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Iraqi Police Graduate Leadership Training
December 12, 2007
On November 29th the fourth class of Iraqi National Police Officers graduated from a grueling 4 days of intense training during a leadership course held at FOB Rustamiyah. The course is designed by Iraqis and taught by members of the 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st Iraqi National Police Military Transition Team (NPTT).
According to Major Robel Ramirez, the 1-4-1 Battalion NPTT chief, the policemen attend several training exercises during the week, which leads up to an extensive exercise on the last day. It’s in the extensive exercise, that they policemen are able to combine all the tactics that they’ve learned. The course also focuses on what Colonel Kassin, the 1-4-1 Battalion Commander wants his police officers to improve on.
During the training, officers are taughts stacking to enter a building, tactical movement through areas such as a courtyard, how to clear a building, how to react upon contact and how to treat and evacuate a casualty. The police officers are also taught the concept of teamwork, how to rely upon each other as they detain suspects and treat casualties under fire.
Soldiers in 1st Battalion, 4th Brigade, 1st Iraqi National Police Division undergo a final training exercise taught by the 1-4-1 National Police Military Transition Team. The NPTT members are Soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment, based out of Fort Riley, Kansas and currently attached to 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Courtney E. Marulli, 2nd IBCT, 2nd Inf. Div. Public Affairs.)
According to Ramirez, this particular class had more experienced and mature policemen, as compared to previous classes. Most of the officers attending had been police officers for awhile. They had to learn to concentrate on getting past preconveived notions on how to perform particular tasks. Once they overcome that obstacle, Ramirez said that the officers became very successful during their training.
“Overall, I’m really proud of the progress we have made in the past year,” he said of the policemen who have been trained. “Training is the key.”
With each graduating class, the Iraqi National Police Force becomes closer and closer to becoming self-sufficient. Currently the thinking is to offer training at least once a month and get the National Police to the point where they are able to teach their own classes, with Coalition Forces only there to interject if necessary.
According to Capt. Woodrow Pengelly, who is the operations officer for the 1-4-1 NPTT, training for the National Police would not have come this far, were it not for Col. Kassim, the strong and aggressive battalion commander of the National Police. Pengelly said that Col. Kassim is very supportive of training and is willing to work around mission requirements so that his policemen receive the proper training. Another beneficial part of the training, is that the young American Soldiers are able to work side by side with the Iraqi Police men, allowing them to become more familiar with the Iraqi culture. This is beneficial, considering the fact that many Soldiers are deploying to Iraq more than once in their careers.
“It expands their minds and they get experience working with them,” said MSG Richard Jones.
Each Soldier in the unit plays a part in the training of the Iraqi Policemen, from the Privates to the Commanders. Some are in instructional roles, while others role play various parts, from vehicle drivers, to casualties to enemy combatants. This allows the Iraqi Policemen to have the most realistic training possible. Each Soldier playing a part, tries to make it as realistic as possible, so that the policemen walk away from the training with a good idea of what they might face while performing their duties.
By training the Iraqi Policemen, as they themselves were trained prior to deploying, US Soldiers are doing their part to ensure that the Iraqi security forces are able to conduct their jobs in a professional manner, as they begin taking over more and more of the responsibility for securing their country. That tells me, that our Troops are dedicated to ensuring that the Iraqi Policemen and Army are well trained and professional and capable of providing the security that is needed to ensure that their fledgling democracy can flourish.
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