Free Republic

When the Army made the decision earlier this year to install the first noncommissioned officer to head the Sergeants Major Academy, there were concerns about whether an enlistee would be able to wield the sort of power it takes to change the way troops are taught to fight wars today. "There was some angst," Command Sgt. Maj. Raymond Chandler explains from the office where he began his new job as commandant in August. "Change is hard." That has been true throughout the military, particularly since Chandler's days as a young sergeant, when his unit practiced for weeks to pull off...

Germany is set to send 1,200 police to Afghanistan to train local law enforcement in a major boost to its commitment to the war-torn country, news magazine Der Spiegel reported Saturday. An official request for the officers would come in the next week from NATO, the magazine reported, citing sources within the transatlantic alliance. The German officers would be needed for the “NATO Training Mission Afghanistan,” which is due to start in April. Under the program, some 10,000 foreign instructors would train the Afghan security forces as part of a major push by NATO to ready the strife-torn country to...

A group of Iraqi Army non-commissioned officers from 2nd Battalion, 15th Brigade, 12th Iraqi Army Division, sit together during a class focused on building their leadership skills at their base outside of Kirkuk City, Sept. 26. Photo by Pfc. Justin Naylor, 1st Cavalry Division. KIRKUK — As U.S. Soldiers here continue to train their Iraqi Army partners, it's no surprise that the focus of at least some of the training involves U.S. Army values. Ask almost any Soldier in the U.S. Army what the letters LDRSHIP stand for, and you'll hear loyalty, duty, respect, selfless service, honor, integrity and personal...

Florida isn't known for whale watching, but every winter the coastline offers a haven for endangered North Atlantic right whales. They migrate to warm, shallow waters to give birth and nurse little -- relatively speaking -- 1-ton bundles of blubber. Their spot is right next to where the U.S. Navy wants to conduct anti-submarine training. The Navy has selected a site bordering a federally protected whale nursery stretching from Savannah to Sebastian for an undersea warfare range, where ships, submarines and aircraft outfitted with powerful sonar can practice hunting subs. Citing voluminous studies, the Navy concluded that training 58 miles...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE BASRA, Iraq, Oct. 1, 2009 – Members of Iraq’s 70th Air Reconnaissance Squadron completed the first phase of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance training with Minnesota National Guard’s 34th Red Bull Infantry Division’s intelligence section here. Iraqi air force pilots in southern Iraq conduct pre-flight checks before training at Contingency Operating Base Basra, Iraq, Sept. 5, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Staff Sgt. Eric Ebner  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Iraqi fighter pilots who have combat experience from the Iran-Iraq War -- some with as many as 800 hours of combat flight time -- worked with soldiers...

White House press secretary Robert Gibbs chastised CNN Friday morning for its reporting on a Coast Guard training exercise on ... ... the Potomac River, which suggested a security incident was in progress in the nation's capital. "Before we report things like this, checking would be good," Gibbs said. Responding directly to a CNN reporter's question about whether the public should have been notified about a training exercise, Gibbs was harshly sarcastic: "If anybody was unnecessarily alarmed based on erroneous reporting that denoted that shots had been fired, I think everybody is apologetic about that." When another journalist noted that...

The initial reports were frightening, the Coast Guard fires shots at a rogue boat in the middle of the Potomac River, just before the President drives by, and right near the Pentagon building on the Anniversary of 9/11. The follow-up provoked anger---it was just a training mission:

FORWARD OPERATING BASE HUNTER, Iraq, Aug. 28, 2009 – Soldiers of 2nd Squadron, 13th Cavalry Regiment’s Task Force “Saber” and Iraqi security forces worked together to provide advanced medical training to Iraqi forces in southern Iraq’s Maysan province. An Iraqi police officer practices applying an intravenous needle on Army medic Spc. Justin Keeling while Army medic Sgt. James Thompson looks on during combat lifesaver training at Forward Operating Base Hunter, Iraq. U.S. Army photo by 2nd Lt. Juan Torres Jr.  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Members of the Majaar al Kabir District Police and 1st Battalion, 41st Iraqi Army...

