Photo By 1st Sgt. David Bennett | Maj. Gen. Abd Al bu Ghani, Iraqi commander of the counter-terrorism center at...... read more read more
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq — The pressure of analyzing information, producing intelligence and accurately predicting enemy plans and actions is a constant on today's battlefield.
The Basic Military Intelligence Course was established to assure Iraqi commanders have the personnel to meet those pressures.
Iraqi intelligence officials welcomed 39 new graduates of the Basic Military Intelligence Course at Contingency Operating Base Basra, Jan. 14.
Those who attended the ceremony included Iraqi intelligence officials as well as Brig. Gen. David Elicerio, 34th Infantry Division's deputy commanding general for operations.
Elicerio, a native of Ham Lake, Minn., told the Iraqi graduates that the addition of more intelligence analysts betters the chance of success on the battlefield. They are the ones who obtain and provide the Iraqi commanders a continuing picture of the entire field of operations.
"As I was sharing with the general [Abd Al bu Ghani] this morning, that it's not magic," Elicerio said. "It takes a lot of work and a disciplined system, but more importantly, it takes the people to develop that system."
Maj. Gen. Abd Al bu Ghani, counter-terrorism center commander in Basra, said the benefits of the class, taught by instructors from USD-S, are both immediate and long-term.
"We added a lot of experience with this class, Abd Al bu Ghani said. "This is a partnership marked with real accomplishments."
During two weeks, the Iraqi military intelligence members were instructed on a variety of topics, such as developing priority intelligence requirements and the importance of operation security. Students also learned the processes of identifying targets and writing intelligence reports.
Before the final written test, students participated in a culmination exercise, built around a scenario of targeting insurgent groups smuggling weapons and rockets into Basrah. The six-station exercise tested the students on training received throughout the two-week course.
The intelligence course is the fifth such course conducted since the program began in October 2009, and the second held in Basra.
39 students who attended the course represented Baghdad, Basra, Diyala, Al Asad, Ramadi and Mosul.
Determining an enemy's plans, intentions and capabilities before they're set into motion is of critical value to military leaders, said Maj. Mark Wilson, targeting officer for the 34th Inf. Div. and senior course instructor. While the U.S. instructors taught the Iraqi students the finer points of intelligence gathering, the learning process during the program was far from one-sided.
"Every time I teach one of these courses, I learn something about how the Iraqi army operates, and something about the Iraqi people," Wilson said.
| Date Taken: | 01.14.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 01.19.2010 01:54 |
| Story ID: | 44085 |
| Location: | BASRA, IQ |
| Web Views: | 253 |
| Downloads: | 227 |
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