Photo By Spc. Kiyoshi Freeman | Iraqi army officers, representatives from nearly every command across Iraq, meet for a...... read more read more
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By Kiyoshi Freeman
3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary)
TAJI, Iraq – Think of an army and images of sleek, lethal-looking tanks and armored vehicles might come to mind — not Ford F-350 pick-up trucks. However, such a vehicle is simply one of over 200 types of vehicles in the Iraqi army arsenal, which has everything from Soviet-era T-72 tanks (once part of the Hungarian army) to American Humvees and British armored personnel carriers, donated by some of Iraq's neighbors.
Servicing and repairing this wide range of vehicles was one of the key issues discussed during a two-day logistical training exercise at the Taji National Maintenance Depot Oct. 27 and 28, 2008.
Approximately 250 to 300 Iraqi and coalition officers attended the event, the first of its kind since the fall of Saddam Hussein.
"It was both a historic and monumental event," said Col. Kevin O'Connell, the commander of 1st Sustainment Brigade, 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary), adding that the last two days were critical to identifying problems in the current system. "From here, we work as a team to come to solution sets," he said.
With so many vehicles in its fleet, Iraq must import most of its spare parts from different countries, said Capt. Randall Weiser, a liaison officer between 1st SB and the IA. This requires a sophisticated inventory management system, internet databases and trained personnel, he said.
Iraqi Col. Wihed, the commander of the south depot at Taji, said the IA received good equipment over the last year, but the transportation of spare parts and reliable maintenance was still necessary to become self-sufficient.
Although in the past the IA was dependent on coalition support to sustain its fighting forces, Iraqis have recently taken their own steps to increase their logistical capabilities.
The Taji National Maintenance Depot and the Taji National Supply Depot centralizes Iraq's logistical support, and Iraqis established a general transportation regiment and the third line maintenance facility, mentored by Soldiers with the 1st SB, 3rd ESC.
The heart of this coalition-Iraqi partnership — this mentoring process – is the logistics assistance and advisory teams, or LTATs, spread across the 3rd ESC's area of operations.
Composed of detachments of American Soldiers or entire units, LTATs train and mentor their counterparts in IA sustainment units. At the third line maintenance facility, Spc. Nathan Collins, an East Lansing, Mich., native and a maintenance advisor in 1st SB LTAT, works with Iraqi mechanics daily, showing them how to repair Humvees.
Collins said he felt confident to ride in any vehicle the Iraqis repaired. He said that being able to "maintain their own vehicles [allows] them to provide their own security and will help them become self-reliant."
"The Iraqis feel there is someone standing by their side," said O'Connell, whose unit was one of the first to incorporate LTATs. "Every day they're getting better and grasping the things they need to do ... We're proud to work with our Iraqi partners."
During the exercise, some IA officers began referring to how sustainment operations used to run. Iraqi Staff Lt. Gen. Abdullah, the deputy chief of staff-logistics for Iraqi Joint Headquarters and the host for the event, interrupted and said the focus of the training would not be on what the coalition would or have done for the IA in the past, but how the Iraqis would solve logistical problems themselves.
In his closing remarks, Maj. Gen. Timothy McHale, the senior logistician from Multi-National Forces—Iraq, said the coalition would continue to work hand in hand with the IA to find solutions to these new challenges.
"The logisticians' sole purpose," McHale said, "is to support the war fighter."
| Date Taken: | 11.10.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 11.10.2008 00:54 |
| Story ID: | 26126 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 308 |
| Downloads: | 264 |
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