In August 2007 and June 2008, I wrote monster articles projecting Iraqi Security Forces planned development by 2012 and, in some cases, beyond. I am not going to do that this year. Instead I have been writing separate articles addressing the components of the Iraqi Security Forces: June 30, 2009: Commandos in the ISF June 30, 2009: Iraqi Special Operations Force June 30, 2009: The Iraqi Emergency Response Brigade July 15, 2009: Kurdish Regional Guards: The best OPSEC in Iraq July 20, 2009: Iraqi Federal Police: More than a name change? July 26, 2009: Low on the Iraqi MoI Totem...

EXCLUSIVE: Gen. David H. Petraeus plans to open an in-house intelligence organization at U.S. Central Command this week that will train military officers, covert agents and analysts who agree to focus on Afghanistan and Pakistan for up to a decade. The organization, to be called the Center for Afghanistan Pakistan Excellence, will be led by Derek Harvey, a retired colonel in the Defense Intelligence Agency who became one of the Gen. Petraeus’ most trusted analysts during the 2007-08 counterinsurgency campaign in Iraq. Mr. Harvey distinguished himself in Iraq by predicting that the Iraqi insurgency would spiral out of control, at...

CAMP PENDLETON ---- While artillery men generally consider blowing things up a slice of heaven, the loud booms emanating from Camp Pendleton day and night of late has left many outside the gates saying they are experiencing a slice of hell. "I don't object to noise during normal hours and I don't mind it up until about 10 p.m., but they need to have a little consideration for people who need peace and quiet so they can sleep," said Allen Mortend, a longtime Oceanside resident who lives just outside the base gates. Base officials say they have received dozens of...

FORWARD OPERATING BASE GARRY OWEN, Iraq, Aug. 13, 2009 – U.S. soldiers who attended a recent graduation of Iraqi police say they are pleased with their improvements and that training them has been mutually beneficial. Iraqi soldiers and police render honors during the playing of the Iraqi national anthem as 875 police recruits graduate from Iraqi police basic recruit training in Iraq’s Maysan province, July 30, 2009. U.S. Army photo by 2nd Lt. Frederick F. McAfee III  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. “They always ask us to show them how the Americans do it,” said Army Sgt. 1st Class...

8/10/2009 - CAMP TAJI, Iraq (AFNS) -- A trio of Airmen here are teaching Iraqi air force aerial gunners to defend their crew and cargo against threats. The three Airmen are part of the 721st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron, whose mission is to "train, advise and assist" the Iraqis at the helicopter squadrons. The Iraqi gunners train using PKC machine guns mounted to makeshift metal platforms. "The Iraqi gunners are as integral a part of the crew for their helicopter, as we are for ours back home," said Tech. Sgt. Michael Burt, a flight engineer from Andrews Air Force Base,...

WASHINGTON, July 29, 2009 – Training is at the forefront of the new U.S. advisory role in Iraq, and that includes educating both Iraqis and Americans on everything from cultural awareness to flight skills, military officials say. The Iraqi Defense Ministry’s Ministerial Training and Development Center held its first cultural awareness course July 26 under the direction of Multinational Security Transition Command Iraq – known as MNSTC-I -- for those in the command who are not Iraqi advisors. The center opened in 2007 as a partnership school with Iraqi instructors and U.S. advisors, and hosts a two-day course for new...

Spc. Anthony Wilson, 1st Cavalry Division, instructs two Iraqi Army Soldiers on their new single channel ground and airborne radio system on Forward Operating Base Marez, July 8. Photo by Pfc. Sharla Perrin, 1st Cavalry Division. MOSUL — Coalition forces throughout Ninewa are continuing to support their Iraqi Security Force counterparts through integrated training events such as marksmanship and radio communications. Troops with the 1st Cavalry Division’s operations section trained an Iraqi Army (IA) communications team on the installation and operation of their new vehicle radio communication systems on Forward Operating Base Marez, July 8.The single channel ground and airborne...

CAMP ATTERBURY, Ind., June 12, 2009 – Civilian employees representing various federal departments are being trained here alongside their military counterparts in preparation for deployment to Afghanistan. Army Sgt. Carlos Velasquez radios for medical assistance while Air Force Senior Airman Ashley Jackson delivers medical aid during a training exercise at Camp Atterbury Ind., June 9, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Robert G. Cooper III  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. As part of a broader focus of operations in Afghanistan designed to include both military and civilian assets, more than 20 civilians from the State Department, the Agriculture...

