The year of transitions: Daggers in Iraq

Courtesy Photo | Col. Joe Martin (center), commander, 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division, Multi-National Division - Baghdad, and assorted guests attend the opening of the Shuada Fish Market in downtown Baghdad, Feb. 2009.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

09.07.2009

Courtesy Story

2nd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division Public Affairs

BAGHDAD — For Soldiers of 2nd "Dagger" Brigade, their year in Iraq has been anything but ordinary.

Dubbed by many as "The year of transitions", 2nd Heavy Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division's third deployment to Iraq since 2003 is one for the history books.

Iraq's provincial elections, the Security Agreement between Iraq and the United States, celebrations of Iraqi sovereignty, and the beginning of force withdrawals all contributed to over 15 separate changes to the unit's mission while in Iraq. Add a ruthless enemy and this seems insurmountable.

However, Dagger Soldiers, non-commissioned officers, and leaders prevailed, refusing to allow shifts in the operating environment to deter them from accomplishing their mission of protecting Iraqi citizens, partnering with Iraqi security forces, and providing the foundation for the new Iraqi government to legitimately lead their nation.

As the brigade returns to Kansas this month, this story will unfold in countless interviews and discussions, but here's a preview of the newest chapter in the 1st Infantry Division's proud history.

Emerging onto the blistering tarmac of Baghdad's International Airport back in September 2008, the Daggers were met by counterparts from the 2nd BCT, 101st Airborne (Air Assault) Div. A "surge" brigade, the air assault troopers had won amazing victories securing a fragile stability and the grateful confidence of the Iraqi people in northwest Baghdad.

This setting would be the Daggers' new home; 52 square miles of downtown Baghdad bordered by the Tigris River in the east, and in the west by the city limits and the airport. Over 2.1 million inhabitants in this area witnessed some of the worst sectarian violence of the city in 2006-2008, in areas like Ameriyah, Ghazaliyah and Hurriyah. Now it was the Daggers' turn to protect the population and capitalize on successes to return the region to normalcy.

Conventional tactical wisdom suggests that transitional points, or changes, in a campaign, especially while in direct contact with the enemy, aren't just difficult; they are the most challenging operations that military professionals can face. The 2nd Brigade Soldiers witnessed 15 transition points throughout the year deployed to Iraq. All of these were experienced while targeting and eliminating dangerous insurgent cells that were terribly desperate to discredit the local government and cause maximum injury to U.S. and Iraqi security forces.

Examples of the changes that Dagger units experienced were; an expanding area of responsibility, growing from 52 square miles to 352 square miles and almost 4 million inhabitants, for six months, the Daggers were the largest brigade combat team in Baghdad, to include working with four battalions from around the Army, moving from inside the cities out to the rural area while closing over 15 security sites in the city, and adhering to Security Agreement articles which yielded full Iraqi sovereignty.

Throughout these changes to the operating environment, the American Soldier remained the nation's greatest treasure, rapidly adapting while staying vigilant and pressing the fight to the enemies of Iraq's inhabitants. As the brigade redeploys, the stories and lessons learned from these major transitions are being developed into an engagement strategy for Dagger commanders and leaders to share with the Army, the local communities, and fellow Big Red One units.

The top lessons learned from the adapting to changes in 2009 are enduring maxims. Planning early was the first essential, and as brigade and battalion leaders identified the upcoming decision points, Col. Joe Martin, the brigade commander, initiated new arrays or operational adjustments earlier to give sufficient time for his units and subordinates to make refinements before the required transition point.

Next, the brigade coordinated extensively with their Iraqi security and civilian counterparts; launching a series of information blitzes that allowed for better acceptance of the changes. Dagger leaders would often pull their subordinates into a short training session before the changes occurred, empowering the junior leaders with a better understanding of the new environment through vignette-based instruction.

For example, every Dagger Soldier carried a card with the articles of the new U.S.-Iraqi Security Agreement, fully equipping them to understand how it applied on the ground during everyday operations.

Finally, Dagger troops would constantly re-assess the effects of the change or transition on daily operations, adjusting or re-calibrating leader guidance to ensure no Iraqi citizen went unprotected. As the changes rolled throughout 2009, the Daggers became better and better with transitions in order to maintain the initiative while on point in Iraq.

The training at Fort Riley prior to deployment, the tremendous command climate established from top to bottom in the brigade, and the adaptive, intuitive nature of today's American Soldier were other critical factors that were significant to the Dagger Brigade's ability to turn potential adversity into a rewarding opportunity while deployed to Iraq.

As Gen. Martin Dempsey, commander, 1st Armored Division, said in Baghdad, March 2003, "It's good to be for what's going to happen."

A positive attitude is critical to taking military transitions and quickly assimilating the change into the unit's way of doing business, especially while in contact with enemy forces. These lessons learned, and the legacy they've left with the Soldiers of 2nd "Dagger" Brigade will be proudly shared and discussed as part of Operation Dagger Legend, the unit's outreach plan, which begins on Custer Hill Parade Field with the uncasing of the Unit's Colors.

• Date Taken: 09.07.2009
• Date Posted: 09.07.2009 10:35
• Story ID: 38435
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