Dempsey Arrives in Baghdad for Talks With Iraqi, U.S. Officials

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, Aug. 21, 2012 – Army Gen. Martin E. Dempsey arrived here today for talks with Iraqi and American leaders.

The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is meeting with Army Lt. Gen. Robert Caslen, the chief of the Office of Security Cooperation Iraq, and his staff.

He then will travel on to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and defense chief Gen. Zebari Babakir. He expects to speak about U.S. security assistance to Iraq and ask for the Iraqis’ takes on the situation in Syria.

The chairman is the highest-ranking U.S. military official to visit Iraq since the end of the American mission here in December.

The office of security cooperation works with the Iraqi government on security assistance programs. The U.S. foreign military sales program alone covers $12.1 billion through this fiscal year. The program helps the Iraqis build capabilities and professionalize their forces.

Among the major purchases are 140 M1A1 tanks, 511 M-113 personnel carriers, 24 self-propelled howitzers and 120 towed howitzers.

The program also helps to build the Iraqi air force. Iraq has purchased 36 F-16 fighter aircraft, with the first aircraft scheduled for delivery in September 2014. The first contingent of Iraqi pilots and aircraft maintenance personnel already has arrived in the United States for training.

Iraq also purchased 15 T-6A trainer planes, six C-130J transports and 27 scout helicopters, and also is buying naval patrol craft and support vessels.

Air Force Iraq Mission Likely to Increase Before It Ends

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, Aug. 29, 2011 – As the American presence in Iraq draws down, the U.S. Air Force mission in the nation likely will increase, Air Force Maj. Gen. Russell J. Handy said.

Handy -- commander of the 9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force and director of the Air Component Coordination Element in Iraq -- discussed the Air Force mission in Iraq and the way forward during a telephone interview from his headquarters at Camp Victory in Baghdad.

“We have to continue doing the same things we’ve been doing supportwise that we have been doing through the entire transition,” the general said.

The command is responsible for coordinating and enabling air operations in the country. “As we continue to draw down the land component, we will continue to fly cover overhead,” Handy said. He anticipates that the number of U.S. Air Force sorties will trend up in the next few months to cover the drawdown.

This includes the full range of missions, from close-air support to strategic airlift, he said. It also entails armed overwatch of U.S. troops conducting partnered operations with Iraqi forces and aiding U.S. forces as they defend installations and protect convoys.

And intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance “is a huge part of our mission area, and we will continue to fly that,” he added.

Some 46,000 U.S. troops are in Iraq today, and all are set to leave by the end of the year as part of the U.S.-Iraq security agreement signed in 2008. This will mean an influx of mobility forces coming into Iraq, Handy said.

“That is a growth area for the Air Force here between now and the end of the year as we start to pull forces out,” he said. “We will need a lot of airlift.”

This is not just C-130 Hercules tactical airlift, but involves giant C-17 Globemaster III and C-5 Galaxy transport jets. These aircraft will require tanker aircraft and other support, so this will be a busy time for airmen in country, Handy said.

Meanwhile, the general said, the command is in the process of turning over air bases to the Iraqi air force.

In addition, the U.S. Air Force has a number of units and individual airmen embedded with U.S. Army units in Iraq.

“These airmen are engineers, security forces, intelligence professionals and medics,” Handy said.

Also, a number of airmen are working with experts at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad to rebuild the Iraqi transportation system.

“They need to build that from the ground up -- from radars and communications linkages to training air traffic controllers and to fit all that together,” Handy said. The airmen have been transferring “chunks” of Iraqi airspace to the Iraqis for the past two years, he noted, and the U.S. Air Force is responsible for a small segment at lower altitudes of central Iraq.

“Our requirements through the end of the year won’t go down, and in some cases will increase,” the general said. The command will do that in combination with Air Force units from outside the country, he added.

Handy’s command also assists the Iraqi air force and the Iraqi army’s aviation command. The U.S. Air Force partners with Iraqi airmen where it can. “We do partner, advise, assist and train with the Iraqis in every mission area within their capabilities,” Handy said.

