March 21, 2006
"THEY'RE FAST LEARNERS" (From The Corner)
Iraqi soldiers graduate Humvee course, receive two dozen new Humvees (US Army, 3/21/06)
Iraqi soldiers from the 2nd Brigade, 7th Iraqi Army Division received 24 High Mobility, Multi-wheeled Vehicles (Humvees) yesterday after graduating from a three-week Humvee licensing and preventive maintenance course.I know that Americans aren't paying any attentioin, but I have to wonder if anyone else has noticed that we're going to leave the Iraqis with the second-best army in the region. Posted by David Cohen at March 21, 2006 3:23 PMMore than 20 enlisted soldiers were recognized in a formal graduation ceremony, where they received certificates of completion from the commanding general of the 2nd Brigade and the commanding officer of Regimental Combat Team 7, Col. W. Blake Crowe....
“We get new vehicles to help us fight terrorism,” said one Iraqi Army officer following the graduation. “Now, we can help our battalions with convoys and use this vehicle to help support our battalions. There are future bad days for the insurgents.”...
Greene and a handful of his Marines worked “day and night” with the Iraqi soldiers to complete the training.
Lance Cpl. Jonathan B. Vest, a 20-year-old Marine mechanic from Claremore, Okla., spent countless hours under the hoods of the vehicles with the Iraqi soldiers, and says he was impressed by their eagerness to learn.“They’re fast learners,” said Vest. “Most of them were in one of the Humvees the whole time. It shows that progress is being made and that they are improving.”
the really big pay-off, for both armies, is that they will be capable of working together in case of iraq being attacked by one of its neighbors -- or if iraq is asisting the u.s. on a mission outside of iraq. the arms sales there will be substantial.
Posted by: toe at March 21, 2006 3:48 PMWhat they will lack in the near term is indigenous air power. No accident, that. How can they have their pudding if they don't eat their meat? They will.
Posted by: ghostcat at March 21, 2006 4:42 PMLack of transport capability is why many Iraqi units are not considered top tier in the recently politicized revelations that they are not yet Patton's 3rd Army. This is a step towards getting Iraqi units that capability.
Posted by: JAB at March 21, 2006 4:57 PMWhen we consider exit strategies, such as our exit strategy from Korea, we must ponder, not Patton's force structure, but modern force structure.
Military power is a seamless robe, made of of threads from national capabilities down through every echelon to the individual.
Even Patton, remember, operated under the umbrella of the USAAF tac air, against an enemy weakened by strategic air power.
As a good imperial power, our strategy is to integrate the socii into our total force structure, giving them important responsibilities while always retaining control of those force components needed to wage modern war.
It is good that they are getting diesel mechs. Let me know when they learn how to conduct their own sattilite surviellance.
Posted by: Lou Gots at March 21, 2006 6:06 PM
Given that Egypt has received much aid and training, yet they continue to have the same problems that plague Arab militaries, I respectfully suggest the new Iraqi army will perform just the same once we leave.
Posted by: Chris Durnell at March 21, 2006 6:56 PMChris, US forces should never completely leave (certainly not before the end of the decade) just become less visible. The region is too important and unstable, the enemies are many and those bases will be useful for a long time.
Posted by: wf at March 21, 2006 7:03 PMLou: Making them just like the Europeans.
Posted by: David Cohen at March 21, 2006 7:18 PMI've been wondering how well we've trained them, to take on everyone else or US?
Hope we only gave them the 4th place training....
Posted by: Sandy P at March 21, 2006 8:41 PMSandy;
As Mr. Gots points out, without certain military capabilities (tactical air, strategic air, satellites, etc.) it's irrelevant how well trained they are if they go up against the USA.
Posted by: Annoying Old Guy at March 21, 2006 9:40 PMDoesn't mean they won't be willing to try, the only thing that saves US is that they know what'll happen if they do, they're not that good, but they can make our lives miserable.
Posted by: Sandy P at March 21, 2006 11:22 PMYou can bet that Tehran has noticed. And if we keep training and outfitting, in another three years, Iraq will probably have the swagger to espouse a somewhat muscular foreign policy. If it dovetails with us, that is a good thing, no?
Posted by: jim hamlen at March 22, 2006 9:19 AM