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| Iraq-Jordan |
| Training Troops to Fight Like Americans |
| 2005-02-08 |
| February 8, 2005: Iraqi army and police forces are mow in charge of security in 12 of the country's 18 provinces. These forces currently have 136,000 trained and equipped personnel on duty, with another 3,500 completing their training this week. These forces belong to several different organizations. The Interior Ministry has 79,000 police and security personnel. These include regular police; special police commandoes (SWAT teams), plus public order and police mechanized battalions; border guard units; and VIP bodyguards ("dignitary-protection elements.") The Defense Ministry has 57,000 troops assigned to the Iraqi army, intervention forces (SWAT teams), National Guard, air force, navy and special operations (the Iraqi Special Operations Forces). These forces are organized into ninety battalions, or which 88 are operating, and two more are still in training, and will be in operation by the end of the month. The battalions tend to be smaller than American units, averaging 400-500 men each. There are some women in police units. Desertion is still a problem, but it was always a problem in Iraq. Saddam's army was notorious for many, if not most, of the troops fleeing when the shooting started. This is being addressed by more careful selection and training of officers and NCOs. American trainers are not shy about appealing to Iraqi pride, and pointing out that Iraqis can perform as well as American troops if they have good leadership and training. Even though Saddam's Republican Guard got smashed every time they stood and fought, they were able to at least do that because they had better trained and equipped officers and troops. Iraqi officers and NCOs are getting more training than ever before, and it is beginning to pay off. The Iraqis also have the example of American officers and NCOs, and increasingly, Iraqi units that are trained and led, by Iraqis, but in the American style. There's nothing mysterious about, "the American Style." This consists of intensive training for the troops by officers and NCOs who know what they are doing. Most importantly, the officers and NCOs take care of their troops. The Iraqi custom was for officers to consider themselves a class apart and treat the troops like dirt. That is discouraged now, and it is emphasized that this poor treatment was the major reason for the desertions, and Iraqi units coming apart in combat. It is emphasized the military competence has nothing to do with being Iraqi or American, and everything to do with training and leadership. It's not easy to change cultural customs, but as more Iraqis buy-in to leadership and training techniques that work, they create Iraqi units that serve as a models of effectiveness for other Iraqis. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #7 Training Troops to Fight Like Americans Then have General Mattis as commencement speaker! |
| Posted by: BigEd 2005-02-08 7:22:51 PM |
| #6 A biography on T. E. Lawrence I read a decade or so ago contained a list of rules (written by Lawrence himself) in the index that all British officers under Lawrence's command had to learn by heart when dealing with Arabs. The most pertinent one for today is that when the officer has discussed with the Arab a plan of action, it was up to the officer to remind the Arab of the plan at every opportunity when the plan was being disregarded. Remind, remind, cajole. We agreed on this before and now you want to change? |
| Posted by: chicago mike 2005-02-08 6:32:20 PM |
| #5 Iraqis can perform as well as American troops if they have good leadership and training. But it's easier if your Dad fought in Korea, your Cousin in Vietnam your greatgranddad in Belleau Wood. JarHead knows. A lot is handed down generation by generation. Why are the Finns so damn good and the Iraqis so bad? Why are the Japaneese so much more efficient in war than the Chinee? (zf for the last 400 years). It's culture. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2005-02-08 4:19:37 PM |
| #4 I'd say the foreign militaries I dealt with that I knew were obviously inferior was a direct result of their culture. |
| Posted by: Jarhead 2005-02-08 2:48:25 PM |
| #3 "American Style" means putting ideas to the test, improving designs when they are successful and scrapping them and trying something new when they aren't. It's a fearless and constant striving for excellence. Others often fail-not because of nationality, history, geography, money, etc-they fail because they are too arrogant to admit when an idea is wrong so they can never go back to the drawing board and start anew. The idea of failure for some is so devastating that carrying through on the illusion is far preferable to starting from scratch and working, sweating, scratching your way to success. The great part of American culture is that any race, any gender, any religious belief, falls away as insignificant in the face of the American freedom to pursue excellence-in any field, including the fields of the military. Add to that a cultural loyalty to working together and a commitment to treating others well and you have the formula that leads to success. |
| Posted by: Jules 187 2005-02-08 2:33:50 PM |
| #2 Another aspect of armies that are very familiar with the US military: they realize that it would be suicide for them to ever fight the US. The "Bright Star" exercises with Egypt, for example, have convinced every officer and NCO in their ranks that this must be their very last option, behind even replacing their government, like the Turkish army. On the plus side, American tactics are the very best on the market, and they are learning them for free, making their army far more formidable than their neighbors, even those who are numerically superior. Once the Americans are gone, the Iraqis will be more than able to whup the Iranians in a land war, if needs be, for example. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2005-02-08 1:51:26 PM |
| #1 The quality of society's military derives from the nature of that society. Tribesman will fight like tribesman, and no amount of traning can change that. |
| Posted by: gromgorru 2005-02-08 1:46:22 PM |