Photo By Staff Sgt. David Strayer | Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel A. Dailey, command sergeant major of 4th Infantry Division...... read more read more
CAMP TAJI, Iraq – Senior enlisted leaders of the U.S. and Iraqi Armies gathered at the Iraqi Army Noncommissioned Officers Academy to discuss the current state of the NCO Corps and NCO Education Systems within the Iraqi army at Camp Taji, Iraq, April 25.
Command Sgt. Maj. Daniel A. Dailey, senior enlisted leader of 4th Infantry Division and U.S. Division-North, and Command Sgt. Maj. William D. Hain, command sergeant major for 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Inf. Div., joined several other command sergeants major from U.S. brigades and Iraqi divisions at the meeting.
The IA recently took steps to integrate the role of NCOs into its ranks, including the formation of the NCO Academy and Senior NCO School for potential sergeants major, both of which are situated on a portion of Camp Taji controlled by Iraqi Security Forces.
“At the moment, they have several levels of NCOES that are similar to what we have,” said Dailey. “Our intention was to get some of the Iraqi army division sergeants major to meet the commandant of the NCO academy and Senior NCO School to get that one-on-one relationship so that they understand the needs of the academy as far as what type of people they need to be sending to the academy - and to also get some feedback from the commandant about the quality of student that he is receiving.”
A commandant should have that line of communication with the command sergeant major to help improve the system and improve student performance, said Dailey.
U.S. Army leaders consider the NCO corps as not just a selective group, but the backbone of the Army. Senior NCOs work to empower leaders at junior and intermediate levels, allowing officers to maintain situational awareness on the larger logistical picture and encourage professionalism at all levels.
“[Iraqi leaders] need to empower their NCOs at every level to not only better facilitate small unit tactics but to also allow for the development of their officer corps,” said Hain. “They really need to better define their duties and responsibilities at the various levels of the chain of command.”
Traditionally, IA leaders structured their forces without much intermediate NCO leadership, instead using a top down method. This gave the officers more of a hands on, "in the weeds" style of leadership dealing with discipline issues, small unit tactics and combat preparation.
With the presence of a strong chain of NCO leadership, such as team, squad, and platoon leaders, officers can focus on the bigger picture of battlefield maneuvering, logistics and sustainment.
Hain said Iraqi units can benefit from the empowerment of NCOs since officers could then focus on higher level management and leave the running of day-to-day operations at smaller unit levels to sergeants.
There is an undisputable need for an officer corps to lead units, said Dailey, but NCOs are the bridge between officers and soldiers, and those intermediate leaders play a crucial role in making things happen on the ground.
In coming together at the Camp Taji NCO Academy complex, senior enlisted leaders of both U.S. and Iraqi forces hoped to identify areas that may be acting as road blocks to the IA NCO Corps becoming a fully functional element of their army.
“Our greatest issue to date here at the academy has to be selection; getting the right guys for the right course,” said Lt. Col. Alexander Osmirko, an officer in the Ukrainian army, currently deployed to Iraq with NATO and serving as the chief coordinator of training at the Senior NCO School.
“We have experienced, knowledgeable instructors, good course material, and very good facilities here,” said Osmirko. “We need IA soldiers who are not only experienced enough and distinguished from their peers; they must also have the desire to become NCOs and take on the mantle of responsibility that goes along with it.”
Hain said the only real improvements still needed for the academy to run smoother are placing more emphasis on student selection and using the cadre in a way that maximizes individual strengths and draws on practical experiences.
Such changes will play a large role in producing better quality NCOs when graduation day comes, Hain added.
“Every day we are helping to train and assist with the development of their NCO Corps, from the advisors that we have at their academies to the training that goes on at the unit level,” said Dailey.
U.S. and Iraqi forces are currently developing Iraqi noncommissioned officers and soldiers at junior and intermediate levels, helping them to understand the roles of team leaders, squad leaders and platoon sergeants within units, Dailey said, noting the ongoing Tadreeb al Shamil training at Kirkush Military Training Base.
“What we are seeing now at KMTB and the Ghuzlani Warrior Training Center in the northern part of the country, is we are putting the NCOs in charge of running ranges, platoon and squad live fire exercises, and they are absolutely excelling,” said Hain.
“In turn, this allows us to pull those officers out of that training and give them professional development classes to help them develop and understand their role, as well as the NCO’s role, in a professional, elite army, and as a result, become a better officer,” Hain added.
The training goes back to the basics, said Dailey. Every soldier in the Iraqi army should be able to look at his NCO and trust that he will take care of him, that he can learn from him, and know his NCO has been there in the past and has done the things that the soldier will now be asked to do.
“The capability and willingness is there,” said Hain. “At this point we really have to go from the top down to make sure that this empowerment of the NCO Corps permeates throughout the Iraqi army.”
| Date Taken: | 04.25.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 05.03.2011 11:06 |
| Story ID: | 69774 |
| Location: | TAJI, IQ |
| Web Views: | 122 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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