As Iraqi capabilities increase, U.S. airmen pull back, the general said. For example, he said, the Iraqis operate their own tactical airlift program with no U.S. involvement.

The Iraqis have run the C-130 squadron on their own since 2009, the general said. In addition, the Air Force partners with the Iraqis in intelligence, reconnaissance and surveillance platforms. The Iraqi military has a fledgling ISR capability that has, despite its newness, had significant operational successes.

“We partner with them at the squadron and on the ground, and in the operations center to integrate that ISR,” Handy said.

The Air Force element in Iraq partners with all levels of the Iraqi air force, from the air college in Tikrit to initial pilot training, “and just about everything in between,” the general said.

The American force does not partner with the Iraqis on fixed-wing close-air support, the general said, because the Iraqis do not have that capability yet.

Much remains to be done in Iraq, Handy said, but his command, too, will leave by the end of the year. He said he anticipates that the Office of Security Cooperation in the U.S. Embassy will continue to work with the Iraqi military as the Iraqi air force continues to grow.

Deadline Nears for Iraqi Request, Mullen Says

By Jim Garamone

American Forces Press Service

MOSUL, Iraq, Aug. 1, 2011 – If Iraq wants American forces to remain to train and assist Iraqi security forces after Dec. 31, Iraqi leaders need to make the request soon, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today.

“The point is we’re at a deadline, and we need an answer,” Navy Adm. Mike Mullen said to reporters traveling with him.

Iraqi leaders understand their security forces do not have all the capabilities needed to defend the country from insurgents or from outside nations, Mullen said, and they need to make a decision about accepting further help from U.S. forces. Under a security agreement between Iraq and the United States, all U.S. troops are to be out of the country by Dec. 31.

Mullen will meet with Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, commander of U.S. Forces Iraq, and with service members with the 1st Cavalry Division’s 4th Advise and Assist Brigade here. He then will travel to Baghdad, where he is scheduled to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talibani.

The chairman said it has been about a year since he visited Mosul.

“I want to have discussions about how it is going in the north,” he said aboard his plane en route here. “I get assessments all the time, but with the transition, we’re making substantial changes there on how we’re doing assisting and advising. I’m very anxious to understand from a ground perspective what’s going on.”

More broadly, Mullen added, he also wants to meet the American leaders and see how engagement with Iraqi counterparts is going and what the future holds.

“It’s pretty clear that we’ve said to the Iraqi leadership that now’s the time -- we have to know [if they are going to request a continuing U.S. presence],” he said. Roughly 48,000 U.S. personnel are working to train, advise and assist Iraqi army and police units. The logistics needed to get that number of personnel out by the deadline along with millions of pieces of equipment means the Iraqis need to make the decision soon, the chairman explained.

From the American standpoint, an Iraqi request would start negotiations. Any U.S. decision would have to consider the security environment in the country, what capabilities the Iraqis need and what the legal status of American forces would be, as well as the ability to protect U.S. service members. These considerations add to the urgency for a decision.

“The major issues in Iraq are political,” Mullen said. “They have to get together, and that doesn’t happen overnight.”

June was a bad month for U.S. personnel in Iraq, with 15 killed, mostly by Iranian-supplied weapons that include roadside bombs designed to pierce armored vehicles and improvised rocket-assisted munitions.

“You’ve seen in the last three weeks a dramatic reduction in attacks on U.S. personnel,” Mullen said. “The key to me is that reduction has to be sustained. There are several pieces to this reduction which include our operations, the [Iraqi security forces] operations and operations with them or in support of them, and the political piece of this, which has been very strongly expressed. There very clearly have been operations, and there are ongoing operations.”

Iran remains a problem for Iraqi and American forces in the country. U.S. officials traced explosives killing American forces in June directly to Iran.

“It’s clear from the U.S. perspective that whatever Iraq’s decision, there’s a commitment on the part of the United States to a long-term commitment to sustain a stable, growing, healthy Iraq,” the chairman said.

California Guard members train Iraqis on generator maintenance

By Army Spc. Matthew Wright

40th Combat Aviation Brigade

CAMP TAJI, Iraq (7/20/11) – The California Army National Guard’s 640th Aviation Support Battalion is working with the U.S. Air Force Base Transition Team to train Iraqi Army personnel on the maintenance and operation of backup generators for the airfield here.

