Photo By Sgt. Robert M. England | Iraqi Army engineers participate in a final mission brief as they prepare to conduct a...... read more read more
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FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, Iraq – Soldiers from the 66th Engineer Company, attached to 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, accompanied Iraqi Army engineers with the 5th Field Engineering Regiment, 5th Iraqi Army Division, during a route clearance mission in Diyala province, Iraq, Nov. 4.
Capt. Christopher Pierce, commander of the 66th Eng. Company, met with Col. Raad, battalion commander, 5th Field Eng. Regt., in September to develop a training plan to prepare the Iraqi unit to conduct route clearance missions.
“He told us where he needs assistance in training, so we developed a route clearance training academy based on what he thinks his soldiers need to improve on,” said Pierce, who hails from a La Sal, Utah.
Throughout the month of October, the 66th Eng. Company soldiers worked with their Iraqi counterparts on a variety of skills ranging from basic combat drills to mission planning.
The route clearance mission led by the IA engineers was the culmination of the month-long training course provided by 66th Eng. Company to strengthen IA engineers’ route clearance skills.
Staff Sgt. Robert Koppenhoefer, a native of Aurora, Ill., and a platoon sergeant with the 66th Eng. Company, said at one point in the training, his soldiers set up a series of situational training exercises to evaluate the IA engineers’ reactions to an explosion from a simulated improvised explosive device.
Koppenhoefer said the soldiers of 66th Eng. Company began training the IA engineers on basic instruction, progressing to react-to-contact drills with simulated Improvised Explosive Devices.
They also trained IA officers on planning and preparation for a mission and how to conduct mission briefings, he said.
Planning plays a crucial role in ensuring the mission’s success before any vehicles leave the compound, said 1st Lt. Andrew Schmidt, a platoon leader assigned to the 66th Eng. Company.
Understanding where an enemy is likely to attack allows the IA engineers to coordinate preemptive countermeasures, and minimize the likelihood of suffering casualties, said Schmidt, who hails from Sweet Home, Ore.
With the plan in place and the high-risk areas identified, the IA engineers must use situational awareness to spot suspicious items or behavior while on patrol, said Schmidt.
Anything that looks out of place is considered suspicious enough to warrant closer inspection, he explained.
Early warning signs include running shoes where sandals would be commonplace, or large groups of people congregating in one area as if they were awaiting a show, he said.
Schmidt also said freshly paved sections of a street or small mounds of sand can indicate a hidden explosive device.
“They look for anything out of the ordinary,” he explained. “There are many factors, but people and their behavior play a major part. They also look for signs in the environment such as disturbed earth.”
In the event that something appears suspicious, the IA engineers proceed with caution as they investigate the item in question, utilizing special tools to accomplish their tasks while preserving soldiers’ safety.
Vehicles, such as the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicle, are an integral factor in mission success, providing armored transportation and the ability to sift through potentially dangerous materials with an extending arm and claw from within the vehicle.
Schmidt said that much of the equipment used by IA engineers shares similarities with tools used by U.S. Army combat engineers.
Once the IA engineers know their environment and understand what to look for, it is important to know the types of potential attacks, Schmidt said. The IA engineers trained on the different types of ordnance used in constructing IED's, which the enemy has been known to use in conjuncture with small armes fire.
Operation New Dawn has only been underway for about two months, but the concept is nothing new, said Pierce.
Iraqi Security Forces have been working alongside U.S. Forces for years, observing and learning skills and tactics that yield successful results, he said.
The performance of the 5th Field Eng. Regt. is indicative of the IA engineers knowledge accrued from years of experience working with U.S. Forces, he said.
“They’re pretty competent right now,” Pierce said. “It’s pretty amazing how well they can already perform their job.
They have been doing route clearance for awhile, but their techniques needed a little fine-tuning, so we’ve showed them what works for us. Hopefully they can take from that and build on it.”
He also said that passing on techniques that have helped U.S. Forces throughout Operation Iraqi Freedom will assist the ISF long after American troops have departed, and with a greater comprehension of route clearance procedures, IA engineers can help clear the path toward a safer future for the people of Iraq.
| Date Taken: | 11.04.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 11.23.2010 01:29 |
| Story ID: | 60687 |
| Location: | FORWARD OPERATING BASE WARHORSE, IQ |
| Web Views: | 78 |
| Downloads: | 7 |
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