Publication: FA Journal
Publication Date: 01-JAN-07
Delivery: Immediate Online Access
Author: McConnell, Richard A. ; Matson, Christopher L. ; Clemmer, Brent A.
Company: Stryker Co.
Article Excerpt
It's your first day with your Iraqi Army (IA) unit as part of a military transition team (MiTT), and you have no idea what to expect. Upon arriving at the combat outpost, the first thing you see is a shell of an unfinished building with a puddle of sewage in front and a pile of garbage 150 meters from the building's entrance. Flies are an issue--and it does not smell so good either.
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At first blush, the IA operations do not impress you either--operations are quickly planned and top-fed. Iraqi Soldiers often roll out in a mix of uniforms, some with helmets or body armor but others without.
You spend your first week running around telling Soldiers to put on their helmets and clean up. One day you realize that this strategy is not working. Not only is no one listening to you, but also you have failed to build any rapport with your IA unit. Then it hits you: you are not here to make this into an American unit--you are here to help this unit become the best Iraqi unit it can be.
You have just made your first step toward understanding your MiTT role in mentoring and coaching the IA.
Although this scenario is not unique, for some American Soldiers on Iraqi (or Afghan) MiTTs or police, border patrol or national guard transition teams, the circumstances may not be as grim. Regardless, American Soldiers approach military service from a different perspective than the average Iraqi Soldiers. To be successful, you must understand the Iraqi perspective, bearing in mind that you want the same thing: a strong IA prepared to secure and protect Iraq so US troops can go home.
This article is based on our experiences mentoring and coaching both an IA battalion and the Iraqi police that the IA operates with to improve security in Mosul, Iraq. The article presents a few ideas about fostering teamwork within the human terrain in Mosul. This is by no means an attempt to discuss all the cultural differences between US Soldiers and the Middle Eastern Soldiers and policemen. Whether you are reading this article as part of the Coalition Force, a MiTT or military police (MP), the goal is the same--to build cooperation between the IA and Iraqi police to provide security to Iraq.
Meeting Expectations. If you are part of a MiTT in Iraq today, the process of transitioning the IA into the lead while working with its Iraqi police counterparts can be confusing and frustrating. The cause of this confusion can be traced to preconceived notions about how army and police units should act and be developed plus how the US Army measures success. These notions come from your experiences as US Soldiers, and you can't help but apply them when working with the Iraqis.
The trick is to understand what you are expected to accomplish and what you are not expected to change. Armed with this understanding, you can help the Iraqis fashion their army and police into the forces necessary to protect this fledgling democracy.
What are you expected to accomplish? You must help the IA and police become strong enough to...
NOTE: All illustrations and photos have been removed from this article.
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