CPT Monte Hibbert
116th BCT Public Affairs
FOB WARRIOR, Iraq- Members of the 116th Brigade Combat Team's Civil Affairs section visited the Northern Oil Company's Oil
Protection Force near Kirkuk on June 24, to assess their training and equipment needs.
The task of assisting in repairing the Oil Protection Force training facility is the job of the 356th Engineer Battalion, of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard.
"This is only a short-term solution," said Sgt. 1st Class Al Chapa, 116th BCT Sergeant In Charge of the Civil Affairs section.
"Some of the proposed renovations on the building are a computer lab, a refurbished kitchen and a dining area."
Currently, up to 30 OPF students can come to class at the school. After renovation, some 60-90 students will be able to attend.
"Later, we hope to build a multi-use training center and a barracks so students from Bayji and Mosul can attend as well as those from the Kirkuk area," explained Chapa.
"By identifying their equipment needs, we'll know what help we can provide in procuring computers, printers, projectors and scanners."
The building's interior wall surfaces have already been replaced with plywood. The next step will be to run electrical outlets to all the rooms.
Identifying the school's training shortfalls and helping to set up a training curriculum for the OPF, is the job of Civil Affairs Sgt. Maj. Michael H. Winstead.
"First we'll identify all the tasks they train, like search techniques or IED identification. Then we'll know what they need to train on, said Sgt. Maj. Winstead. "We will help them develop a training manual and then get it translated into Arabic."
Four former OPF Emergency Medical Technician graduates have returned to the school to begin training their fellow officers. Doing their own training means that the training can be sustained, a huge step for the OPF, said Chapa.
With the added help of the 116th Brigade Combat Team's Civil Affairs section, the OPF will soon be able to plan, train, house and support their officers with expertise and efficiency.
The 116th Brigade Combat Team supports the efforts of the government of Kirkuk Province in the areas of communication, infrastructure, economics, health and security.
The 116th Brigade Combat Team is composed of units from Idaho, Oregon, Montana, Utah, North Dakota, Maryland and New Jersey.
The unit is comprised of headquarters and staff sections, the 2nd and 3rd Armor Battalions, the 1-148th Field Artillery Battalion, the 1-163rd Mechanized Infantry Battalion, the 145th Support Battalion, the 116th Engineer Battalion, and various intelligence, signal, and specialized units.
The 116th BCT is one of several Army National Guard units deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom III.
| Date Taken: | 07.06.2005 |
| Date Posted: | 07.06.2005 14:19 |
| Story ID: | 2269 |
| Location: | KIRKUK, IQ |
| Web Views: | 37 |
| Downloads: | 8 |
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