The U.S. General in charge of providing "security" training for the Fatah PA, Keith Dayton, has openly acknowledged what many have suspected all along in regards to this program: The likelyhood of those U.S.-trained Islamists attacking our ally Israel. Glick has more: "... Keith Dayton, who is responsible for training Palestinian military forces in Jordan, indicated that if Israel does not surrender Judea and Samaria within two years, the Palestinian forces he and his fellow American officers are now training at a cost of more than $300 million could begin killing Israelis..." If Israel were to give up Judea and...

Jerusalem — The American military now openly admits providing military training to Palestinian military forces. A U.S. military official, Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, assigned by the United States to be a “security coordinator,” has been appointed to train 1,500 Palestinian military personnel. They will be available for “immediate deployment” in the area between Jenin and Nablus, less than an hour from Israel’s populated coastal plain.

TIKRIT — After three days of training and instruction, Iraqi Policemen (IP) listened intently to questions about first aid, vehicle maintenance and driving tactical vehicles — questions they quickly met with enthusiastic answers, proving what they had learned. Salah ad-Din provincial IP from the 3rd Emergency Response Unit (ERU) here increased their knowledge of these procedures to better serve the citizens of the province. “The training was truly beneficial to me, because in these three days of training, I have learned things that I did not know before,” said Rasool Khalil Esmail, a Policeman with the 3rd ERU. IP from...

COB ADDER — After an intense eight weeks of training, 65 Commandos from the 10th Iraqi Army (IA) Division marched across the Camp Dhi Qar parade field near here signifying the completion of training, May 2. "Training's been hard from the beginning," said Maj. Gregory Stroud, a Military Transition Team chief with the 1st Cavalry Division. "But they worked just as hard and it definitely shows." Stroud worked closely with the Romanian Special Forces from the 26th Infantry Battalion to train the Iraqi Commandos on various tactical skills such as small unit tactics and patrolling. "The U.S. Special Forces have...

4/30/2009 - DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. (AFNS) -- Over the Arizona desert near Tucson, nine student pilots took the "final exam" for a career most people only dream about in April. They are in the final stages of training to become F-16 Fighting Falcon pilots for the Air Force. At the end of 7.5 months of intense F-16 Basic Course Training with the Texas Air National Guard's 149th Fighter Wing in San Antonio, the students participated in Exercise Coronet Cactus at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. "At the end of the course, we bring them out here for two weeks...

BABIL PROVINCE, Iraq, April 30, 2009 – Community leaders, media and coalition representatives gathered for a grand opening to showcase the newly renovated $5.4 million Iskandariyah Vocational Technology Center here April 22. The newly renovated Iskandariyah Vocational Technical Center in Iraq’s Babil province is expected to train and house 4,000 students in a variety of occupational specialties. U.S. Army photo by Alicia Embrey  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Reyad Hassan, executive general manager of Iraq’s Labor Ministry, officiated with the assistance of newly elected Babil provincial leaders. The Iskandariyah Votech and Industrial Complex, 25 miles south of Baghdad,...

Marine Confesses He Witnessed Torture My fellow veterans please forgive me. But I must purge my soul. I only ask that you reserve judgment until you read all of if. I only want peace for all and a world free of torture. What I saw in the military was much worse than water boarding. The prisoners were taken to a 12 foot deep pool. Feet weighted they were forced into the pool. Those who hesitated, were moved onto a plank high above the pool and forced off. They were to stay in this deep water for over an hour feet...

KIRKUK REGIONAL AIR BASE — U.S. Airmen assigned to the 521st Air Expeditionary Advisor Squadron (AEAS) here have begun training Iraqi Airmen to safely and effectively employ precision air-to-ground ordnance using the Hellfire missile capable AC-208 Caravan. The members of Iraqi Air Force (IqAF) Squadron-3 are already fully qualified to fly Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaisance (ISR) missions in the Caravan. The 521st AEAS Airmen are part of the Coalition Air Force Training Team (CAFTT), which is charged with training, advising and assisting Iraqi Airmen to support progressive transition of combat air operations to the Iraqi government. The training for the first...

Tucson's skies will see some extra military jet traffic from mid-April to early May. A dozen F-16 fighters are coming to town from Texas for two weeks of training at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base. The aircraft and aviators, from the 149th Fighter Wing at Lackland Air Force Base, will be here as part of Operation Snowbird, a training program for U.S. military pilots and those from allied nations. The program provides pre-deployment practice in desert and mountain terrain, simulating conditions the pilots may encounter during missions overseas. The sight of F-16s isn't uncommon in Tucson. The 162nd Fighter Wing, an...

