Shaping Iraq’s future

Joint effort: WO1 Tony Ely and Col Tim Pickford are assigned to the Multi-National Force - Iraq HQ located in Saddam Hussein’s former Presidential Palace in Baghdad. Photo by Cpl Cameron Jamieson

By Cpl Cameron Jamieson

IT IS one of the largest joint commands in the world and the ADF is playing an influential role in its operations.

At the Multi-National Force - Iraq (MNF-I) headquarters in Baghdad, several Australians are making their presence felt as they help shape the future of Iraq.

Col Tim Pickford, assistant Chief of Staff for the Strategic Operations Centre (SOC), said the US “likes to have coalition members in key positions within the headquarters to provide a different perspective on things”.

MNF-I is split between two locations in Baghdad, with Col Pickford looking after SOC’s command group requirements and functions in the forward headquarters in the International Zone. “I attend conferences on behalf of my commander, look after his office, keep him fully briefed on daily operations and prepare evening reports for him,” he said.

Working at the forward HQ has given him a firsthand look at how the Americans have adapted their approach to military operations in Iraq.

“The Americans are trying very hard to be sensitive to the differences between their structures and ways of doing business compared to the Iraqis,” he said.

He has been impressed with the Iraqis’ passion for their new democracy.

“I’ve dealt with a number of Iraqi Army liaison officers and they come across as being very friendly,” he said. “They are committed to working with the coalition forces so that when we leave they’ll be able to take full responsibility for their country.”

The biggest challenge for Col Pickford has been to understand the workings of MNF-I. “It’s huge,” he said, “and it has to be like that because it’s a headquarters doing three things. First, it has a major role in assisting the Iraqis to run the country. Second, it’s helping the Iraqis redevelop their armed forces, civil infrastructure, governance and democratic process. Third, it’s running one of the largest counter-insurgency operations the world has seen against a variety of opposition forces that are exceptionally complex and cover issues that span hundreds of years.”

Working in a very different role is WO1 Tony Ely. The Current Operations Sergeant Major at the SOC, he gives guidance to coalition officers on matters such as how they should conduct themselves, what key issues to focus on and what goals they need to achieve as a team.

“The SOC is a big information-gathering organisation with many moving parts,” WO1 Ely said. “There’s a battle update analysis each day, and there’s a multitude of senior officers who require different information to suit their needs; so I make sure they understand where they fit into the big picture. It’s a very interesting job and I’m the only Australian WO1 here so I’m a bit of a novelty.”

A key benefit of his job is seeing the progress being made in Iraq.

“You can see through the daily updates how things are progressing,” he said. “There are developments in the supply of power and water to the Iraqis; security is making headway and the Iraqis are taking more and more responsibility for their own security as their Defence Force actively gets involved in stamping out the insurgency.”

Both soldiers agree their positions give them a greater understanding of the situation in Iraq – something that Col Pickford wishes could be passed on to the people back home.

“The thing I would like to see occur in Australia most is for the general public to understand the complexity of the situation here in Iraq,” he said. “It’s not a straightforward case of capturing and removing the insurgents. Iraq is central to Middle Eastern regional security because it borders many of the major Arab states. The impact of what happens here will influence the region and, as such, the job here needs to seen through.”