Posted on 01/21/2007 3:34:02 PM PST by SandRat
BAKARIYA, Iraq –The military training teams have worked hard to teach the Iraqi’s to run operations with little help from Coalition force members, and there efforts are starting to pay off.
Iraqi troops from 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Division searched homes and fields in Bakariya Jan.17.
Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division provided outer cordon while the 136th Military Training Team supervised the Iraqi operations on the ground.
The mission was planned by the Iraqis. They made all the calls on the ground and used mostly their own intelligence to complete the mission, said the 136 MTT team chief, Maj. Ken Carlson, a native of Long Beach, Calif.
“In 10 months of working with this particular battalion of Iraqi soldiers we have watched them grow,” said Sgt. 1st Class David Jenkins, a native of Newnan, Ga., with 136 MTT. “We have gone from driving all of their missions to just tagging along, because they are running things without much help from us.”
The military training teams have an important role in turning Iraq over to the control of Iraqis. They are teaching them to handle problems on their own.
“We are here as advisors to the (Iraqi Army) so they can run things for themselves,” Jenkins said.
Part of the Iraqis being able to conduct missions successfully on their own is Iraqi leadership.
The army has grown leaps and bounds since the start of the war, but their weakness is a not having strong noncommissioned officer corps, Carlson said. “We are teaching them about what it means to be an NCO and how important it is.”
They are not lacking leadership completely though. They do have some strong officers, Carlson said.
The Iraqi’s 1st Bn., 3rd Bde., 6th Div., commander Lt. Col Jaber uses tough love and it works to get things done, Carlson said.
“I watched him today as his Soldiers were getting tired and trying to retreat to their vehicles,” he said. “The mission wasn’t complete yet and he wasn’t ready to go home until it was, so he got over the radio and screamed. Magically many soldiers appeared out of thin air and were ready to finish the mission.”
They were able to complete the mission. Nothing significant was found but nobody was hurt and they were able to communicate with the locals, so it was still successful, Carlson said.
This is a universal weakness in arab armies across the board, in my experience. Getting this right with the IDF is critical.
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