Arming Iraqis -- using insurgent weapons against insurgents

Courtesy Photo | Spc. Philipp Arthur, small arms repairman, 3rd Forward Support Battalion, 1st Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division, assembles an AK-47 at logistics support area Anaconda.  

11.10.2005

Courtesy Story

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Pfc. Joshua R. Ford
MNC-I PAO
3rd FSB arms IA, ISF, IP


From small arms to M-1 Abrams tank weapon systems the 3rd Forward Support Battalion, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division Armory can fix just about any U.S. Army weapon. Then the order came down recently to refurbish 88 AK-47's, most taken from insurgents or found in illegal weapons caches in Salah Ad Din province, and the armorers were up for the challenge.

What began as a request to refurbish a few captured AK-47s has turned into a full-fledged program run by the 3rd FSB armory.

When the Iraqi Police were being put together they were short on weaponry and the refurbishment program was designed to solve that problem, said Chief Warrant Officer Pedro Munoz, the armory's officer-in-charge.

Repairing captured weapons saves the Iraqis money because they don't have to buy new AK-47s, said Spc. Philipp Arthur, small arms repairman.

Explosives ordinance disposal teams, U.S. military patrols and civilian contractors find insurgent's weapons caches then the proper authority will bring the weapons found in the cache to the armory for repair, said Munoz.

"I don't see why we are destroying the weapons we find when we can easily arm the Iraqi forces with those weapons," said Arthur.

"In helping them we are helping ourselves because the program is saving the US and the IA money and bring the country one step closer to being self sufficient," added Munoz.

"We were actually trained by a Special Forces unit at FOB danger. They gave us a base on how to approach the Iraqis and at what level we can train them," said Munoz.

"We used the Special Forces training and trained the Iraqis how to professionally clean, operate and maintain the weapon systems they use," said Arthur. "We also taught them basic skills that all U.S. Soldiers should know."

The basic skills the armorers taught the Iraqi soldiers included how to clean their weapons.

"Before our training the Iraqis were cleaning their weapons with gasoline and kerosene which helps the weapon acquire more dirt and deteriorates the metal the weapon is made out of," said Arthur.

The armorers of 3rd FSB weren't only the teachers, said Munoz. Sometimes they became the students.

Some of the things the Iraqis taught the armorers were how to look for booby traps on AK-47s and how to disassemble the weapons faster, said Munoz.

"I never thought I would be working on these weapon systems when I arrived here," added Arthur.

AK-47s are not the only foreign weapons these guys have had to fix though. They also work on machine guns and sniper rifles.

The 3rd FSB arms room Soldiers have fixed hundreds of the weapons for the Iraqi security forces, Arthur added.

The first time the Soldiers were tasked with this mission a explosive ordinance disposal team brought 453 foreign weapon systems to the 3rd FSB armory. The armory was able to fix 420 of them.

"Sometimes you can fix most of the weapons other times you can only fix some of them. It all depends on the condition the weapons are in when you receive them," Arthur added.

"Cross training everyone in the shop has helped out a lot," said Spc. Evan Lewis, fire control repairman, 3rd FSB, 1st Brigade, 3rd Inf. Div.

Lewis works on tanks weapons systems but since he was cross trained he has been able to help with training the Iraqi Army.

It feels good to take weapons out of the insurgent's hands and put them into the hands of the ISF, said Lewis.

"Now that the Iraqis have learned how to maintain a weapon I believe they will be very effective against the enemy," said Munoz.

• Date Taken: 11.10.2005
• Date Posted: 11.10.2005 15:04
• Story ID: 3698