Iraqi security forces

Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) is the Multi-National Force-Iraq umbrella name for military, paramilitary and civilian law enforcement entities that serve under the Government of Iraq.

The armed forces are administered by the Ministry of Defense (MOD), and the Iraqi Police is administered by the Ministry of Interior (MOI). The Iraqi Security Forces are trained by the Iraqi Government with assistance from Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq. The Iraqi Government and Multi-National Force-Iraq had planned that Iraqi Security Forces will assume full responsibility for providing security for the Iraqi people in at least 13 of 18 Iraqi provinces during year 2008. [http://www.defenselink.mil/pdf/General_Petraeus_Testimony_to_Congress.pdf General Petraeus testimony to Congress, April 8, 2008] ] At the same time, there are concerns regarding readiness and sectarian agendas within the force.

The number of trained and equipped ISF has been an often cited benchmark of progress in the Iraq War. As of September 2008 there were over 600,000 ISF (254,000 military, 340,000 police, plus others). [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/images/stories/Press_briefings/2008/march/080304_pentagon_transcript.pdf Pentagon briefing March 2008] ] [http://www.state.gov/p/nea/rls/rpt/iraqstatus/ US Department of State, Iraq Weekly Status Reports] ] .

History

The Iran–Iraq War ended with Iraq fielding the world's 4th largest military, with more than 70 army divisions and over 800 aircraft in its air force, [ [http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/iraq/army.htm Iraqi Army] GlobalSecurity.org] thanks to funding from the surrounding Gulf states and billions in loans and funding given or secured by the US State Department to support Iraq's war with Iran. [ [http://www.webcom.com/~lpease/collections/hidden/teicher.htm Sworn court declaration of former NSC official Howard Teicher, dated 1/31/95] ] [ [http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB82/ Shaking Hands with Saddam Hussein:The U.S. Tilts toward Iraq, 1980-1984] ] Losses during the Gulf War from the United Nations coalition resulted in the reduction of Iraq's ground forces to 23 divisions and the air force to less than 300 aircraft. Military and economic sanctions prevented Iraq from rebuilding its military power. Iraq maintained a standing military of about 375,000 troops.

In the 1980s and 1990s Iraq built and used an arsenal of chemical and biological weapons, some of which have been alleged to come from the United States. ["U.S. Chemical and Biological Warfare-Related Dual Use Exports to Iraq and their Possible Impact on the Health Consequences of the Persian Gulf War," Senate Committee on Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs with Respect to Export Administration, reports of May 25, 1994 and October 7, 1994] These weapons were ordered destroyed by United Nations order. After a protracted and problematic weapons inspection process, the majority of weapons were considered to be destroyed and facilities sealed under UN weapons inspections. A new round of weapons inspections was performed in early 2003 by United Nations weapons inspectors led by Hans Blix, which searched Iraqi sites again, but found no new weapons. In March 2003 a US-led coalition invaded and occupied Iraq. After a year-long investigation by an American weapons inspections team, headed by David Kay, found no large stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction (though a network of UN-inspected and sealed laboratories did exist).

The Iraqi military was disbanded and the Iraqi Military of Defense was dissolved shortly after the toppling of the Saddam Hussein regime regime in 2003 by Coalition Provisional Authority Order 2 May 23, 2003. On June 25 2003 the Vinnell Corporation was awarded a contract to train the first nine battalions, or 9,000 recruits, of a 44,000 person-strong "New Iraqi Army". In April 2004 an Iraqi battalion refused to fight insurgents in Fallujah, and soon thereafter Major General David Petraeus took over the training mission as he became the commander of the new Multi-National Security Transition Command - Iraq. [http://armedservices.house.gov/pdfs/OI_ISFreport062707/OI_Report_FINAL.pdf The Continuing Challenge of Building the Iraqi Security Forces, Report from the US Congress Armed Serices Committee. June 27, 2007] ] A new force generation plan authorized an end-strength of ten Iraqi army divisions.

During 2006 the Coalition's campaign plan for Iraq called for a small Coalition footprint and a rapid handover of security responsibilities to newly generated Iraqi security forces. It turned out, however, that the ISF were not ready and that the time plan was too optimistic. Even though Iraqi forces had been trained and equipped, they hadn't developed the capabilities needed to plan, conduct and sustain effective counter-insurgency operations. There were also challenges at the ministerial level, within the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Defense. The ministries could not sustain its forces in terms of logistics, intelligence, communications and procurement. [ [http://www.defendamerica.mil/specials/2007/blog/docs/Dempsey_June01_07_transcript.pdf Transcript of interview with Ltd Gen Martin Dempsey, June 1 2007] ] A bi-product of the surge was that it provided the ISF time for training and leadership development, as well as more Coalition partnering units. One of the lessons learned is that the Coalition should not draw down too quickly, according to U.S. Brigadier General Dana Pittard [http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4000 DoD News Briefing with Brig. Gen. Dana Pittard. June 25, 2007] ]

The Iraqi Army launched its first solely planned and executed high-profile division-level operation March 25 2008 with Operation Charge of the Knights. The IA received Coalition support only in air support, logistics and via embedded advisors. Also, a British infantry brigade stationed in Basra were ready in a tactical overwatch role but did not need to intervene. Urban operations are considered to be among the most complex types of warfare.