CONTINGENCY OPERATING BASE SPEICHER, Iraq, March 24, 2009 – A thunderous boom resounded across the desert as debris and truck parts fell to the earth and Iraqi policemen rushed to the blast scene. Fortunately, this was not a scene at a crowded marketplace, but instead, a training range in Salahuddin province where Iraqi police honed their skills in crime scene investigation in the aftermath of a bomb. During the March 18 training, Iraqi police learned advanced post-blast analysis techniques in the classroom, and then applied the knowledge in a series of coalition-led training exercises. In the final exercise, explosives experts...

WHILE YOU WERE BEING DISTRACTED BY THE AIG SHAM OUTRAGE AND YOUR OWN CLASS ENVY…. the Obamessiah administration continues on with its plans behind the scenes. As we mentioned earlier in the week, The Obamessiah is pushing to community organize all of us into his own league of Socialist Brownshirts. The House passed the “Give Act” on Wednesday. How many GOP members caved and stabbed us in the back this time, you must be asking? 70. Full list of turncoats below the fold. Only one Democrat voted against it - Robert Berry of Arkansas. Kudos to him. The rest of...

Remember this? (see video at link) Obama's vision of a domestic security force "just as strong, just as well funded as our military" ( and presumbly loyal to him personally) just got a lot closer. The House of representatives has just passed HR 1388 otherwise known as the Generations Invigorating Volunteerism and Education (GIVE) Act. This reauthorizes through 2014 the National and Community Service Act of 1990 and the Domestic Volunteer Service Act of 1973, acts that originally, among other programs, funded the AmeriCorps and the National Senior Service Corps. However, it not only reauthorizes the programs, but also includes...

"The U.S. Public Service Academy will be an undergraduate institution devoted to developing civilian leaders for the public sector. Modeled on the military academies, the Academy will offer four years of tuition-free education in exchange for five years of civilian service following graduation. Its mission will be to educate, develop, and inspire civilian leaders who have the character, intellect, and experience necessary to serve the nation honorably and effectively, and who are committed to devoting their lives to public service. The initiative to build the Academy was launched by two Teach For America alumni in the wake of Hurricane Katrina,...

Contained in the Bill: Title VI - Sec. 1604. Duties. (5) The effect on the Nation, on those who serve, and on the families of those who serve, if all individuals in the United States were expected to perform national service or were required to perform a certain amount of national service. (6) Whether a workable, fair, and reasonable mandatory service requirement for all able young people could be developed, and how such a requirement could be implemented in a manner that would strengthen the social fabric of the Nation and overcome civic challenges by bringing together people from diverse...

WASHINGTON, March 16, 2009 – U.S. forces in Iraq are equipping Iraqis with the skills they need to assume a greater role in their nation’s security. A bonfire lights the sky as noncommissioned officers from the 172nd Infantry Brigade welcome 22 graduates of the Blackhawk Warrior Leader Course into the leadership ranks at Forward Operating Base Kalsu, Iraq, March 7, 2009. U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Bethany L. Little  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. An integral part of that process is training, and U.S. forces are arming themselves with knowledge so they, in turn, can help outfit Iraqis...

Only hours before I took a class in order to carry a concealed handgun on Sunday, a man walked into the First Baptist Church of a St. Louis suburb and fatally shot the pastor with a 45-caliber pistol. This was on the same day that a man named Anthony Carter was shot in Chattanooga at the Emma Wheeler Homes and on the very same afternoon that LaTonya Stoudemire was critically stabbed on the city’s Heaton Street. As I studied the others who were taking the firearms class yesterday, it did not appear that a soul among them would shoot a...

MANAMA, Bahrain, March 9, 2009 – U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Boutwell left Karachi, Pakistan, today after a four-day port visit to participate in the international naval exercise Aman 2009, marking the first time a U.S. ship has pulled into Pakistan since May. The 10-day exercise, which began March 5, focuses on air, surface and maritime security training. It includes representatives from 38 countries, as well as ships from 11 nations that include the United States, United Kingdom, Pakistan and Australia. The at-sea portion of the exercise is being conducted primarily in the North Arabian Sea, off the coast of Pakistan....

