Photo By Sgt. David Turner | Col. Ali (center), logistics officer, 8th Iraqi army division, speaks during a...... read more read more
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By Sgt. David Turner
4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Public Affairs Office
FORWARD OPERATING BASE KALSU, Iraq – "Recruiting and equipping the military is a challenge, but the hardest part is to be able to leave them, and they sustain themselves," said Air Force Maj. Travis Brownlow, with the Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq.
"Figuring that out has been a tough nut to crack," he said.
Soldiers and Airmen from several units joined together with their Iraqi army counterparts July 15, to find solutions to the logistics needs of the 8th IA Division during a conference near FOB Echo in Qadisiyah province.
Among the attendees were members of the 8th IA Div. Military Transition Team and 703rd Brigade Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, which helps train IA Soldiers to solve problems in meeting their logistics needs.
As new IA units are standing up at an increasing pace, sustaining the units with logistical support is an important priority, said Maj. Chris Byler, 703rd BSB executive officer.
"[Coalition forces] are giving them equipment on an astronomically large [scale], in a [short] amount of time. [The IA] are standing up battalions quickly in order to provide security," said Byler.
The 703rd BSB supports the IA by providing training from subject matter experts in fields such as power generation, weapons repairs, supply management and vehicle maintenance. To better train the IA, the 703rd Soldiers use a "train the trainer" philosophy, which means teaching the IA to train their own units in logistics. So far, said Byler, the approach has been a success.
Despite the IA's rapid acquisition of equipment and assistance with logistics training, they still face challenges in supply and maintenance, said Maj. Richardo Wilson, logistics officer with the 8th IA Div. MiTT.
"[The 8th IA] Division has [almost 100] different types of vehicles – used [non-tactical vehicles], Nissan, Ford, Chevrolet ... they may be all different years and different types and models within those makes. They all require different parts," Wilson said. "They are pretty proficient in repairing some equipment. The main problem they have is actually acquiring the right parts to do those repairs."
The variety of vehicles and equipment means that IA logistics officers must purchase parts and supplies from a wide variety of suppliers, which slows down the process considerably, said Wilson.
Furthermore, a lack of local manufacturers complicates acquisition processes in nearly all areas of supply.
"They don't have the industrial base in Iraq yet to self-sustain their military requirements. If they need ammo, they can't go to an ammo company in Iraq," Brownlow said.
The IA has established traditions that are slow to change, though coalition soldiers continue to import their ideas of handling logistics along with their equipment and supplies, Brownlow said.
"The pre-invasion military culture is still very prevalent after the invasion. Their way of doing things is very different from how we do them," Brownlow said.
One major difference, he said, is that the IA follows an allocation supply model, rather than the requirement-based system the U.S. Army employs. Brownlow said what works best for Iraqis will be what's best in the end even though the system may seem inefficient.
"As long as they have the money, they will figure it out," he said. "Seeing them today, listening to them go back and forth on their issues is a good thing. They may do it differently, but to see them interact with each other like that is encouraging."
Capt. Kenneth Hoisington, IA logistics coordinator for the 703rd BSB, said this conference, the first such to be led by the IA, showed involvement and communication between the IA units. That, he said, was his measure of success for the conference.
"The biggest thing I wanted to see happen was communication. We want them to argue, we want them to bring up points. That's the best way to get it fixed. I think the biggest thing accomplished by the conference is that everyone is talking to each other. That's the most important part: Sharing ideas, successes and concerns," he said.
| Date Taken: | 07.21.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 07.22.2008 05:27 |
| Story ID: | 21732 |
| Location: | ISKANDARIYAH, IQ |
| Web Views: | 202 |
| Downloads: | 172 |
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