Force structure

Iraqi security forces are composed of forces serving under the Ministry of Interior (MOI) and the Ministry of Defense (MOD). MOD forces are the army, the navy and the air force. MOI forces are the police, the paramilitary national police and the border enforcement forces. Also, other ministries have Facility Protection Service personnel who act as guards at government buildings and as personal security details to protect ministry officials. [http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pdfs/9010Quarterly-Report-20061216.pdf Measuring Security and Stability in Iraq, November 2006. US Department of Defense Report] ]

Iraqi Army

The Iraqi Army is an objective counter-insurgency force that is currently being developed by the government of Iraq in cooperation with Coalition forces. The force generation plan as of March 2008 includes 13 divisions, each division consisting of 4 brigades. [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=11 The New Iraqi Security Forces, Article on MNF-I website, 20 April 2006] ] The tactic is to provide security and other services on a local level by using infantrymen on dismounted patrols. As insurgents lose the passive or active support from the local population, they will easily be defeated, it is believed.

Light infantry brigades will be equipped with small arms, machine guns, RPGs, body armor and light armored vehicles. Mechanized infantry brigades will be equipped with T-54/55 main battle tanks and BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles. [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=11 The New Iraqi Security Forces, Article on MNF-I website, 20 April 2006] ] The Hungarian Armed Forces have donated 77 Soviet-made T-72 tanks from their own arsenal. The tanks have been refurbished by Hungarian specialists and were delivered in fully battle-ready condition in 2004. Training personnel was also provided to the newly forming Iraqi army. Iraq will also be receiving 120 additional T-72 tanks from Slovakian army reserves. Iraq will be receiving 140 M1A1M tanks in 2009.

Iraqi Navy

The Iraqi Navy is a small force with 800 sailors and marines designed to protect shoreline and inland waterways from insurgent infiltration. The navy is also responsible for the security of offshore oil platforms. The navy will have coastal patrol squadrons, assault boat squadrons and a marine battalion. [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=11 The New Iraqi Security Forces, Article on MNF-I website, 20 April 2006] ] The force will consist of 2,000 to 2,500 sailors by year 2010. [http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/82192.pdf US Department of State, Iraq Weekly Status Report Mars 21, 2007] ]

Iraqi Air Force

The Iraqi Air Force is designed to support ground forces with surveillance, reconnaissance and troop lift. Two reconnaissance squadrons use light aircraft, three helicopter squadrons are used to move troops and one air transportation squadron uses C-130 transport aircraft to move troops, equipment, and supplies. It currently has 3,000 personnel. [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=20&Itemid=11 The New Iraqi Security Forces, Article on MNF-I website, 20 April 2006] ]

Iraqi Police

The primary objective of the Iraqi Police is to safeguard the public and provide internal security at the local level. The Iraqi police is presently mainly focused on counter-insurgency operations, but over time the Iraqi police will improve criminal investigation capabilities including forensic investigative capabilities.

During the Saddam regime, the Iraqi police was used as an instrument to terrorize, intimidate and incite fear into the populace, using torture, threat and murder.Fact|date=July 2008 Today, the new Iraqi police force is tasked with protecting people from such acts. The police course curriculum includes democratic policing, human rights, first aid, police ethics and leadership communications currently there are over 340,000 Iraqi police.

The Iraqi police are equipped with AK-47s, Glock pistols, body armor, pick-up trucks and SUVs. [http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pdfs/9010Quarterly-Report-20061216.pdf Measuring Security and Stability in Iraq, November 2006] ]

Iraqi Police Service (IPS)

The Iraqi Police Service (IPS) is responsible for the day to day patrolling of cities around most crimes. The IPS is recruited locally and generally reflective of the demographic makeup of its neighborhoods.

National Police (NP)

The National Police (NP) is a paramilitary gendarmerie type force designed to bridge the gap between local policing and the army, allowing the MOI to project power across provinces and maintain law and order while an effective community police is developed. Although called police, the force has been trained primarily for military operations.