In a new, year-long University of Pennsylvania survey of dog owners who use confrontational or aversive methods to train aggressive pets, veterinary researchers have found that most of these animals will continue to be aggressive unless training techniques are modified. The study, published in the current issue of Applied Animal Behavior Science, also showed that using non-aversive or neutral training methods such as additional exercise or rewards elicited very few aggressive responses. “This study highlights the risk of dominance-based training, which has been made popular by TV, books and punishment-based training advocates,”Herron said. “These techniques are fear-eliciting and may lead...

WASHINGTON, Feb. 19, 2009 – With U.S. operations in Iraq shifting from providing security to ensuring Iraqi sovereignty, troops there are stepping up their training of Iraqi forces. Iraqi policeman Lt. Ahmed, center, and members of his special weapons and tactics team look on during training at Convoy Support Center Cedar in Iraq’s Dhi Qar province in December 2008. U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. James Jordan  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. U.S. soldiers in southern Iraq in recent days have trained Iraqi forces in everything from special weapons and tactics to criminal investigations to mortar firing. And,...

NAVAL SUBMARINE BASE KING’S BAY, Ga., Feb. 19, 2009 – The officers and enlisted members who serve aboard the U.S. Navy’s Trident strategic missile and guided-missile submarines are elite sailors requiring specialized training and skills. Navy Lt. j.g. Walter McDuffie, assistant operations officer assigned to the Trident ballistic-missile submarine USS Maryland’s “Blue” crew, uses a computerized virtual training program to “direct” his surfaced vessel during a training session at the Trident training facility at Naval Submarine Base King’s Bay at St. Mary’s, Ga., Feb. 18, 2009. DoD photo by Gerry J. Gilmore   (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available....

NEVER-BEFORE-REVEALED TERRORIST TRAINING VIDEO EXPOSES 35 COMPOUNDS ON AMERICAN SOILBy Steve Foley - Posted on February 9th, 2009 Press Release from the Christian Action Network “Act like you are his friend. Then kill him.” – Sheik Muburak Gilani explaining how to kill American infidels Washington, DC—Christian Action Network will show Homegrown Jihad at the Landmark Theater in Washington, DC, on February 11, 2009, at 7:30 pm. There is no charge to attend the viewing. Copies can also be obtained at www.christianaction.org. The American public was never supposed to know. The 2006 Justice Department document that exposes 35 terrorist training compounds...

FORT HUACHUCA — The breakup of Yugoslavia led to the creation of many smaller countries and a time of turmoil. Bosnia and Herzegovina, which was founded in 1992, was one of those nations. Capt. Nedim Kaljanac, a Bosnian army officer attending a course for foreign officers at the Intelligence Center, said his nation was born when politicians used ethnic and religious differences in the region. The death of many people, mostly Muslims, in what has been called an ethnic cleansing led by people such as Bosnian Serb Radovan Karadzic, who hid for a dozen years before being uncovered acting as...

ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 27, 2009 – New York Army National Guard members offered hands-on CH-47 Chinook helicopter training to Canadian air force aircrews readying for deployment at a flight facility here last week. Army Capt. Eric Fritz, left, and Canadian air force Capt. Martin LeFrancois sit in the cockpit of a New York Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter prior to a night flight outside of the Army Aviation Support Facility 2 in Rochester, N.Y., Jan. 20, 2009. Courtesy photo  (Click photo for screen-resolution image);high-resolution image available. Aviation soldiers from the Guard’s Company B, 3rd Battalion, 126th Aviation Regiment, who...

Master buys dog training software. Dog finds training software. Dog decides he needs no bloody training. Dog acts accordingly, destroys it, then goes after master and bites his or her ass.I really don't know if this photo is staged or not. And quite frankly, I don't care, because knowing—and loving—dogs, this is how things should be. At least, if we are talking about Jones here. Screw training, lips be damned. [Dark Roasted Blend]

Iraqi Air Force Warrant Officer Omar Saaed marks the cutting radius of his replacement sheet metal during the aircraft structural maintenance course at Al-Taji Air Base, Nov. 24, 2008. Photo by Staff Sgt. Paul Villanueva II, U.S. Air Forces Central, Baghdad Media Outreach Team. TAJI AIR BASE — U.S. Airmen involved in the rebuilding of a new Iraqi Air Force enjoyed many successes in 2008.  Among those success stories is the Basic Aircraft Maintenance (BAM) Course being conducted at the Iraqi Air Force Training School here.  The course is an entry level aircraft familiarization course covering general aviation, flightline safety...