The Headquarters Support Company of the 640th ASB currently maintains and operates the flightline generators on the Iraqi side of the airfield. It is working with the BTT and the Iraqi Air Aviation Command to eventually have Iraqis maintain the generators themselves.

The generators provide backup power to the airfield’s main power grid in case of an outage.

“As we begin to transition, eventually it will be the sole responsibility of IqAAC to maintain the generators,” said Air Force Master Sgt. Lydia Crouse, a member of the 321st Expeditionary Mission Support Advisory Group of the 1st Detachment and part of the BTT.

Army Sgt. Salvador Lopez, HSC, 640th, a generator mechanic has been training the Iraqis to operate the equipment.

“Our main job is to train the Iraqis on how to properly maintain the equipment on the airfield,” Lopez said.

The 640th’s generator mechanics drive to the Iraqi side of the airfield each week. They meet with Iraqi mechanics as well as Iraqi trainees who come to learn how the generators work.

Crouse says the 640th has identified this as a long term issue for the IqAAC and has set up maintenance training once a week.

The purpose of the training is to ensure the IqAAC has the skills to properly instruct their own soldiers on the equipment to help maintain the airfield and the base, he said.

“The level of previous training received by the IqAAC was limited,” Crouse said.

Lopez says the Iraqis are now taught the basic preventative maintenance checks and services and a basic level of maintenance the Army uses.

Warrant Officer Rashid from the IqAAC was on hand for the training from Lopez.

“I am looking forward to what we [the Iraqi soldiers] can learn from this cooperation,” Rashid said.

Rashid observed and asked many questions and seemed pleased with the training he was getting from the 640th.

The Iraqis said they are very happy with this cross training from the U.S. military, the BTT and HSC in particular.

“We have received very positive feedback,” Crouse said.

The cooperation with the generator training has been positive for both sides. “We are building a good relationship with them,” Lopez said.

The Iraqis are expected to inherit the equipment, providing the incentive for the training

Gates Visits Troops, Meets Officials in Iraq

By John D. Banusiewicz

American Forces Press Service

BAGHDAD, April 6, 2011 – Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates arrived here this evening to visit U.S. troops and to meet with Iraqi officials.

The secretary traveled here from Saudi Arabia, where he met with King Abdullah earlier today.

Gates is scheduled to meet with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki and President Jalal Talabani, and also with Masoud Barzani, president of the Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq.

A senior Defense Department official told reporters traveling with the secretary that in his meetings with Iraqi officials, Gates plans to discuss the importance of completing the formation of Iraq’s government, especially the security-related ministries, as the United States draws down its forces. He’ll also discuss the need for progress in implementing the reconciliation agreements that were part of the initial government formation process in the fall, the official said.

Gates also will reaffirm the U.S. commitment to a long-term partnership with Iraq, the official added, and will emphasize the mutual benefits of a relationship that continues beyond the scheduled departure of U.S. forces by the year’s end.

The official said the post-2011 relationship probably will be driven by three factors: the state of the Iraqi security forces, stability challenges Iraq will face, and the U.S. ability to engage with Iraq across a whole range of activities.

Iraq’s security forces are doing a good job with internal security, the official said.

“Keep in mind we’ve drawn down over 100,000 forces and handed over security responsibility for the entire country to the Iraqi security forces over the last two years,” he said, “and security incidents wiggle around, but they’re basically flat at the lowest levels that they’ve been for the entire war.”

The bigger challenge facing the Iraqi security forces, he added, is external defense –- such as protecting Iraqi airspace –- because Iraq’s forces haven’t been trained and equipped for such a large conventional capability.

“That will be something that they’ll have to continue to work on moving forward,” he said.

Extremist groups will continue to pose a challenge in Iraq beyond 2011, the official said.

“I don’t think we see it as a strategic threat to the overall stability or viability of the Iraqi state,” he added, “but you will see organizations like al-Qaida in Iraq and some of the other extremist groups that are capable of periodic spectacular attacks, just as they are today.”

