They do listen to our training and are quite motivated." |
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