Iraqi intelligence driving the future of Iraq's security Published Feb. 22, 2011 By Staff Sgt. Keith Mack 721st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron CAMP TAJI, Iraq -- As U.S. Forces in Iraq continue to draw down and prepare for the scheduled U.S. end of mission Dec. 31, 2011, Airmen in the 721st Air Expeditionary Advisory Squadron continue to hand over the reigns of helicopter operations to their Iraqi Army Aviation Command counterparts. One of the driving functions within the IqAAC is their intelligence operations, which has come a long way since the days of relying on U.S. intelligence to support their operations. "They're now able to correlate and brief force protection issues and threats to Iraqi air operations with little to no assistance from us," said Capt. Michael Werre, 721st AEAS intelligence air advisor who is deployed from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. The working relationship between the IqAAC intelligence and IqAAC pilots has proven key in their mission successes. Both elements have learned to take raw intelligence, analyze it and turn it into an actionable product. One recent success occurred when they performed their own full-mission debrief, created a mission report and sent the information to the Iraqi Ministry of Defense for action. "The Iraqi intelligence dedication to the mission and to improvement made it easy for us to train and assist them in the right direction," Captain Werre, who hails from Upper Sandusky, Ohio, said. "They've made huge steps. They take the training to heart that we've provided and apply it to everyday operations." The 721st AEAS advisors' work has paid off as they continue to see Iraqi intelligence producing consistent and reliable products. Additionally, IqAAC intelligence personnel have worked hard to integrate their work into Iraqi Special Operations Forces training exercises and have become a valuable piece in the ISOF training. This is a huge step in the right direction. Iraqi intelligence products will not only save lives, but will also advance the proficiency level of the special operations, counter-terrorism and aviation communities. The synergy provided by the intelligence piece has been used to plan and carry out ISOF training missions successfully for months now. Although the Iraqi intelligence mission has vastly improved overall, there are still shortfalls in the intelligence cycle. "They still have some intelligence gaps that need to be filled. Iraqi information and intelligence data sharing still needs some work across the entire board. This would allow more of their operations to be intel driven, fill some of those gaps and cut down on duplicated work," said Captain Werre. Fortunately, the Iraqis have stepped up to the plate and continue to work diligently toward the sustainability of their intelligence mission past the December 2011 U.S. withdrawal date.