The ability of the United States to engage with Iraq across a spectrum of diplomatic, cultural, economic, educational, scientific and security activities beyond 2011 rests upon adequate funding for the State Department, the official said, noting that Gates has stressed this point in congressional testimony.

“The State Department has asked for money to continue the police training mission,” the official said. “We think that’s incredibly important, so that the police can get up to a capability so that they take over the internal security mission and the Iraqi army gets out of that job over time.

“The State Department has asked for money so that they can have a robust presence throughout Iraq, not just in Baghdad,” the official continued. “Then we could have consulates in the north and the south, and some temporary diplomatic facilities along the Arab-Kurd fault line. It’s important that the State Department gets the money for that.”

The official also stressed the need for Congress to fund continued support for Iraq’s security forces and to provide the funding and authorities needed to stand up an office of security cooperation in the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad to continue security assistance and cooperation after 2011.

“That’s a basket of things that fall under the State Department and their [fiscal 2011 and 2012 budget requests] that the secretary feels very strongly needs to be resourced,” the official said.

Face of Defense: Public Affairs NCO Teams with Iraqi Counterparts

By Air Force Senior Airman Andrew Lee

9th Air and Space Expeditionary Task Force Iraq

CAMP VICTORY, Iraq, March 3, 2011 – Air Force Senior Master Sgt. Dean Miller is using his 21 years of military experience to assist Iraqi air force officials in developing their own public affairs professionals.

Miller deployed here from Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Wash. Initially, he served here as the team chief for the Air Component Coordination Element-Iraq public affairs team.

The senior Air Force noncommissioned officer said the changing mission in Iraq had him a little concerned regarding whether or not there would be enough public affairs work to do.

"I was worried that things had become so quiet in Iraq there would not be much of a PA mission," Miller said. "In fact, there was an amazing amount of PA work to be done."

Then, Miller received another opportunity during his deployment. He would also serve as the Iraq Training and Advisory Mission-Air Force PA mentor and be the ground breaker to formalize the Iraqi air force’s public affairs advisory program.

Miller went full-afterburner with both jobs.

"Once I found out I would be serving as an adviser, I knew it would be a great chance to assist another PA team, and strengthen the partnership between the U.S. and Iraq," Miller said. "But I also knew I needed to determine the priorities of the Iraqis for their PA program before I could help them.”

The key challenge at that time was deciding where to start, Miller said.

"This was quickly resolved once I met with the Iraqi air force chief of public affairs and we discussed what he wanted to gain for his team,” he said. “From there, we moved forward rapidly."

Miller worked directly with the Iraqi public affairs team, quickly overcoming language and cultural barriers. After discerning the Iraqi chief's goals, he developed a plan to achieve them. Rapport with the Iraqi team improved throughout his deployment, Miller said, along with the professional accomplishments of the Iraqis. The Iraqi airmen supported the U.S. Forces-Iraq change of command and transition to Operation New Dawn, he said, assisting with the escort and interviews of more than 150 members of the news media at the event ceremony.

"This was not merely an advise and train relationship, but a partnership between Iraqi and American military public affairs professionals," Miller said. "Uniting both the U.S. and Iraqi air force PA teams established a trusting partnership and enduring friendship."

A highlight from this partnership was the dual Iraqi and U.S. coverage that resulted from the successful Iraqi AC-208 Cessna aircraft Hellfire missile shot. The Iraqi PA team created a professional video news release that the Ministry of Defense PA team released to regional news media. The ACCE-I PA team produced its coverage around the high-quality Iraqi aerial video.

Miller said both teams routinely shared video and still photography in a mutually-supportive manner, and joint mission planning leveraged the skills and manpower of both teams.

As the relationship developed, he said, the Iraqi PA team members went to great lengths to share their culture with their American partners, introducing local foods and teaching Arabic.

Miller said he and his U.S. team reciprocated by bringing the Iraqis to United Service Organizations events and inviting the Iraqi airmen to share meals.

"I was surprised at how much they enjoyed one of the country western bands that performed," Miller said. "We always had a great time. Everything we did together really helped us grow as a team."