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WASHINGTON D.C. (March 26, 2008) - The Iraqi security forces are
days away from publishing their first uniform weapons-qualification
standards, a senior U.S. official charged with helping the Iraqis
build and train their troops said today.
Iraqi forces, until now, have managed weapons qualification at
the unit level with local commanders deeming how and when their
troops are trained, said Navy Capt. John Andrews, chief of staff
for the Joint Headquarters Advisory Team from Multinational
Security Transition Command Iraq.
The new uniform standards will help measure readiness across the
force and also help commanders budget and request ammunition and
other logistics support needed for qualification, Andrews told a
group of civilian defense experts via teleconference from Iraq.
Andrews said the standard was needed to make training more
efficient and decrease training time. While Iraq has many ranges
available for weapons training, most have no standard design or
layout and lack automated targets, he said.
Also, the idea of one standard across the force was a new
concept to most commanders. "A division commander would probably
(say), 'It's my division. I'll train them, or I'll say they're
trained when I say so.' And we're going contrary to what they've
done in the past," Andrews said.
But, he added, most were not opposed to the new standard, just
unfamiliar with the concept.
The weapons training will mirror that of U.S. troops, Andrews
said. The standards also include close-combat qualification.
"They have one of the best close-combat ranges and (urban
training) facilities that many have seen," Andrews said. The sites
include cameras that record and play back the exercises for after
action reviews of the training.
The new qualification standards will not only help with
readiness in the force, but also will help develop the Iraqi
military's logistics branches. The standard will help commanders
develop yearly training ammunition requirements, allowing upper
echelons to manage securing and delivering the rounds.
"Not only do we know the standard, but we know how many bullets
it should take for each soldier to qualify. We have that laid out
there and can budget and facilitate the logistical processes
associated with that," Andrews said.
Andrews said he was not sure how the new standard would be
implemented across the forces, but most likely, new recruits will
be trained to the new standard, while others already in the field
will be trained to the new standard during yearly
requalification.
Iraqi forces issue U.S. M-16A4 and M-4 rifles and Soviet AK-47
rifles as individual weapons. Andrews also said that qualification
standards are being designed for larger crew-served weapons.
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