Coalition Forces Equip and Train 75th Iraqi Brigade

Photo By Cpl. Garrett White | A Royal Danish army soldier assigned to Task Force Al Asad, teaches and Iraqi soldier assigned to the 75th Iraqi Army Brigade how to properly aim his newly issued M16 rifle at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Aug. 23, 2015. The weapon was issued as part of the Iraq Train and Equip Fund which provides new individual and crew-served weapons and equipment to Iraqi units. The program is designed to standardize and enhance the training of Iraqi forces in the coalition effort to protect the Iraqi people and to degrade and destroy the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Garrett White/Released)  

AL ASAD AIR BASE, IRAQ

09.02.2015

Story by Lance Cpl. Garrett White 

Task Force 51/5th Marine Expeditionary Brigade

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq – U.S. Marine Corps and Royal Danish Army service members, assigned to Task Force Al Asad, issued weapons and equipment to members of the 75th Iraqi Army Brigade at Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Aug. 21.

Task Force Al Asad is a coalition task force whose mission focuses on improving the Iraqi security forces’ ability to defend the citizens of Iraq, retake cities seized by Daesh, (the Arabic acronym for the Islamic State group) and secure their country’s borders.

The weapons and equipment were provided by NATO countries, said Royal Danish Army Maj. Christian Friis, commanding officer of the build partner capacity mission at TFAA. The weapons and equipment were provided as a part of the Iraqi Train and Equip Fund, which provides NATO weapons and equipment to Iraqi army units participating in the BPC training agreement.

Members of the brigade were issued their own M16 rifles and gear such as magazines, gas masks, and assault packs. Additionally, the brigade was issued various crew-served weapons like the M240B machine gun, M2 machine gun and other tactical gear like binoculars, GPS devices and counter-IED equipment.

“The issuing of this equipment will assist the BPC trainers in better facilitating the success of Iraqi units,” said Friis.

The training curriculum – which includes classes in small-unit tactics, leadership, marksmanship and counter-IED techniques – will be more effective with weapons that are functional and reliable.

“One of the important things is now every soldier we are training has a weapon,” Friis said. “Before, you would have them showing up with a number of [AK-47 assault rifles that was] less than the number of troops attending the training.

“Every western soldier knows that when you have a weapon, its sights are zeroed to your own shooting position, eyesight and so on,” explained Friis. “You hang on to that weapon because you know you will hit every time. So when they are switching around weapons while on the range a lot of them will be missing their targets. One of the things we try to teach them is they need to hang on to their own weapons so they can go into combat with a weapon they know is reliable.”

In addition to the individual equipment, having standardized crew-served weapons systems will make training Iraqi units easier, added Friis.

Now equipped with the proper tools, the 75th Brigade can get even more out of its training with the BPC trainers and ultimately improve their overall effectiveness.

“The 75th Brigade will gain a lot of combat proficiency with this weapons equip,” said Friis. “As I see it, we are enabling the Iraqi forces to take care of this problem [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant] themselves.”

“We are equipping the Iraqis, but that is just part of it,” he said. “The equip program is adding value in the sense that we equip them with material that will make them more effective. Then we will provide them training which we know will help them in their fight.”

Friis said that should achieve the objective of enabling the Iraqi forces to defeat ISIL on their own.

While the coalition might provide the tools and the means to take the fight to the enemy, it is ultimately up to the Iraqi military to defeat them.

“The training and equipping of this brigade provides the Iraqis another capability to employ against Daesh,” said U.S. Marine Maj. Scott Benninghoff, BPC sustainment coordinator. “It allows them to re-establish their country’s borders and ultimately provide for the better stability of the region.

“The purpose of the coalition mission here is to enable and enhance the Iraqi forces’ capability to take the fight to Daesh and ultimately defeat them,” he added.

“Through the issue of these weapons, the coalition gains another effective fighting force for the Iraqi government to employ here in Iraq, who can take the fight to the enemy and help them to achieve the shared Iraqi and coalition national security objectives in Iraq.”

• Date Taken: 09.02.2015
• Date Posted: 09.03.2015 10:00
• Story ID: 175122
• Location: AL ASAD AIR BASE, IQ