Photo By Staff Sgt. Shawn Miller | Staff Sgt. Ayad, 5th Iraqi Army Division, coaches two soldiers through a live fire...... read more read more
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KIRKUSH MILITARY TRAINING BASE, Iraq – After several months of guiding 5th Iraqi Army Division soldiers through the 25-day training cycles of Tadreeb al Shamil, U.S. advisors took a step back, allowing Iraqi instructors to take charge of the exercises at Kirkush Military Training Base.
U.S. soldiers of Company A, 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, “Wolfhounds,” 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, led Iraqi cadre through a dry run of the day’s live fire maneuvers, March 9, providing guidance before allowing the Iraqi army units to run their own classes.
Cadre hand-picked Iraqi instructors, alumni from previous Tadreeb al Shamil training rotations at KMTB, to lead the development of Iraqi soldiers as U.S. forces transition the base to the control of the Iraqi army.
“As we know, the U.S. Army is going to pull out from Iraq, so we need to be our own army and be dependent on ourselves,” said Staff Sgt. Ayad, a 5th IA Div. instructor at KMTB.
Ayad said leading classes at a fundamental level will help the Iraqi jinood, Arabic for soldiers, retain the information and bring the training to their respective duty stations.
“We realized we were giving these guys training, but they really had nothing to sustain it after they received the training,” said Sgt. Christopher Mola, an infantryman attached to Company A, 1st Bn., 27th Inf. Regt.
Mola said U.S. soldiers hand-picked Iraqi jinood who displayed leadership potential during previous Tadreeb al Shamil training cycles to be used as instructors at KMTB. Tadreeb al Shamil, Arabic for All Inclusive Training, is an Iraqi training program to build IA units’ capability to conduct national defense operations.
“After we leave, they’ll have the instructors here to continue the training, whether it’s here at KMTB or at their own individual units, to ensure that the soldiers retain the knowledge they gained by coming here,” said Mola.
Under the direct supervision of Wolfhound advisors, Ayad and fellow instructors taught individual movement techniques to the Iraqi jinood before conducting practice runs at the squad and team levels.
Operating in four-man teams, Iraqi soldiers of 4th Battalion, 21st Brigade, fired live rounds as they assaulted their objective, practicing proper movement techniques to achieve their mission.
U.S. soldiers carefully observed the training and served as range safety, while Ayad and other Iraqi instructors ran with each team, coaching the firers and making on-the-spot corrections.
“It’s actually very motivating seeing these instructors take over,” noted Mola, who is serving his second deployment to Iraq. “You can tell that they want to be here, and they want to see their army get better.”
The Iraqi squads and platoons learned to work together and put aside any cultural differences in order to achieve their mission, Mola added.
Ayad said under the current training model, IA units will work their way through squad and platoon exercises to company and eventually battalion-level maneuvers as they build confidence during the month-long cycle.
“It’s very, very useful for us. We are doing the training, and we are the instructors now,” said Ayad. “We know [U.S. forces] will try as much as possible to help us stand for ourselves. We’re trying to get the most important training that we’ll need to defend our people and our country.”
While two-man teams completed the firing course, Iraqi instructors led the other jinood through concurrent training in order to keep their skills sharp and maximize their time at the base.
Iraqi soldiers practiced proper disassembly and cleaning procedures to keep their rifles in top condition after use, while others practiced room-clearing techniques and firing positions.
Following the April training iteration at KMTB, Iraqi leadership is slated to take full control of Tadreeb al Shamil, he said.
In order for the IA to succeed, unit leaders need to enforce a training regimen for the jinood to retain their skills and knowledge when they return to their areas of responsibility, Mola explained.
“It’s going to be a big responsibility for us, since we’ll need to keep the same path we are going through and keep up the good training for the soldiers,” said Ayad.
| Date Taken: | 03.09.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 03.13.2011 12:40 |
| Story ID: | 66984 |
| Location: | KIRKUSH MILITARY TRAINING BASE, IQ |
| Web Views: | 226 |
| Downloads: | 5 |
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