Baptism under fire
The Iraqi Army is becoming responsible for its own training helped by AATT-I (3)

By Cpl Cameron Jamieson

Heat is on: Iraqi students learning the fi ner points of fire fighting from their Australian instructor. Photo by Cpl Robert Nyfennegger.

Support: Cpl Corey Walton, an instructor with AATT-I (3), greets Pte Waled Khaled, a driver at the Iraqi Army Support and Services Institute. Photo by Cpl Cameron Jamieson

Watching: Cpl James Beardsley supervises a lesson given by Iraqi instructors on the use of the winch fitted to a Ukraine-built UAZ YA3. Photo by Cpl Cameron Jamieson

Handling: Cpl James Beardsley teaches an Iraqi student to strip and assemble an AK-47. Photo by Cpl Robert Nyfennegger

How quickly can you create a national military logistics training institute from scratch? In Iraq has been done in a matter of months, thanks to help from the third Australian Army Training Team in Iraq – AATT-I (3).

The new Iraqi Army was baptised under fi re the moment it was created, and because of continuing counter-insurgency operations in Iraq the focus was initially on training and deploying security forces.

But without a standardised system of logistics doctrine and training, the Iraqi Army was in danger of falling behind in its ability to supply the expanding army.

By the end of last year the severity of the problem had been acknowledged, but a solution was hampered by the lack of available coalition forces to help the Iraqis.

The Australian Government saw an opportunity to assist, and in January this year AATT-I (3) was deployed to advise and support the Iraqis in establishing the Iraqi Army Support and Services Institute (IASSI) at Taji, north of Baghdad, where offi cers and SNCOs of the Iraqi Army could be trained in managing various logistic trades such as supply, maintenance and transport.

Four months on and now the Iraqi instructors are taking control of lesson delivery, and the AATT-I (3) can step back and watch their progress.

In addition to the new training syllabus, new logistic doctrine and paperwork has been developed for the Iraqis, and throughout the development process the goal has been to ensure the solutions suit the end-user.

CO AATT-I (3) Lt-Col Warren Jolly said from the start it was decided the best way to affect the eventual handover of the school and doctrine to the Iraqis was to give ownership of the development process to them.

“Early on we had Australian staff of- fi cers working with the Iraqi Ministry of Defence, so the Iraqis could look at and endorse the training we were providing. That way they could adjust any of our training proposals in order to better suit the Iraqi Army,” Lt-Col Jolly said.

“Even the new paperwork we’ve created has been adjusted to suit the local conditions, rather than just translating Australian forms. As a result of that we believe we have created Iraqi solutions.”

Lift: Sgt David Gregson (at back) watches Capt Jabbar Dhaaed, of the Iraqi Army, instruct students on the use of the hydraulic crane fitted to a Ukraine-built UAZ Kraz 11-tonne truck. Photo by Cpl Cameron Jamieson

Paperwork: Cpl Corey Walton dicusses transport maintenence schedules with Lt Qaseor Hussein, Director of Transport Training Section at the Iraqi Army Support and Services Institute at Taji. Photo by Cpl Robert Nyfennegger

Inquisitive: Cpl James Beardsley oversees Iraqi instructors training Iraqi students on the deployment of hydraulic stabilisation struts mounted on an engineering vehicle. Photo by Cpl Robert Nyfennegger

While the Iraqi Army used a large amount of Soviet-era equipment, their logistic chain was based on a British-styled system using fi rst, second, third and fourth lines of logistics due to the British infl uence post-World War I. This allowed the Australian approach to quickly fi nd favour with the Iraqis.

“The Iraqis look at logistics along similar lines to us,” Lt-Col Jolly said.

“As a result the Iraqis were keen to adopt the new systems, which was a major step for an army that had fought a number of major conflicts and could have easily have chosen to stay entrenched in old practices. They understood the value of building a new robust logistic system because they saw how the old system didn’t survive the disestablishment of the old Iraqi Army.

“They are now quite comfortable with the new system because it is still based on a structure they are familiar with.”

At the instructor level there have been many challenges, including the need to become familiar with a range of foreign equipment.

Capt Tim Keefe, team leader for the AATT-I (3) Motor Transport Training Team, said it was interesting to work with the new Ukraine-sourced UAZ Kraz 11- tonne truck and the UAZ YA3 jeep.

“There were no manuals supplied with the Ukraine vehicles, so I told my guys to ‘go nuts’ with the trucks and jeeps and work out what we needed to know,” Capt Keeffe said. “We’ve now got a good library of knowledge, thanks to the staff’s ability to adapt to the different vehicles.”

Naturally there were also cultural differences to be overcome.

Capt Matt Brodie, who heads the vehicle maintenance training team, said there were many differences in how Australians and Iraqis think.

“For example, they like to have a lunchtime sleep, and that works well with the heat,” he said. “Their methods of planning for future operations are also different to ours, and that’s been one of the key challenges for us.”

There were also some deep-rooted problems in regards to the way the Iraqis tackled problems, so the training team instructors addressed that too.

“At fi rst we noticed the Iraqis lacked some confi dence because the old regime didn’t encourage troops to use their initiative or speak out,” Lt-Col Jolly said. “So we adopted a strategy of encouragement by showing them how good they could be, and that’s worked well.”

The result is that the Iraqis are genuinely very fond of the Australians.

Vehicle mechanic-instructor Sergeant David Gregson said the cultural respect offered by the Australians had ensured they were accepted by the Iraqis.

“The Iraqis love working with us, which has been a bonus,” he said. “This is because they work with us, not for us, and they really appreciate the new skills we have given them.”

Iraqi transport specialist WO Muhammed Ali Hussain has served for 17 years in the Iraqi Army, and he agreed that the Australians were very respectful of their Iraqi counterparts.

“I found them great to work with and I would like the opportunity to work with them again,” he said.

The Iraqi OC of the IASSI Transport Training Section, Lt Qaseor Hussein, said he enjoyed working with Australians so much that he would like to study military logistics further in Australia.

“The cooperation has been terrific, which has allowed us to work together as a single team,” he said.

“And the new methods taught by the Australian staff have allowed us to develop our skills to a greater level than ever before. I have been more than happy to work with Australians, and I would love to go to Australia to learn more so I can further improve my skills and knowledge.”

Pte Waled Khaled, an IASSI driver, said he was grateful for the training given by the Australians.

“The have given us new skills, like advanced driving skills,” he said. “They have also taught us by example to treat our fellow soldiers better. These things did not happen under the old regime.”

The soldiers of AATT-I (3) will soon complete their six-month tour of duty and return home, and with them they will take great pride in the work they have done.

“Our legacy will be this school,” Sgt Gregson said. “When we arrived here there was virtually nothing, and when we leave we will leave them a school which will allow them to sustain themselves.”

Lt-Col Jolly agreed, adding that the work they had done had been recognised by his coalition superiors.

“It’s been said at the Coalition Military Advisory Training Team HQ that there wouldn’t be a school here without the Australians,” he said. “I think that’s something every member of the team can be enormously proud of.”