Photo By Capt. Daniel Yarnall | Brig. Gen. Donald Currier, 49th Military Police Brigade commander, and Command Sgt....... read more read more
CAMP VICTORY, Iraq - As part of America’s responsible drawdown of its forces in Iraq, the last Military Police brigade in Iraq furled its colors and ended its nation-wide police training mission here.
On July 27, the headquarters, headquarters company of the 49th Military Police Brigade, a National Guard unit based in Fairfield, Calif., conducted an end of mission ceremony in the rotunda of Al Faw Palace on Camp Victory.
The ceremony marked the end of a five year mission. No longer will a single military police brigade command thousands of military police Soldiers, serving in more than 200 Police Training Teams, as they help develop the Iraqi Police serving at more than 1200 local, district and provincial police stations and police headquarters, in all regions of Iraq.
After the departure of the 49th, the training of Iraqi Police by elements of the United States Military Police Corps will be decentralized. The remaining military police companies tasked to train Iraq’s police services will now be under the command of various Advise and Assist brigades and maneuver divisions that are continuing to support the development of Iraq’s security forces and civil capacity.
Speaking at the ceremony was Lt. Gen. Robert W. Cone, Deputy Commanding General for Operations, United States Forces-Iraq and Brig. Gen. Donald J. Currier, commander of the 49th Military Police Brigade.
In 2007 and 2008, Cone was responsible for the development of the Afghan National Army and Police. No stranger to the challenges of training and assisting a host nation’s security forces on a national level, Cone was impressed with the 49th’s ability to command units conducting training operations throughout Iraq.
“Your mission, across Iraq, was daunting, to say the least. I emphasize, “across Iraq”, because unlike most brigade size elements, your mission spanned nearly the whole of Iraq, covering 15 of the 18 provinces,” said Cone
Cone also recognized the 49th’s unique achievement of leading the Iraqi Police training mission twice during Operation Iraqi Freedom as a National Guard military police brigade.
“Not only does the 49th have the distinction of being the only National Guard MP Brigade assigned the training team mission in Iraq, but you have now done it twice,” said Cone.
In 2005 and 2006, the 49th conducted the Police Training Team mission in Iraq, helping train more than 100,000 Iraqi Police officers and establishing nation-wide standards of measuring the progress of Iraqi Police stations.
During that tour, Brig. Gen. Currier, who was Col. Currier in 2006, was the 49th's Deputy Brigade Commander in charge of police training operations. Speaking at his brigade’s end of mission ceremony, Currier compared and contrasted the 49th’s first Iraq deployment with its current one.
“Four years ago, the security situation was terrible. The police were not capable, and all we could teach were basic survival and tactical skills. During this tour, on the other hand, the security situation is greatly improved. We were actually able to help them learn techniques of policing in a free society,” said Currier.
As the Iraqi people are much less likely to suffer attacks from violent extremists, the people of Iraq have an improved confidence in its police services’ ability to provide security. Cone attributes a significant part of this success to the work of Police Training Teams.
“In 2007, only 44% of the Iraqi people had confidence in the Iraqi Police’s ability to provide security. Today, that level has risen to 72%. This renewed confidence comes from a trust established on the streets and in the neighborhoods of Iraq. The 49th’s Police Training Teams helped build that trust by showing their Iraqi counterparts how to do it right,” said Cone.
Recognizing that Iraq’s police officers have greatly improved their credibility in the eyes of the people they serve, Currier directed his concluding remarks to his Soldiers, speaking to them about the historic and strategic importance of their contributions to the progress of the Iraqi Police.
“There is no doubt that the United States has a vital national interest in a secure and stable Iraq because this supports a stable Middle East, which is important to the global economy and to global security. Helping establish a police force responsive to the security needs of its people is essential to stabilizing Iraq. Like your forefathers, you risked your lives to protect the American way of life,” said Currier.
| Date Taken: | 07.26.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 07.29.2010 03:04 |
| Story ID: | 53598 |
| Location: | CAMP VICTORY, IQ |
| Web Views: | 620 |
| Downloads: | 161 |
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