Multi-National Force

FORWARD OPERATING BASE LOYALTY — The No. 1 man glances back, ensuring his comrades are in tow. They’re about to search a building known to house insurgents. But where are they, exactly? The team leader signals. They rush in to clear a room. Gunfire! The “up” signal is given. An Iraqi man calmly walks through the door. He says, “Good, now do it again.”

Leaders of the 3rd battalion, 8th brigade, 2nd national police division conducted their fourth non-commissioned officer training academy at Forward Operating Base Volunteer in Baghdad last month. Leaders trained shurta - Iraqi policemen - from 3rd Battalion in tasks including cordon and search, first aid, rifle marksmanship, sensitive-site exploitation, non-commissioned officer duties and responsibilities and map reading.

What made this course so special was that Iraqi NCOs trained Iraqi NCOs. During previous academy courses, U.S. team members from 3rd Battalion’s National Police Transition Team took the lead. However, they received assistance from Command Sgt. Maj. Arrif Adel, the unit’s Iraqi National Police assistant senior enlisted adviser, and his team, said Maj. Bryan Hunt, team chief for 3rd Bn., 8th Bde., 2nd NP Div. NPTT. But all that changed for Class 4 students as Command Sgt. Maj. Adel and his team took over the class completely. For the first time, national police senior NCOs instructed their junior NCOs and NPTT personnel provided little oversight, explained Hunt, an Oceanside, Calif. native.

Feature Stories

Operation Cougar Storm Denies AQI Staging Area for IED Attacks

BAQUBAH — With beads of sweat rolling down their neck, Soldiers from 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment, labored away alongside members of the Iraqi Army and Sons of Iraq sweeping suspected Al-Qaida forces out of two separate villages south of Baqubah during Operation Cougar Storm recently.

The operation was designed to deny Al-Qaida forces a place to stage Improvised Explosive Device attacks along key routes that Coalition forces and Iraqi civilians use, as well as establish an Iraqi Army presence in the area, said 1st Lt. Fernando Pelayo, a platoon leader with 2nd Squadron, 2nd Stryker Cavalry Regiment.

Helmick Takes Over Training Mission in Iraq

WASHINGTON — Army Lt. Gen. Frank Helmick assumed command of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq and the NATO training mission in Iraq during a ceremony at the Iraqi Cultural Center July 3.

Helmick relieved Army Lt. Gen. James Dubik, who will retire after 37 years of service.

Leaders Break New Ground in Baghdad

FORWARD OPERATING BASE FALCON — Leaders from Multi-National Division – Baghdad, the Iraqi security forces and the government of Iraq broke new ground July 5 in the median of a major thoroughfare in Baghdad.

Prominent Iraqi leaders manned three honorary shovels each to move a small piece of Earth that signaled the start of a large revitalization effort for a stretch of highway leading from the Baghdad International Airport east into the heart of the city.