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Looking back, forging ahead, ITAM-AF commander's review of 2010

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Randy Redman
  • 321st Air Expeditionary Wing Public affairs
BAGHDAD --  There is no doubt that the mission in Iraq is complicated. 2010 saw the end of combat operations, and the increased emphasis on rebuilding a self-sustaining Iraqi Air Force. On February 17, 2010, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced that as of Sept. 1, 2010, the name "Operation Iraqi Freedom" would be replaced by "Operation New Dawn."

The name change wasn't simply lip service by politicians eager to please the American public. It meant a change in focus designed to strengthen the Iraqi government, and bring its military back up to par, providing safety and security for the people of Iraq.

During 2010, Brig. Gen. Scott Hanson was the Iraq Training and Advisory Mission (Air Force) director, and 321st Air Expeditionary Wing commander. Those combined organizations are responsible for mentoring, advising and training the Iraqi air force, advancing their foundational airpower capabilities to command and control precision strike; battlefield mobility; intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, and basic air defenses. General Hanson conducted strategic level coordination with senior U.S., NATO and Iraqi leadership, to include the Minister of Defense and the Iraqi Air Force commander.

General Hanson said when he was first advised that he was being considered for this position, he knew very little about the organizations, or the mission in Iraq. He spent the next four months preparing for his new job, including a trip to Iraq to learn as much as he could.

"I realized that the organizations were maturing and changing," said General Hanson, adding that one aspect of that change was the training curriculum for airmen.

The IqAF continues to bring in new personnel for training in multiple aviation disciplines, from fighter pilots to heavy-airlift loadmasters, and helicopter door-gunners. However, because English is the universal language of aviation, the single biggest obstacle is the lack of English verbal-communication skills.

Thanks to Iraq's desire to bolster their ranks, those language skills were a high priority for air advisors. There are now two locations where the Defense Language Institute has established intense training programs for English. Al Taji Army Airfield, located Northwest of Baghdad, and Tikrit Air Base, which is West of the city of Tikrit on the Tigris River. Tikrit also happens to be home to the newly re-established IqAF College.

The Iraqi brigadier general who was named commandant began by asking ITAM-AF for the basic necessities for the school, i.e.: dormitory buildings, a dining facility, classroom materials, and the medical capacity to treat sick cadets.

"We went out, and through a variety of different programs offered by USF-I, we were able to fill out those priorities for the commandant," said General Hanson. "That was a significant milestone for the Iraqi Air Force, and our folks played a large role in making that happen. We continue to provide assistance in the day-to-day operations and management at that institution."

During the reopening ceremony of the college, Defense Minister Abd-Al-Qadir Al-Ubaydi said he was expecting the facility to produce a new generation of Iraq pilots, adding, "We are turning a new page in the history of the Iraqi Air Force."

That history also includes the establishment of new processes in the new IqAF Air Operations Center in Baghdad and Sector Operations Center at Ali AB. General Hanson said in their air operations center, the Iraqis started out using very rudimentary processes, organization methods, and communications architecture. However, they were able to manage a fairly robust flying schedule even with those processes, commanding an average of 350 sorties each week.

One major milestone which demonstrated the IqAF's operational capabilities was during the national election. The Iraqis took what had been a very rudimentary plan, and transformed it into a very sophisticated plan-in scope and size. The plan going into the day was a doubling of any effort the Iraqi's had ever flown on a single day in their newly recreated air force. Originally planning to fly 103 missions, Iraqi pilots ended up flying 128.

"There were no advisors flying on those aircraft - it was a 100 percent Iraqi show, and they were very proud of that accomplishment," said General Hanson.

Another reflection of their operational development came with the December Ashura Pilgrimage in Karbala. During the Shi'ite Muslim religious festival in December, rotary and fixed-wing aircraft with the use of full-motion video provided 24-hour support, linked with the Middle Euphrates Operations Center in central Karbala, and were able to provide air support, ensuring the security of millions of Iraqis traveling to holy sites.

"They (IqAF and IqAAC) were tasked by the Government of Iraq with this mission and have proven the ability to command and control, and once again demonstrated they are able to do it on their own," said Lt. Col. Thomas Nelson, ITAM-AF, Chief Advisor to the AOC.

At the strategic level - where air advisors were helping the Iraqis organize, train and equip their growing force - the Iraqi processes and experience were not comparable to the processes that American military forces use. For example, where the USAF uses a five-year budgeting plan, the Iraqis currently budget only one year out.

"They had a strategic plan, but it didn't have the fidelity to allow them to plan that far ahead. I have advisors with a broad range of experience from technical experts to staff-level mentors that assist as the Iraqis formulate long-term plans for the Air Force," said General Hanson.

Another significant change was the 321 AEW and ITAM-AF move from the International Zone to Camp Striker on the Victory Base Complex. The move put ITAM-AF advisors in close proximity to their Iraqi counterparts just a few miles away as they worked together to increase IqAF operational effectiveness.

Throughout the year, the planned December 2011 "End of Mission" loomed on the horizon with a quickening pace, along with the need to prepare the IqAF to assume more operational capabilities for internal security and to meet external threats to Iraqi national security.

Looking ahead as the "End of Mission" draws ever closer, air advisors' recommendations cover a broad spectrum of topics to ensure the IqAF is able to build a credible, self-sustaining force.

"If someone told me a year ago that I would have a hard time leaving after a year-long deployment. I would not have believed them. I have made many friends here, US Airmen and Iraqis alike," said General Hanson. "There are still many challenges ahead, and answers to questions that will not be easy to come by. However, I have the utmost confidence that the friendships forged by Airmen working every day will ensure long-term success in Iraq."