Because of frequent allegations of abuse and other illegal activities, the government of Iraq decided in the fall of 2006 to reform and retrain all NP units. The NP transformation will yield a police organization capable of performing criminal investigations as well as tactical operations. The transformation includes a reorganization that resulted in replacement of two division headquarters with a National Police Headquarters. [http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pdfs/9010Quarterly-Report-20061216.pdf Measuring Security and Stability in Iraq, November 2006] ]

Weak or corrupt leadership, militia influences and lack of logistical and maintenance sustainment have affected the capabilities of NP units. Initial estimates compiled during NP transformation show that the NP are disproportionately Shia. Recruiting initiatives are targeting Sunnis to improve the diversity of the NP force.

NP units are equipped with small arms, machine guns, pick-up trucks and SUVs. The mechanized battalions are equipped with light armored vehicles. [http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pdfs/9010Quarterly-Report-20061216.pdf Measuring Security and Stability in Iraq, November 2006] ]

Department of Border Enforcement (DBE)

Iraq's borders are controlled by the Department of Border Enforcement (DBE) and the Department of Ports of Entry (POE) collectively. The DBE is manning 405 border structures. There are 14 land points of entry. As of November 2006, there were 28,300 DBE personnel trained, organized into 5 regions, 12 brigades and 38 battalions. Force generation and equipment goals are on schedule for completion by December 2006. [http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pdfs/9010Quarterly-Report-20061216.pdf Measuring Security and Stability in Iraq, November 2006] ]

Facilities Protection Service

There are more than 150,000 Facility Protection Service personnel who work for 26 ministries and 8 independent directorates. Anecdotal evidence suggests that some of them are unreliable and responsible for violent crimes. PM Maliki has announced a reform to consolidate all Facilities Protection Service personnel into a unified organization responsible to the MOI. As of December 2005, the Coalition no longer provides material or logisitcal support to the FPS. [http://www.defenselink.mil/pubs/pdfs/9010Quarterly-Report-20061216.pdf Measuring Security and Stability in Iraq, November 2006] ]

Assuming responsibilities for security

Under the Geneva Convention, the Coalition was obliged to provide security for the Iraqi people after the toppling of the Saddam Hussein regime. After the dissolution of the Coalition Provisional Authority, June 28 2004, the Coalition stayed in country at the request of the Iraqi government and under a UN Mandate to help the fledgling government develop its security forces and fight an insurgency. One mission objective for the MNF-I is an "Iraq that has a security force that can maintain domestic order and deny Iraq as a safe haven for terrorists". The strategy to achieve this is basically to train and equip Iraqi Security Forces and gradually transition security responsibilities to the ISF.

As of November 2007 all of the original ten Iraqi Army divisions have been transferred to an all-Iraqi chain of command. Leadership problems within the National Police have been addressed during the fall of 2006 and early 2007 by replacing National Police commanders. The National Police brigades are currently deployed in Operation Law and Order. Geographically, the ISF are responsible more than 70% of Iraq, including most populated areas. First, ISF will assume responsibility for counter-insurgency operations, with Coalition help in medical evacuations and logistics. In the next step, ISF will develop capacity to sustain themselves.

Developing host-nation security forces is a cornerstone of the United States COIN doctrine. [http://usacac.army.mil/CAC/Repository/Materials/COIN-FM3-24.pdf US Army Counterinsurgency manual, December 2006] ] After a review of the military strategy in the end of 2004, then commanding general of the MNF-I George Casey directed the Coalition forces to shift their focus from fighting insurgents to training Iraqis. [ [http://www.democracyjournal.org/article.php?ID=6534 A Thin Blue Line in the Sand, article by Carter Malkasian. DemocracyJournal, issue #5, Summer 2007.] ] At the time, the insurgency was mainly directed against the occupation and it was believed that if the Coalition would reduce its presence then the insurgency would diminish. Military planners had hoped that national elections would change the perception of being under occupation, stabilize the situation and allow the Coalition to reduce its presence. After national elections in December 2005, however, the insurgency shifted focus from a resistance against the occupation towards sectarian conflict. Accelerated by the Golden mosque bombing in February 2006, the levels of sectarian violence rose dramatically and the security situation deteriorated. In Baghdad a cycle of sectarian violence accelerated in which Al-Qaeda affiliated Sunni insurgents carried out spectacular suicide-bombings in Shia districts and Shia militias retaliated with extrajudicial killings in Sunni districts. [http://www.defendamerica.mil/specials/2007/blog/docs/Kilcullen_Transcript.pdf DoD Bloggers Roundtable Conference Call with David Kilcullen. May 25, 2007.] ] It became evident that Iraqi Security Forces were incapable of putting a lid on the sectarian violence and protect the population, and the MNF-I had to adjust plans for security transition. The commander of the Iraqi Assistance Command, Dana Pittard said June 2007 that the lesson learned is that Coalition forces should not draw down too quickly and that the transitioning of security responsibilities will take time. "I think it will take a couple of years before the Iraqi security forces are going to be able to fully take control of the security situation in Iraq", Pittard said. [http://www.defenselink.mil/transcripts/transcript.aspx?transcriptid=4000 DoD News Briefing with Brig. Gen. Dana Pittard. June 25, 2007] ]

