Course helps lay foundation for Iraqi Military

  • Published
  • By Daryl Mayer
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  Much in the media of late has revolved around the drawdown of forces in Iraq.

The need for long-term stability in Iraq is manifest and the role played by capable Iraqi military and police forces in achieving and maintaining that stability is understandably crucial.

A lot of tough work needs to be done to ensure Iraqi forces are ready to take full responsibility and some of that work just happens to be occurring now at the Defense Institute of Security Assistance Management here.

Over the past couple of weeks, nineteen senior Iraqi military, police and other government officials have been attending a unique version of DISAM's International Purchaser course.

The course, which introduces students to U.S. security assistance and security cooperation programs, is sort of the starting point to understanding the processes, regulations and statutes involved in the export of U.S. defense articles, services and training to international partner nations and organizations, according to Army Lt. Col. James Toomey, course manager.

Dealing with the U.S., either through the FMS process or direct commercial sales, will be the primary means for Iraq to acquire the necessary technology and expertise to function as a modern military force. With the importance and urgency of the task at hand, the faculty at DISAM felt a special course was appropriate.

Considering DISAM offers scores of courses to more than 4,000 students from U.S. government organizations and over 100 international partner nations annually, it is tough to classify one course as unique.

But with all students being senior representatives from the same country, this class certainly qualifies.

"Our hope by inviting this senior a delegation to this course, in addition to simply helping build the U.S./Iraqi relationship, was to help them appreciate the value of the information provided and help spread it throughout their particular ministry. In later courses, we plan to reach into the 'worker-bee' levels of the organizations and build upon previous instruction," said Dr. Ronald H. Reynolds, DISAM Commandant.

With representatives from the Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Interior, Counter-Terrorism Bureau and the police, a large segment of the government was reached with this one course. And the impression is clearly coming through.

"The information is new for us and definitely will help improve our ability to do our job, to manage the FMS process and develop the Iraqi Air Forces," said an Iraqi brigadier general with the Ministry of Defense delegation.

"Will this help with stability, absolutely. This is what we seek; what we are trying to improve," said another Iraqi general officer.

As the Department of Defense's primary agency for providing education, training and support to U.S. and foreign partners in security assistance programs, DISAM has taught courses here and on the road around the world for nearly three decades. It is clearly safe to say the faculty has faced and overcome a vast array of challenges over the years.

Yet, this course still posed a unique logistical challenge in terms of presenting the course material in a manner students could understand, namely Arabic.

"We usually require students to speak English," said Colonel Toomey. "But that wasn't practical for this class."

Trying to cover the large amount of course material in the International Purchaser course while frequently pausing to wait for translation would have potentially doubled the class time. Therefore, the only way to realistically present all the information in the time allotted was to offer simultaneous translation - something the school had never done before.

"In this instance, we felt the simultaneous translation was the only way," said Colonel Toomey.

DISAM contracted with a commercial firm to provide the simultaneous translation and supplemented with U.S. Army interpreters from Fort Huachuca to support the students after duty hours. Students and instructors wore earpieces and used microphones to maintain a dialogue conducive to an academic environment.

Certainly no government course is complete without PowerPoint slides and this course was no exception. However, English slides defeat the purpose of the interpreter speaking in your ear. So those had to be translated into Arabic with small captions in English to allow the instructor to follow as well. A few mislaid words here and there aside, the system worked very well and the course material was successfully delivered.

In addition to learning about the FMS process, and perhaps nearly as important, this course was an opportunity to begin building relationships with the new Iraqi leaders.

In welcoming the students on day one, Dr. Mark Ahles, DISAM Deputy Commandant, spoke about the importance of relationships.

"It is impossible to have good relationships between countries or organizations unless you first develop good relationships on a person-to-person basis," Dr. Ahles said.

For nearly all of the attendees, this was their first opportunity to visit the United States and experience American culture. While they weren't in class, the managers at DISAM gave the Iraqis a variety of opportunities to get off the installation and see the country.

Accompanied by the Fort Huachuca interpreters, the delegation visited various shopping establishments and entertainment venues. In addition to the availability of produce and low prices, they were very impressed with the "beautiful and green" Miami Valley.

Faculty members also took turns hosting small groups of the Iraqis at informal dinners in their homes providing a taste of day-to-day American life. These dinners proved very rewarding for students and faculty alike.

"We are very grateful for the hospitality they have shown to us," said an Iraqi Air Force general officer. "Of course, it makes us think of our families and wish they were with us to experience this."

There were also trips off the installation that were part of the curriculum such as a visit to the Dayton Federal Building to meet with judicial and government officials. Visits of this sort were designed to give a better understanding of the relationship between the U.S. military and the federal government, according to Colonel Toomey.

"We wanted to show them what DISAM can offer and I think we are hitting the mark," Dr. Reynolds said. "I see this as the beginning of a strong relationship between our two nations."