Shaking hands, Changing hands

This is something that slipped by me during my holiday break, but I wanted to mention it here.

From the Jan 4 Iraq Weekly Status Report (available here in PDF) comes some encouraging news.

Mattan, a son of an Iraqi Soldier, waits to present his bouquet to Maj. Gen. David Rodriguez, Task Force Freedom commander, during the transfer of authority of Iraqi battlespace to 3rd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division, Iraqi Army in Makhmur Dec. 27.

First Battle Space Transition In Ninewah Province

Over 500 soldiers from the Coalition Forces and the Iraqi Army came together for a battle-space assumption handover ceremony December 27. For the first time within Nineveh Province the Iraqi Army assumed military control of the battle-space.

Turnover of responsibility to the Iraqi Army will help bring security and stability back to the nation and ultimately defeat the insurgency. This effort has enabled the Iraqi people to have increased confidence in the capability and credibility of its security forces.

I'll reiterate, for the first time in the Ninewah Province, the provincial capital of which is the city of Mosul, the Iraqi Army assumed military control of a battle-space.

Progress is measured in steps, not in leaps, and this is a step forward.

A story in the Jan 4 issue of This Week in Iraq (available here in PDF) records the ceremony:

Against the backdrop of the second-largest granary in Iraq, 3rd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 2nd Division Iraqi Army took over Makhmur from coalition forces in a transfer of authority ceremony Dec. 27.

Under the command of Lt. Col. Hogar Salahaddin Abdul, the battalion is now responsible for the stability and security of a large swathe of the Tigris River Valley.

Blackfive had a post on this Iraqi unit, made up largely of Kurdish soldiers, and has more of the story that was in This Week In Iraq.

"With professional leaders and a common goal [3rd Bn.] quickly formed a team ready for any mission," said Rodriguez in his speech. He spoke of the training and combined operations the battalion performed with Battery C and Military Transition Team-33.

"Before you stands today a cohesive unit ready to take over the battle space," said Rodriguez.

Although the battalion consists predominantly of Kurdish soldiers, the unit is able to work well with the local Arab leaders in the area of operations, according to Sgt. 1st Class James Ray, MTT-33 logistics trainer, from Jacksonville, Fla.

This unit had trained by working the US forces.

During the months leading to the transfer, 3rd Bn. conducted combined operations with Iraqi Police and units from Task Force Thunder, such as Battery C, 4th Battalion, 11th Field Artillery Regiment.

The 2nd Division took control from the 172nd Stryker Brigade. Margaret Friedenauer is embedded with the Bridage, and wrote this of the transfer:

So instead of a quiet home life and tile making, the colonel, who goes by the name "Hogar," on Monday became commander of the first army unit in northern Iraq to assume command of an area from U.S. forces: the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st Division of the Iraqi army.

"Effective today the third battalion assumes control of the battle zone here in the Mahkmur region," announced U.S. Army Major Gen. David Rodriguez, commander of the Multinational Force Northwest and Task Force Freedom.

A handful of transfers like these have taken place in southern and central Iraq, but this is the first Iraqi battalion to assume command of battle space in the northern region. It is also the first time power has been transferred from an area controlled by the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team from Fort Wainwright Army Post in Fairbanks.

The transfer ceremony took place Monday afternoon just outside the town of Mahkmur. Early that morning, hundreds of soldiers began arriving, practicing their high-step marching and strict formations. Some companies jogged around the compound chanting Kurdish cadences.

Regional leaders began arriving by late morning, including Sunni Arab and Kurdish tribal and religious leaders, mayors, Iraqi police and soldiers’ families. Hundreds attended the ceremony, which began with a reading from the Koran, sung by a local sheik. A smartly dressed band played the Iraqi national anthem. Wuestner and Hogar conducted a traditional review of troops before Wuestner officially transferred the colors of the battalion to Hogar.

"This moment provides stability and security for all Iraqi people," said Brig. Gen. Ali is Ali Atala Malowh, commander of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 1st Division of the Iraqi army.