Process of achieving security self-reliance

During 2008 the Iraqi government is projected to assume full responsibility for sustaining security operations and providing security for the Iraqi people in at least 13 of 18 provinces. [http://www.defenselink.mil/pdf/General_Petraeus_Testimony_to_Congress.pdf General Petraeus testimony to Congress, April 8, 2008] ]

In a report to U.S. Congress, the Pentagon reports that its plans for security transition is broken down into four phases:
* Implement Partnerships — MNF-I establish and maintain partnerships across the entire spectrum of Iraqi Security Forces units, from battalion through to ministerial level.
* Iraqi Army Lead (IAL) — Process during which Iraqi Army units progress through stages of capability from unit formation to the ability to conduct counter-insurgency operations.
* Provincial Iraqi Control (PIC) — Iraqi civil authorities satisfy the conditions required to assume control and exercise responsibility for the security of their respective provinces.
* Iraqi Security Self-Reliance — The Government of Iraq achieves PIC (or a combination of PIC and IAL) throughout Iraq; and the Government, through its security ministries, is capable of planning, conducting, and sustaining security operations and forces. [http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/Iraq_Reports/Index.html Measuring Security and Stability in Iraq, May 2006. US Department of Defense Report] ]

The first phase was completed in May 2006. The second phase can be considered complete since all of the original ten IA divisions have transferred to an Iraqi chain of command and are responsible for most of Iraq's battlespace and since Iraqi Army Lead-statistics are no longer included in the U.S. DoD's quarterly reports to Congress. Muthanna was the first province to enter the third phase July 2006. [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/Publications/TWII/060626.pdf This Week in Iraq - MNF-I Newsletter, June 26, 2006] ] Dhi Qar province achieved PIC in September 2006 [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=5573&Itemid=30 MNF-I Press briefing, September 14, 2006] ] and Najaf achieved PIC in December 2006. [ [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=8272&Itemid=21 An Najaf now under Provincial Iraqi Control, MNF-I press release, Thursday, 21 December 2006] ] Maysan province achieved PIC status on April 18, 2007. [ [http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,266663,00.html FOXNews.com - Four Blasts Rock Baghdad, Kill More Than 180 - International News | News of the World | Middle East News | Europe News ] ] The three provinces of the Kurdish region - Dahuk, Irbil and Sulaymaniyah provinces - achieved PIC status on May 30, 2007. [ [http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/85943.pdf US Department of State, Iraq Weekly Status Report May 30, 2007.] ] Karbala province achieved PIC October 29, 2007 [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7066886.stm BBC News - U.S. hands over Karbala to Iraqis] ] , Basra province achieved PIC December 15, 2007 [ [http://www.mnf-iraq.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15879&Itemid=21 "Joint Statement on the Transfer of Security Responsibility for Basra Province", MNF-I Press Release December 16, 2007] ] , Qadisiyah achieved PIC July 15, 2008, [ [http://www.voanews.com/english/2008-07-16-voa10.cfm Multinational Force Transfers 10th Province to Iraqi Control, Voice of America, 16 July 2008] ] and Anbar achieved PIC status September 1, 2008. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7591111.stm US hands over key Iraqi province, BBC News, September 1, 2008] ]

The third phase is to a large extent dependent upon the readiness of local police and local governance. Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRT), with personnel from the US Department of State, US Department of Justice and MNF-I are active in all provinces to assist in developing governance capabilities.

The phases are not strictly sequential, for example Muthanna went from phase one directly to phase three. The Iraqi government and MNF-I form the Joint Committee to Transfer Security Responsibility (JCTSR), which assesses when conditions permit handing over security responsibilities to the ISF. JCTSR assesses conditions in four areas: security situation, readiness of the ISF, readiness of local governance and working relations with MNF-I. [http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/Iraq_Reports/Index.html Measuring Security and Stability in Iraq, May 2006] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/gangsofiraq/view/ Frontline: Gangs of Iraq]
* [http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_pubs/task,view/id,3293/type,1/ Iraqi Force Development in 2006, by Anthony H. Cordesman and William D. Sullivan]
* [http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/11/20051130.html Fact Sheet: Training Iraqi Security Forces, The White House]
* [http://www.defenselink.mil/home/features/Iraq_Reports/Index.html Measuring Security and Stability in Iraq, Quarterly reports from the US Department of Defense to US Congress.]