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LCDR
Tony Powell
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By
MAJ John Liston
Known
as the Iraqi Coastal Defence Force (ICDF), the world’s newest
Navy, will soon grow to approximately 400 personnel operating
from five patrol vessels and 10 Rigid Hulled Inflatable Boats
(RHIBs).
The job of training this force is in the capable hands of 56 personnel
from four nations: the UK, US Netherlands and Australia.
Twelve Australian sailors are integrated into this multi-national
training team and add to the high-level expertise of their coalition
colleagues.
As well as providing leadership and guidance to their Iraqi trainees
the Australians bring their experience of small vessel operations.
When the training team’s job is finished, Iraq will operate a
small independent coastal naval force to police its territorial
waters in order to counter threats to the country’s sovereignty
such as terrorism, piracy, smuggling and other unlawful activities.
The senior Australian officer, and the coalition training team’s
Director of Training and Operations, LCDR Tony Powell was quick
to emphasise the fundamental importance of the ICDF to the future
stability and prosperity of Iraq.
“I don’t think people understand that Iraq’s short coastline and
shallow waterways are essential to the country’s economic development,”
he said.
“There are big plans for the Umm Qasr port and Iraq needs a Navy
to provide maritime security and ensure the safe passage of commercial
shipping.”
More than 90 percent of Iraq’s oil – the life-blood of any modern
economy – is shipped from Iraq’s territorial waters through the
Persian Gulf to ports around the world. And the ICDF will assume
greater responsibility for protecting Iraq’s economic livelihood
with five, 27-metre vessels patrolling the country’s inland waterways
and its 50 mile coastline.
Together the coalition instructors and their Iraqi students have
crammed three years training into eight weeks and the Iraqis are
really eager to start work.
“We’ve come a long way in the past four months,” LCDR Powell said,
“the Iraqi sailors are almost ready to take over the boats themselves”.
The commander of the ICDF also feels confident.
“We are getting the benefit of many Navies training us,” CAPT
Hameed Balasim said.