Hogar and his 3rd Battalion still technically fall under the tactical command of Wuestner. But Hogar can now conduct operations such as house raids or cordon searches for insurgents without the assistance of U.S. forces. Wuestner said, for the most part, U.S. forces are taking a back seat to the Iraqi battalion. U.S. forces will still provide assistance as needed but will primarily focus on continued training with the other two battalions in their area and creating civil projects in the surrounding towns.

"They’ve got this," Wuestner said of the battalion. "This is a very good unit for this type of fight."

This area south of Mosul along the Tigris River, is unusual because of the relatively peaceful blend of the Sunni Arab and Kurdish populations, which number nearly 300,000, Wuester said. He credits Hogar for his diplomacy in dealing with the two distinct groups. Hogar is of Kurdish decent, but can speak Arabic and English. Wuestner said Hogar has made a point to keep the two groups on an even keel. Hogar noted the cooperative relationship between the two groups in his area in his speech Monday.

Here are the ingredients for what will be the recipe for success in Iraq. Building up the Iraqi army by creating strong, professional leadership. On the job training with US forces until the Iraqi forces are confident enough and capable enough to operate on their own. Developing cohesive units that are motivated to police their area to benefit Iraqis.

W. Thomas Smith Jr. has a column here on the long process to standing up an army. It does take time, which is why I say such turnovers are steps. The US will still need to provide assistance, but over time it will be more and more from the background, not at the point of the charge. Smith writes:

Here are several other factual points to consider:

First: even if a soldier was – in some isolated instance – sent to Iraq straight out of boot camp, his boot camp experience would be nearly twice as long as the basic training an Iraqi soldier receives, in every instance. And Iraqis are often in combat during their basic training.

Second: building an army is not the same things as training soldiers at the individual level. That is only a part of the process. Building an army, as Gen. Blount explained, takes years. And as I've recently reported in a few different venues, it takes about seven to eight years (including college) to mold an American Army officer into an infantry company commander. Fifteen to 17 years for a battalion commander. Twenty to 22 years for a brigade commander. Twenty-five years for a division commander. And though American military officers are honing their skills over the years in real world situations, they also have many opportunities to attend the best professional military leadership schools in the world, and – unlike Iraqi officers – no one is shooting at them while they are in school or threatening the lives of their families because they are officers.

Third: what we are accomplishing in Iraq in terms of standing up the new Iraqi Army from scratch is nothing short of amazing. Sure, it was probably a mistake to disband the old Iraqi army soon after the invasion phase of the war in 2003, but we all understand hindsight, so let's move on.

Fourth: Lets consider the motivations of a private soldier in the Iraqi army: Recently during an interview for National Review Online, Brigadier General Daniel P. Bolger, commanding general of the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team in Iraq, told me in so many words that an increasing number of legitimate jobs are being created for young men in Iraq, but many are still volunteering for service in the army and police forces.

Gen. Bolger also told me that a new soldier in the Iraqi Army makes around $300 a month, while the terrorists are offering about $300 per night for anyone willing to plant an IED. Yet Iraqi Army boot camps are turning out around 1,650 brand new soldiers every five weeks. That number is growing weekly, and is slated to double in 2006.

Like the throngs of voters who queued up to the ballot box last week, volunteers who stand in the Iraqi army recruiting lines are not stupid. Nor are they so desperate for work they'll risk death for a loaf of bread.

Why do they do it? Pride, love of country, a sense of duty, and a desire to be on the winning team (and make no mistake, Abu Musab al Zarqawi and his headsmen are not the winning team): All the same reasons American soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines have been flocking to the colors post 9/11.

(Note: Smith mentions disbanding the Iraqi Army after the invasion as being a mistake. For an opposing opinion, see the interview with Paul Bremer at National Review Online today.)

Progress is happening before our eyes. Do we know it when we see it? These moments are not as dramatic as, say, the November 2004 battle for Fallujah, or Operation Steel Curtain, but the implications for Iraq's future are nonetheless profound.