Photo By Staff Sgt. Michael Pryor | (from left) Iraqi Army Capt. Ali Kamal, an interpreter, Iraqi police commander Lt....... read more read more
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By Sgt. Mike Pryor
2nd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division Public Affairs
BAGHDAD, IRAQ – In the little conference room of the Suleikh Joint Security Station, 1st Sgt. Phong Tran was staring at a blank dry-erase board.
Tran and Iraqi police commander, Lt. Col. Ahmed Abdullah, were trying to plan an upcoming joint patrol, but Tran could tell Ahmed was getting lost.
Tran realized his military lingo was probably the cause of the problem.
"You've got to know your audience. You can't use military standard verbiage," said Tran, a Richmond, Va. native. "When you talk about task, purpose, and all that, it just gets lost in the translation."
Tran decided to simplify. He asked Ahmed - a veteran cop with nine years experience policing the area - what is the first thing you would do if you wanted to make this patrol work?
All the sudden it clicked. Ahmed took Tran's marker and began drawing formations and routes.
"It was like a seed planted in the ground: it just blossomed," Tran said.
Assessments of the progress of Iraqi security forces often focus on statistics like numbers of troops, tanks, or equipment. But the numbers don't answer the question: at the small unit level, are Iraqi commanders ready to take the lead?
At the Suleikh Joint Security Station in Baghdad's Adhamiya District, paratroopers from 2nd Battalion, 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment are finding that the answer is yes.
The paratroopers share the base with Iraqi police and troops from the Iraqi army. The different units are in constant coordination, and several times a week, key leaders get together to plan joint patrols.
Recently, the Iraqis have been taking a much larger role in the planning and development stages of the missions, said 2nd Lt. Jesse Bowman, of Reynoldsburg, Ohio, a platoon leader with Battery A, 2-319th AFAR.
"We're trying to put them at the forefront as far as planning our joint patrols," Bowman said. "They're the ones thinking through all the details and contingencies."
"We just kind of say, 'Hey, this is what we want to do,' and then let them run with it, planning-wise," said Capt. James Peay, of Nashville, Tenn., Alpha Battery's commander
That leeway doesn't stop at the planning stages; it also extends to tactical control during missions. That is a crucial step to the transition process, even if it means surrendering some control on the battlefield, said Capt. Joe Miller, a military transition team liaison.
"(Some U.S.) commanders don't want to give up control on the ground. But every day we control the ground is a day that accomplishes nothing," Miller said.
During a joint patrol that left the JSS May 24, it was clear the Iraqis were in charge.
Before the patrol moved out, the soldiers, paratroopers, and policemen gathered under a shady tree to receive a convoy briefing from Ahmed, the police colonel. Ahmed, a tall man with wavy hair and rugged features, removed his ever-present mirrored shades to address the group.
"Take all commands from me," he said, before launching into a description of the route and the mission.
Alpha Battery squad leader Sgt. Eduardo Rosa, of Springfield, Mass., had never received a briefing in Arabic before – or been on a patrol led by an Iraqi. He said he was impressed by Ahmed's performance.
"It's good that he was taking charge like that," Rosa said.
After some final checks, the convoy moved out. The purpose of the patrol was to assess Iraqi army and police checkpoints along one of the major routes running past the JSS. Periodically, Ahmed, Bowman and Tran would dismount to check positions first hand and talk to the soldiers and policemen manning the checkpoints.
Afterward, back at the JSS, Rosa said it was good for people in the neighborhood to see U.S. and Iraqi forces out on joint patrols, especially with the Iraqis in the lead.
"It shows that we trust them, so they should, too," he said.
"The people feel safe when they see us working together and supporting each other," agreed Capt. Ali Kamal, a commander with the 3-2-6th Iraqi Army.
"We support each other," Ali said. "We are just like brothers."
Hours after the patrol was finished, Tran was in a thoughtful mood. He said he had heard a lot of hype about Iraqi forces taking the lead, but what he had seen on the ground was always disappointing. His time at the JSS, though, was starting to turn him into a believer.
"I think these guys can pull it off," he said. "If it works at the lowest level, that gives me hope that it can work on a larger scale."
| Date Taken: | 06.05.2007 |
| Date Posted: | 06.05.2007 08:44 |
| Story ID: | 10671 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 616 |
| Downloads: | 536 |
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