JANUARY 31, 2019, Baghdad, Iraq – Teamwork is an essential skill which is taught from childhood and further refined as an adult. Everything from participation in organized sports, to weekend business retreats focus on building the collective’s skill through communication and teamwork.
The simple idea of teamwork is where U.S. air advisors with the Coalition Aviation Advisory and Training Team came up with the idea for Iraqi military integration training.
The training, which included units from the Iraqi Army Aviation, Iraqi Air Force, Iraqi Army, as well as evaluators assigned to the CAATT, underscored the importance of multi-service integration to rapidly respond to a unit in need of backup.
“The Iraqi military did a great job planning and executing the training,” said Tech. Sgt. Andrew Dynan, a C-130 loadmaster and air advisor with the 770th Air Expeditionary Advisor Squadron. “The idea was to integrate the Iraqi Air Force’s strike, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance as well as mobility assets to rapidly deploy their Army special operations forces.”
At the core of the exercise was Squadron 23, an Iraqi C-130J unit, stationed in Baghdad, Iraq.
Squadron 23 was essential in delivering ground forces and equipment, including Humvees, to the unit in need of backup.
“I wanted to give experience to my whole squadron,” said Brig. Gen. Dheyaa Alrubaye, the Squadron 23 commander. “Without transportation from a C-130, the army cannot get where they need to go and the mission will fail. We are essential to mission success.”
Throughout the training, air advisors looked for the Iraqi military to coordinate requirements between branches.
“The coordination between our air force and army is very important. We learned how to make contact with them and help them with what they need,” said Dheyaa. “At the same time our army did not know the exact support our air force can provide in a conflict. This training helped both of us learn to work together.”
As with any new training, forces initially failed to communicate with each other and the core mission was lost in the confusion.
“In my experience with any training, if you do it more than one or two times you gain the experience and learn from before,” said Dheyaa. “Then when a real mission comes you have practiced it before and can complete your task successfully.”
The air advisors were there along every step of the way to guide the Iraqis when needed and they provided their expertise when an opportunity called for it.
“The first time we did this there were a lot of leaders telling their troops what to do, but there was very little crosstalk,” said Dynan. “However, it only took us pointing this out one time and they improved dramatically. The second time we practiced you could see a huge improvement and things went much smoother.”
While this training was geared toward the Iraqi military, U.S. air advisors walked away from the experience having learned a few things.
“What I saw while observing the Iraqi forces during the training was determination and grit,” said Dynan. “If there was a way to get things done, they would do it without hesitation. To these guys the mission came first, that was clear from the beginning of the exercise.”
This mobility training strengthened the bonds between Iraqi military services by underscoring the importance of communication and crosstalk.
However, by working with U.S. air advisors this training also strengthened the U.S.-Iraqi military relationship which could pay dividends later.
“My goal is for one day my C-130 squadron, Squadron 23, to operate at the same level as an American C-130 squadron,” said Dheyaa. “We will reach that level one day and when we do, we will support the fight along our American partners to complete the mission!”
Story by Capt. Elias Zani
Combined Joint Task Force – Operation Inherent Resolve