Secretary of Army impressed by U.S. Soldier morale, Iraq Army improvement

Courtesy Photo | Secretary of the Army Dr. Francis Harvey is interviewed by Spc. Joshua Hutcheson, a print journalist with the 101st Airborne Division, and Task Force Band of Brothers, about this, Harvey's third trip to Iraq in the last two years and what changes he's seen in terms of Soldier morale and the readiness of the Iraqi Army and Police.  

TIKRIT, IRAQ

05.16.2006

Courtesy Story

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By Spc. Joshua Hutcheson

TIKRIT, Iraq - Secretary of the Army Dr. Francis Harvey paid a visit to Iraq Thursday and Friday with three intentions: to visit with American Soldiers, assess improvements made by the Iraqi Security Forces and to observe the effects of the U.S. Army's transformation. He was impressed and pleased by all three.

This was Harvey's third visit to Iraq, but his first in 2006. During his two-day visit, Harvey flew to several Forward Operating Bases and spent much time with Soldiers from Task Force Band of Brothers.

"My first impression is that the morale is very high, the Soldiers know what they're doing is very important to their country and they get satisfaction out of being a part of something that's greater than themselves," Harvey said.

The best proof of how high Soldier morale is can be measured by recent retention rates for both the 4th Infantry Division and 101st Airborne Division, he said.

"I think that speaks volumes about what the Soldier believes," Harvey said. "The Soldiers have confidence in the leadership and derive satisfaction in what they do."

This visit gave the Secretary of the Army the opportunity to talk to Iraqi commanders and see how far the Iraqi Army and Police have come in the few years that they've been training with American Soldiers.

Harvey noted last year there were 140,000 Iraqi Soldiers and Police.

"Now it's a little over a year later and we have now over 250,000 security forces trained. We have them partnered with a sister battalion in the Coalition Forces," he said. "The plan is, by the end of the year, to have 325,000 forces."

Coalition leaders, whom Harvey has talked to, feel that the Iraqi Soldiers have responded very well to their training. He agreed with their assessment.

"Several U.S. Soldiers, command sergeants major, colonels and so forth have commented on the quality of the security force. They have the raw courage to be good soldiers; they're taking over their education and training missions. Nothing but solid steady progress," Harvey said. "From my point of view, the strategy of standing up an effective security force in Iraq is working. Excellent progress, very impressive."

For the last three years the Army has been going through a transformation to make brigades across the Army more standardized and able to function on their own. Harvey's visit let him see the practical application of the transformation in a war environment and reconstruction operations.

"[Transformation] is the total redesign of the operational Army to a brigade-centric organization from division-centric, with the centerpiece being the Brigade Combat Team as a stand-alone, self-sufficient unit," he said. "My assessment is that the fundamental principal is exactly what is needed for a stability and reconstruction operation."

Because there isn't a conventional power structure in Iraq, having spread out and autonomous military units is perfect to protect and reconstruct. This also applies to Afghanistan. It is the units" ability to be self-sufficient that makes them so effective and ideal for missions, Harvey said.
"[Self-sufficiency] is a very important characteristic (to reconstruction operations); I think it's very appropriate. It indicates great insight into transformation," he said.

The transformation is also successful in a logistical sense. Because the brigades are all standardized, they all use the same equipment. This allows 'stay-behind" equipment which can be passed from unit to unit as they redeploy back to America. Having equipment stay behind saves money, Harvey said.

"It's very important from a cost-effective point of view," he said.

Harvey expressed his thanks to all Soldiers for the job they have done in freeing an enslaved nation, and the job they are doing in making it a democracy with education and medical opportunities available for all.

"Thank you for your service to this country. Because of Soldiers the peace, freedom and democratic way of life of the United States has been preserved. Because of Soldiers 50 million people in Iraq and Afghanistan have been liberated from oppressive regimes. Because of Soldiers the cycle of terrorism is beginning to be broken, so they should all be very proud of what they've done for our country," Harvey said. "And I know that the American people, regardless of their politics, greatly appreciate [what Soldiers are doing]. So again, thanks for your service."

• Date Taken: 05.16.2006
• Date Posted: 05.16.2006 14:28
• Story ID: 6409
• Location: TIKRIT, IQ