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Rakkasans train Iraqi Army

Courtesy Photo | Iraqi Army officers and NCOs practice sector firing after a long day of classes.... read more read more

SAMARRA, IRAQ

01.24.2006

Courtesy Story

133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

Pfc. Cassandra Groce
133rd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment

SAMARRA, Iraq (January 18, 2005) -- The Iraqi Army in Samarra has been working closely with the Rakkasans, participating in training for the past three weeks designed to bolster the proficiency of the fledgling army.

The new regimen consists of weapons training, map reading, general orders and basic first aid that is taught to the officers and non-commissioned officers in the military. The higher ranking officials will then teach the classes to the lower enlisted.

With the Iraqi army comes seasoned soldiers with years of experience, as well as soldiers right off the street. The classes are a baseline to start everyone for training and evaluation.

The Military Integrated Transitional Training team, better known as the MITT team, decided that the U.S. Army baseline would be a good starting point. Each company's leaders train in the approximate 12-day course, then the rotation starts over with a new company.

"It empowers their leaders and gives them the experience and knowledge to control their soldiers," said Capt. Christopher Swint, the assistant MITT team chief, 3rd Special Troops Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team.

After the classroom and hands-on training concludes, the Iraqi Army soldiers" level of understanding is tested with patrols in the streets of Iraq. The soldiers search homes and arrest detainees in a quest to eliminate Anti-Iraqi Forces.

"We've assessed this battalion and found they needed this training," said Swint. "The end-state is the same though - a self-sustaining military capable of conducting independent counter-insurgency, COIN, operations in their own battle space. The word independent is important - it means they do this without Coalition Force help."

Every unit is evaluated once a month. Categories tested include training level, sustainability, logistics ability, communication, leadership and operations. The evaluation for each unit can vary slightly since the testing is devised in conjunction with the Iraqi Army's commander.

"We don't force a particular way of doing things because in the end it's not our army," said Swint. "So we evaluate the end-state, not the procedures."

Ultimately, the Iraqi government has to accept the unit as ready to take over operations based on the evaluations.

Regardless of how well the unit does on evaluations, IA soldiers still struggle to prove themselves to their communities. IA soldier's have to wear civilian clothes while at home because they often become targets of AIF.

"Soldiers in America are heroes, but that pride is not established here yet," said Swint. "But it will be. They don't have a reputation of being an elite force because they don't have the history."

MITT team Soldiers are working tirelessly to help the IA gain that history and respect as Iraq's heroes. The team here in Samarra feels that the current training is a step in that direction for the IA.

"They perform guard duty well and their base is safe; they operate a machine gun properly, and the enemy learns that they are lethal," said Swint. "These basic skills hold a small amount of worth alone, but combined they create a force to be reckoned with."