Iraqi ethics center ceremony marks US advisor handoff

Photo By Lt. Col. Brandon Lingle | Jer Donald "Don" Get, Director, Iraqi Training and Advising Mission—Ministry of Defense, speaks with an Iraqi National Defense University official, May 31, before a ceremony which marked the U.S. advisor end of mission at the Ministry of Defense’s center for Military Values, Principles and Leadership Development. The center, in the International Zone—Baghdad, Iraq, works to professionalize the Iraqi army.  

BAGHDAD, IRAQ

05.31.2011

Story by Maj. Brandon Lingle 

United States Forces – Iraq, Deputy Commanding General (Advising and Training)

BAGHDAD - A 19-year-old Iraqi army soldier blinks sweat from his eyes as another vehicle approaches his checkpoint. The car stops and the driver hands over an identification card. When the soldier flips the card, he notices a wad of folded dinars nestled against the plastic. The soldier glances at the bills and pauses. The choice is his: let the driver pass and keep the money or deny the bribe and begin a search. This soldier does the right thing. He follows procedures and alerts his colleagues.

The decision to do the right thing comes from many places, and in Iraq one of those places is the Ministry of Defense’s center for Military Values, Principles and Leadership Development. Practice scenarios like this are just one way students learn in the center’s five and fifteen day courses that hone values, ethics, and leadership. May 31 was a special day for the ethics center as a ceremony, hosting U.S. and Iraqi military leadership, marked the official end of mission for the school’s American advisors.

“This is a great day for Iraqi and U.S. forces,” said George Litzsey, operations coordinator for the Senior Advisor Group [Iraqi Training and Advisory Mission-Ministry of Defense] from Grapevine, Ark., and Yelm, Wash. “Our Iraqi partners have embraced the importance of character development in a professional army.”

Tasked with professionalizing the Iraqi military and envisioned by former Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq commanding general, Gen. David Petraeus, the Center opened in Rustamiyah in 2006, moved to the International Zone in 2007 and reached its permanent home at Phoenix Base in 2010. According to Litzsey, the U.S. Army’s Seven Core Values form part of the foundation of the school’s curriculum which focuses on: the role of the military in a democracy, law of armed conflict, human rights, professional military values, and leadership development. The center’s staff continually updates the curriculum to ensure students receive the most current information.

“The ethics center has grown from an idea in 2005 to a self-sustained and self-reliant school that has already trained 2,500 Iraqi soldiers,” said U.S. Army Lt. Col. Willie Themes, Deputy Chief of the Special Projects Division [ITAM-MOD] from Newark, N.J. “The center continues to be a shining example as it grows course offerings and forges strategic alliances with international humanitarian organizations.”

“We’re especially proud of the center’s all female and Women’s Initiatives Courses,” said Litzsey, “so far, the center has trained more than 160 women in four separate courses.”

In addition to in-residence classes, the center raises awareness with posters, pocket cards, and mobile training teams that teach soldiers throughout Iraq, according to Themes. The center also helps the Iraqi army maintain standards with unit inspection visits and trained ethics officers in every major unit.

“Early on there were some objections to the idea of an ethics center,” said Iraqi army staff Maj. Gen. Jasim Saleem Hussein, Iraqi National Defense University commandant, “Some people thought they already had principles and values, but they’ve seen how education can help them improve, and now they understand the importance of such a place.”

“The proficiency of the Iraqi security forces is directly linked to standards, ethics and values,” said staff Brig. Gen. Ayad Al-Timimi, director of the Center. “The reputation of ISF improves every day… We appreciate the support of the U.S. and Iraqi National Defense University.”

Center faculty members have visited the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, N.Y., to gain perspective on how the U.S. military approaches character development, said Themes. Center staff have also participated in several international ethics conferences. They hope to continue and expand partnerships with ethics centers worldwide including the other U.S. service academies.

“The future looks good for the center as more and more Iraqis embrace the mission and goals,” said Litzsey. “It’s about treating people with respect. If one soldier takes that extra second to make sure he’s doing the right thing, then we’ve accomplished our mission.”

• Date Taken: 05.31.2011
• Date Posted: 06.06.2011 12:38
• Story ID: 71665
• Location: BAGHDAD, IQ