MiTTs take jundi training to next level

Photo By Spc. Jason Dangel | An Iraqi Soldier pulls guard at a small media station in the Karradah District in...... read more read more

Photo By Spc. Jason Dangel | An Iraqi Soldier pulls guard at a small media station in the Karradah District in central Baghdad.(U.S. Army Photo by Pfc. Jason Dangel 4BCT PAO, 4ID)  see less | View Image Page

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

03.13.2006

Courtesy Story

DVIDS Hub       

✔ ✗ Subscribe

61

4th BCT PAO, 4th Inf. Div.

BAGHDAD - Minutes away from the Karadah District in central Baghdad, Iraqi soldiers operate independently at a forward operating base, working to secure the city from terrorists.

Home to roughly 1,000 Iraqi army soldiers, FOB Honor is where the Iraqi jundi, or soldiers, take training to the next level with help from the tactical trainers of the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division.

"Our mission is to develop a self-sufficient, self-sustaining and defensive capable army for Iraq," said 1st Sgt. Michael Welborn, noncommissioned officer-in-charge, Company B, 1st Battalion, 12th Inf., 4th BCT, and 1st Battalion, 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division Military Transitional Team.
"This mission is greatly important," the native of La Grange, Ga., explained. "For us to transition out of the role we're in, not just as a MiTT team, but as an Army, we have to develop these units so they can take over our sectors and efficiently secure their own country."

Prior to the Cobra Brigade arriving in Baghdad, members of the 4th BCT, 3rd Inf. Div. successfully trained the 5th Bde. jundi to master individual military skills at a level similar to what U.S. Army Soldiers learn at basic training.

"When we first arrived, all the Iraqi soldiers were basically on the same level," Welborn said. "We used our first 40-45 days to assess where exactly they were at in terms of operational capabilities and then, in turn, came up with a plan of action," he said.

As the Iraqi brigade continues to evolve into a highly capable fighting force, members of the "Cobra" MiTT focus on building a strong Iraqi NCO Corps and improving leadership abilities in the unit, said Staff Sgt. Seth Thomas, infantry squad leader, Co. B, 1-12 Inf., and 1st Bn. MiTT maintenance NCOIC.

"Right now, our main concern is getting the NCOs to take a leadership role within their units," he explained.

One of the biggest challenges the MiTT faces is figuring out how to bridge the cultural gap between the two forces.

In the old Iraqi army, for instance, officers and senior enlisted personnel routinely abused their power and distanced themselves from their subordinates, said Thomas. Leading by example was a foreign idea to most men in a position of power.

With this in mind, leaders of the 1st Bn. MiTT have developed a new phase of training for the Iraqi NCO.

For the first time in the new Iraqi army, NCOs will conduct a 41-day training cycle, which is scheduled to start this month, said Welborn.

The training is aimed to improve soldiering skills at the individual, squad, platoon and company levels. The instruction will place emphasis on leadership and discipline, he explained.

The leadership training the Iraqi NCOs receive is modeled after the U.S. Army system but is tailored specifically for the Iraqi army, said Thomas.

"We are teaching them the basic leadership skills, so they can turn around and teach their own soldiers," explained the Senora, Calif., native. "(U.S. Army Sergeants) can't go out there and train an Iraqi NCO's soldier, that would be setting the wrong example,"

"If their own NCOs train their junior soldiers, they will look up to them as leaders and subject matter experts, basically making them more self-sufficient," he said.

Iraqi leadership is not the only thing the Cobra MiTT is concerned with as it continues to ensure the success of the 5th Bde.

Another issue the transition teams work to fix is administrative capabilities within Iraqi staff sections, Welborn said.

The Cobra MiTT has helped restructure the brigade into separate sections that focus on administrating areas such as personnel, intelligence, logistics and communications, but challenges do still exist.

While organizing its efforts, the division deals with unpredictable electricity, limited Internet connection and other technological barriers.

With new systems recently implemented into administration sections, Welborn said they have fixed troubles with pay and promotions among the ranks.

Iraqi jundi deal with these obstacles in stride since they have customarily logged all of their plans and logistics with pens and paper, but the new systems will help to bring the unit up to speed, Welborn said.