Spc. Jeremy Mingle, of Homer, N.Y., shows an Iraqi Police officer how to safely and properly enter a building during a training session, Dec. 29, 2008. Photo by Staff Sgt. JB Jaso, 25th Infantry Division. ISTAQLAL — As Coalition forces here continue to transition operational responsibility to the Iraqi Security Forces, Soldiers continue to ensure the Iraqi Police in the Istaqal Qada are ready to protect the residents of this northeast Baghdad region. To that end, 4th Infantry Division, Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers conducted tactical training with their Iraqi Police counterparts, Dec. 29.“We taught them entering and clearing rooms...

12/29/2008 - BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFNS) -- Iraqi firefighters are were more than half-way through the firefighter apprentice course being trained in Baghdad's International Zone before being moved. The class was previously taught at Taji Military Base just north of Baghdad, but the location lacked advanced live fire trainers and had limited capacity for students. "The maximum class size at Taji was 10. In the IZ, we have five extra instructors from civil defense who enable us to teach an additional 24 students for just one class," said Tech. Sgt. Brian Partido, a fire rescue advisor deployed from Little Rock Air...

KABUL, Afghanistan, Dec. 22, 2008 – The effort to train Afghanistan’s security forces got new leadership here Dec. 18 when Army Maj. Gen. Richard P. Formica assumed command of Combined Security Transition Command Afghanistan. Army Maj. Gen. Robert W. Cone returns to the United States after 18 months at the command’s helm. Army Gen. David D. McKiernan, commander of NATO’s International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces Afghanistan, presided over the ceremony at the Kabul International Airport. The ceremony was conducted in partnership with the Afghan Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior. McKiernan awarded Cone with the Bronze Star...

BASRAH — An Iraqi forces’ capabilities demonstration Dec. 19 showed how integrated training can be an effective, efficient way to meet the continuous training needs for a secure Iraq. Iraqi security force commanders led by Maj. Gen. Muhammad Juwd Hwaidi and Coalition leaders witnessed the day’s events at the Basrah Training College in Shaibah, Iraq. The divisional training facility featured displays by the Iraqi Police Service, Department of Boarder Enforcement, Iraqi Army and emergency medical services. “The process has begun for making Shaibah an excellent logistics base for all of the Iraqi Security Forces,” said Lt. Col. David Sosa, Iraqi...

he California Highway Patrol in the High Desert and the Twentynine Palms Marine Base are receiving dozens of calls complaining about a controversial DUI checkpoint. Military Police joined the CHP for a recent checkpoint in Yucca Valley.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 15, 2008 – Iraqi police training continues as the focus moves from a counterinsurgency mission to a routine police mission, a senior Army official said. Army Col. Larry Saunders, director of the Baghdad Police College Transition Team and senior advisor to the Ministry of Interior vice deputy minister for training, spoke to online journalists and bloggers Dec. 12 about the status of the Iraqi national and local police. The training evolution can be split into four stages, Saunders explained, and Iraq is approaching the third stage as it relates to the country having its own policing capability. “I...

U.S. cities are racing to fix security vulnerabilities revealed by the devastating terror attacks in Mumbai, and many hotels remain “sitting ducks,” experts tell Newsmax.

FOB DELTA — Police training operations in Wasit province expanded from focusing in al Kut to include stations in outlying areas, taking advantage of improved security and Iraqi Police capability. Soldiers of the 511th Military Police Company resumed their partnership with stations in the towns of Numaniyah, al Hayy and Shay’k Sa’ad, as well as outlying stations in each district. Following outbreaks of violence in late March, the training operations shifted to focus almost solely on al Kut, the largest city in the province and the center for IP operations. Since Wasit transitioned to Provincial Iraqi Control (PIC) in October,...

Two Bell Jet Ranger 206B helicopters sit ready after passing a government acceptance inspection at Kirkuk Regional Air Base, Iraq, Dec. 4, 2008. Photo by Master Sgt. Andrew Leonhard, 506th Air Expeditionary Group Public Affairs. KIRKUK — Five Bell Jet Ranger 206B helicopters arrived here aboard a C-17 Globemaster III, Dec. 3. The rotary aircraft were shipped over from the United States where they were converted from multiple sources, such as commercial use, for military application to be used as trainers for the Iraqi Air Force. They will later be joined by five more Jet Rangers from Taji to help...