Myers Thanks Mongolians for Iraqi Freedom Help

American Forces Press Service ^ | Jan. 13, 2004 | By Jim Garamone

[Calpernia]

Mongolia is a small country with a powerful warrior tradition. But today, the country consciously is tying its reputation to peacekeeping, and Mongolia's latest area of operations is Iraq.

Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited Mongolia today to speak with national and defense leaders and to meet with soldiers who are getting ready to go to Iraq. He thanked the Mongolian leaders for their support in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and he said the Mongolian people "should be very proud of the professionalism and discipline of their forces in Iraq."

The last time Mongolian soldiers were in Iraq was in 1258. They destroyed Baghdad then. Now, the Mongolian military has 173 soldiers of the 150th Elite Peacekeeping Battalion in Hillah, Iraq. All reports, said Myers, are that the unit is doing an excellent job as part of the Multinational Division Central- South. The division is commanded by a Polish general and contains troops from a number of different nationalities. Myers said the Mongolian unit's members have proven themselves as infantrymen, as convoy escorts, as engineers and in providing medical assistance to the Iraqi people.

Mongolia is a large country geographically; it is about the size of Alaska. But it's small in population, with about 2.5 million people. The country is located between Russia and China, and until 1991 had close relations with the Soviet Union. Modern Mongolia dates to just after World War I.

The Mongolian military was a typical Soviet formation. Weapons and equipment are 1960s- and 1970s-vintage and Soviet-made. The Mongolian army still drives tanks and infantry vehicles from that era.

U.S. officials said the army numbers about 45,000, and most of it still is configured in the old Soviet style. Missions like that of the 150th Elite Peacekeeping Battalion are what the Mongolians want to move toward, said Col. L. Noov, a Mongolian army general staff member, in an interview. The colonel said the units now follow the Soviet army and division system. The Mongolians will move toward brigades and battalions. The units will become lighter, with fewer tanks and faster, more survivable transportation, the colonel said.

Many Mongolian army commissioned and noncommissioned officers attend military schools in other countries. One staff officer, for example, graduated from the Army's Command and Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. An NCO in the 150th proudly wears his U.S. Army Ranger Tab on his Mongolian army uniform.

Mongolia is not a rich country. The average person earns about $400 per year. Myers' Mongolian counterpart, Maj. Gen. T. Togoo, said the soldiers have learned lessons in Iraq, and that the second group of soldiers to go later this month will benefit from that. The general said the soldiers need new equipment and some new training, and that changes are being made in the uniforms the troops wear.

Mongolia has personnel with the United Nations missions in the western Sahara and in the Congo, as well as a 15-man team working with the Afghan National Army to repair old Soviet artillery. The Mongolians are training the Afghan soldiers to use the weapon.

Maj. Gen. M. Borbaatar, deputy chief of the Mongolian army general staff, said the Mongolians are developing an area called Five Hills north of the capital to train peacekeepers. He said U.S. Marines conducted training there with the Mongolians and were impressed by the area and the various terrains. He said the Marines taught the Mongolians some peacekeeping techniques, and the Mongolians taught the Marines long-range, horse-mounted patrols. He said the Marines "would have been better if they stayed longer."

All the Mongolian leaders clearly were delighted to meet with Myers, and they said there is a lot of support for the peacekeeping mission from the Mongolian people.

The Mongolians will consult with the United States in transforming its military, Borbaatar said. The next big step is developing an NCO corps for the military. He said the NCOs are what make the American military the best in the world, and the Mongolians will take a page from that book.

Myers thanked the Mongolians for their hospitality and their help. He left Ulan Bator and flew to Beijing, where he will hold a series of meetings with Chinese Defense leaders.

[Calpernia]

Maj. Gen. T. Togoo, chief of the Mongolian army general staff, greets Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Jan. 13. Myers is the first Joint Chiefs chairman to visit Mongolia.

Mary Jo Myers, wife of the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, meets with spouses of Mongolian soldiers deployed to Iraq during a Jan. 13 visit to the Mongolian capital city Ulan Bator.

Mongolian President Natsagyiyn Bagabandi speaks with Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, during the chairman's Jan. 13 visit to Mongolia.

Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, speaks with members of Mongolia's 150th Elite Peacekeeping Battalion during a visit to the Mongolian capital city of Ulan Bator Jan. 13. The unit has soldiers on duty in Hillah, Iraq, and soon will deploy their replacements.

A bust of Ghengis Khan adorns a wall in the presidential palace in Ulan Bator, Mongolia. The 13th-century Mongolian leader razed Baghdad. Today's Mongolians are helping to build a better Iraq.

An honor guard salutes during Jan. 13 welcoming ceremonies for Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, who became the first Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman to visit the ally.

An honor guard braves the cold to welcome Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers during the chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff's Jan. 13 visit to Mongolia.

[Calpernia]

Pro Military, Pro Coalition, Pro de-Baathification News!

Maj. Gen. T. Togoo, chief of the Mongolian army general staff, greets Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Jan. 13. Myers is the first Joint Chiefs chairman to visit Mongolia

[StoneColdGOP]

The last time Mongolian soldiers were in Iraq was in 1258. They destroyed Baghdad then.

Bump for the Khans. And Mongolian BBQ...

[LN2Campy]

From what I've read, Baghdad NEVER really recovered from the Mongol invasion, and the subsequent loss of its position as the epicenter of the "caliphate".

[rabidralph]

Pretty tough wives--dressing in cammies, like their husbands. BBQ Bump!

[realpatriot71]

If we're smart we'll subsidize the Mongolian military. We need more allies in the isolation of China.

[brazucausa]

Nice pictures.

[Bringbackthedraft]

"We need more allies in the isolation of China."

Population 2.5 million and an army of 45K next door to China, a 1.3 billion nuke neighbor? Are they threatened by China? I don't think they want to ruffle China's feathers with any kind of an alliance with us. A quick war without firing a bullet. China surrenders 3 million troops to Mongolia and its over.

[SwinneySwitch]

Give 'em hell, Mongols!

[Calpernia]

That is coming. That is what the news release on Japan was meant for yesterday too.

[XHogPilot]

America going it alone in Iraq (with Brits, Poles, Mongols, Thais, Koreans, Japanese, et al) Bump.

[realpatriot71]

Population 2.5 million and an army of 45K next door to China, a 1.3 billion nuke neighbor? Are they threatened by China? I don't think they want to ruffle China's feathers with any kind of an alliance with us. A quick war without firing a bullet. China surrenders 3 million troops to Mongolia and its over.

Neo-Con foreign policy has always maintained that there should never be any other super-power except the USA itself again. As a matter of pragmatism Mogolia, the US, and China, all know that if China wanted to invade Mongolia it could. However, that could not occur today very easily with todays complicated geo-political politics, especially in light of all the trade that occurs between the US and China. In order to contain China we need to have the country surrounded either by countries controlled by US troops, or those countries that are definite allies. This keeps China on a short leash, and it is probably the wisest thing to do at this juncture, considering that China will be our biggest competitor for oil (a dwindling resource) in the next 30-50 years.

China won't come to blows with Mongolia or the US over US help of the Mongolian military, and it never hurts to have more friends.

[blackie]

Myers Thanks Mongolians for Iraqi Freedom Help ~ Bump!

[John H K]

From what I've read, Baghdad NEVER really recovered from the Mongol invasion, and the subsequent loss of its position as the epicenter of the "caliphate".

Actually Islam never really recovered(Though eventually the western Mongol hordes converted to Islam afterwards, oddly.)

The destruction of Baghdad was probably the most violent and vicious of any city prior to WWII.

[windchime]

Bump!