Photo By Staff Sgt. David Strayer | Staff officers from 19th Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Infantry Division work out logistics...... read more read more
CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq – Mobile Training Team soldiers from 2nd Advise and Assist Brigade, 25th Infantry Division met with staff officers from 19th Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division to oversee the capstone event of the IA officers’ Leadership Training Program at Joint Base Balad, April 17.
As the final exercise of the course, the MTT tasked Iraqi officers with independently developing a 12-month training outline for subordinate units to rotate through the nearby Kirkush Military Training Base.
“The whole purpose of the Leadership Training Program is to train up the IA division and brigade level staff officers to instill in them the concepts of long-term training management,” said Capt. Joe Mobbley, Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd AAB, 25th Inf. Div. “We often forget how great of a training doctrine that we have in the U.S. Army; we are trying to impart these concepts upon the IA staff officers so that they can take a realistic look at their units to assess what training is needed, then form an appropriate training plan to be able to execute.”
Since the initiative to train IA units in small unit tactics began in 2007, the IA has received sustained training in areas such as weapons proficiency, small unit maneuvering and counter-insurgency operations.
“This isn’t us teaching them to kick in doors, conduct building raids, or weapons training,” said Maj. Robert Paul, Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 2nd Bn., 11th FA Regt. “They know those things and are proficient; they have been training those things for nearly five years. This training is for the field grade officers—to teach them ways that they can manage and plan the logistics and training for their units more effectively.”
Paul, the LTP’s senior trainer, said while the IA already had its own methods in place for training management and planning, Iraqi and U.S. leaders cooperated to streamline the process to meet new logistical demands of increased training at KMTB.
KMTB, a massive training environment in Diyala province, accommodates battalion-sized IA units in all areas of tactical training, including a battalion live fire training exercise which takes place at the end of each training cycle.
“The units that have gone through KMTB have shown nothing but proficiency in their soldiering tasks, and a desire to work harder in the areas where they needed improvement; so we knew that the actual field training was going off without a hitch,” said Paul. “What we noticed was that there would be shortages in supplies such as training rounds, uniforms, and vehicle repair parts.”
That is when MTT leaders realized that there were two sides to the coin, said Paul. Iraqi leaders excelled at tactical training, but needed improvement in planning, management and logistics.
“In response to some of the logistical deficiencies we saw, we set up the Leadership Training Program for field grade staff officers that work at the brigade or division level,” said Maj. Andrew Sherman, an LTP logistics trainer from HHB, 2nd Bn., 11th FA Regt.
“The training we provide these officers is geared toward long range training plans, how to plan for twelve months into the future, and backwards plan for training cycles and logistical needs such as ammo, food, transportation, and identifying what tasks their troops need to be trained up on,” said Sherman. “This is crucial for the success of any army.”
As the Iraqi Army continues to train during Operation New Dawn, leaders are refocusing the army’s mission toward conventional warfare and national defense, while leaving internal counterinsurgency operations to Iraq’s police forces.
“The IA Division is currently undergoing modernization, changing from a light infantry division to a modern, mechanized infantry division,” said Mobbley. “They will be shifting their mission set from the counterinsurgency and internal concerns to a mission set of a conventional army: protecting the people, the borders, and the infrastructure or Iraq; this training will greatly aid the command level with the planning and logistics that goes into such a significant transformation.”
| Date Taken: | 04.17.2011 |
| Date Posted: | 04.19.2011 11:03 |
| Story ID: | 68975 |
| Location: | CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, IQ |
| Web Views: | 120 |
| Downloads: | 2 |
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