Photo By Staff Sgt. Dale Sweetnam | Soldiers of 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment perform basic maintenance on an...... read more read more
By Sgt. Dale Sweetnam
Multi-National Division - Center
BAGHDAD, Iraq – The view from the sky indicates the tide in Iraq may be turning.
Soldiers of 4th Squadron, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment made the move from Camp Taji to Camp Stryker at the Baghdad International Airport over a month ago. Major Parker Frawley, 4th Sqdn.,3rd Armd. Cav. Regt., operations officer, said the squadron is already seeing the difference U.S. forces are making across the country of Iraq.
In Camp Taji, 4-3 ACR was involved in an intense battle for Sadr City. The Soldiers fought daily to both defeat special groups in Sadr City and eliminate the indirect fire threat to Baghdad.
"Obviously, during that timeframe, the fight in Sadr City was a very kinetic fight," Frawley said.
The unit moved to Camp Striker and part of Multi-National Division - Center where the AH-64D Apache and UH-60 Black Hawk pilots are experiencing a different pace. In its new home, the squadron is part of Task Force 49, MND-C's Combat Aviation Brigade.
Frawley said the improvised explosive device threats and direct and indirect fire threats are fewer in MND-C. The aircraft that were once fighting constantly in a small geographic region are now responsible for a much larger area; they support ground forces by providing surveillance and reconnaissance.
"With the threat of these areas being lower and the ground guys focusing more on non-lethal operations, we of course, conduct fewer lethal operations as well," he said.
"If you look at the big picture, the less we have to shoot and destroy targets or kill insurgents indicates that we are getting closer to mission success in Iraq," he said.
Frawley said the changing operational tempo in MND-C has also allowed the squadron to catch up on maintenance and give the pilots a break.
Colonel Chandler C. Sherrell, the TF 49 commander added, "The changing nature of our attack and reconnaissance missions reflects a greater level of security among the people, a demonstrated capability of the Iraqi police and Army, and a general improvement in the daily lives of the population. This would not be possible without the continued efforts of our ground partners to transition security to the Iraqis and aid in the economic development of their areas. These positive trends have allowed us to provide a greater degree of overwatch and a reduced level of direct action."
This shift in focus for 4-3 ACR was recently highlighted by its involvement in the,Aug. 16, 2008, celebration of the Birth of the 12th Imam, an important Muslim holiday that draws hundreds of thousands of Shia pilgrims to Karbala each year.
In previous years, daily reconnaissance patrols in the vicinity of Karbala were necessary to provide surveillance of the crowds and early warning of any potential threats to the Iraqis participating in the pilgrimage.
This August, the squadron's mission remained more of an overwatch, as Iraqi ground and air assets led the security efforts.
"Because of the progress of the Iraqis and their ability to handle their own internal affairs with minimal coalition support, the decision was made to minimize our presence around Karbala," Frawley said. "It bolsters the Iraqi's confidence, not only the Iraqi security forces' confidence, but the confidence of the Iraqi population in the security forces' ability to do its job."
"It's a success story," he added "Any responsibilities we can hand over to the Iraqis that they can execute with a degree of success, gets us closer to mission completion here."
| Date Taken: | 08.29.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 08.29.2008 08:13 |
| Story ID: | 22994 |
| Location: | BAGHDAD, IQ |
| Web Views: | 111 |
| Downloads: | 74 |
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