MY LAST TWO YEARS
Hello, my name is Scott. I am a retired Cop with 26 years of service and a Marine with 1 tour in Viet Nam. I moved to Las Vegas in 1999 after I retired and married a wonderful lady and have a home in Henderson.
For the last two years I have served in Iraq as a civilian contractor training, monitoring and mentoring the Iraqi Police. This is why I am here today, to pass on my experiences of the past two years in hopes that it may be of value to you in your work here.
How can this help you? Whether you realize it or not, we are at war. I am not using this as a talking point or some political catch phrase. I am stating a simple fact of present day life. The USA is in a state of war and every American is subject to attack at any time, in any place and using weapons and tactics of terror. You may not recognize it at this moment, just as we did not recognize it on the 11th of September when the World Trade Center was attacked and completely destroyed with the loss of over 2000 lives. The devastation that day was greater than that of Pearl Harbor on December 7th 1941. But we are at no less risk of being destroyed as a nation, a society and as individuals than we were in World War II.
But make no mistake; this war is unique in our history. In the past we have fought wars against a visible enemy with national boundaries and recognizable military formations in the uniforms of their nations military. Today we face an enemy who hides in the shadows, who is of many nationalities, that no nation will claim as representative of them or under their command or control. This is an enemy engaged in the use of unrestricted tactics whose goal is not to capture and hold a piece of ground; but to create terror for the sake of terror. The USA is a signatory of the Geneva Conventions governing the waging of war, but the enemy is not. He recognizes no authority except Allah and his perceived spokesmen; Ayatollah Khomeini was the beginning followed by Bin Laden, Zarqawi and Zawahiri. Before them were the Muslim Brotherhood, Black September, Al Fatah, Hamas, Hezbollah, al Quaida and a multitude of others. They all share one common goal, the destruction of the western world and the reestablishment of the world Caliphate.
What have I been doing? I have been a civilian contractor to the Department of State and the International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Agency in Iraq. I worked through the Civilian Police Assistance and Training Team (CPATT) and in conjunction with the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team (CMATT) to train mentor and monitor the Iraqi Police Service.
Our mission was to create, from the ground up, a professional police force capable of maintaining order and enforcing the law. In general, a normal police force seen in every nation. But the mission changed with the addition of being able to fight the destabilizing forces now seen on a daily basis. It evolved from a simple policing force to a paramilitary force engaged in daily combat in a military setting.
The Iraqi Police face challenges far beyond the normal police functions of maintaining order and enforcing the law. They face combat no different than any military engagement. They are divided by religious, cultural, historical and political factors that an American Police Officer can only imagine. They not only have to concern themselves about being killed in the line of duty, they also have to worry about their families being assassinated or kidnapped. And one of the most important factors that American Law Enforcement has going for them does not exist there. In the USA, you can depend on other members of your department to be there for you and to cover your back. In Iraq, you must worry about your partners being part of the insurgency who will kill you when given the chance.
Adding to all this is the morass of politics at the local and national levels. The politics make it impossible for the Iraqi Police to receive the most rudimentary logistical or administrative support. Uniforms and equipment are supplied not by their own system, but by the coalition. Gasoline for the patrol vehicles is either purchased by the officers out of pocket, supplied by the coalition or simply extorted from roadside vendors. Payroll issues are slow if ever to be resolved. Command structure is passive at best and in most cases ineffective. Overall, the only way anything is accomplished is by the direction of the coalition.
Geographically, and as far as the climate, Iraq is very much like Nevada. The large majority of the country is dry desert of sand and dust. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers are the centers for the majority of the population. However, the northern part of Iraq is mountainous and in some areas not nearly as desolate as the rest of the country. Temperatures that I have personally been subject to have ranged from a "hair dryer" 140 F to a moist and humid 48 F. The rainy season is generally from November to March. The high ambient temperatures are difficult to operate in, but the sun, even at lower 120 F, will kill if you aren’t careful.
There are three primary regions to Iraq. The south is predominantly Shia’a. It has large oil reserves and the only sea port. Central Iraq is mostly Sunni with minimal oil reserves, but the center for Government, finances and administration. The north is Kurdish. It also has large oil reserves but has a history of suppression by both the Sunni and Shia’a populations. They are part of a large ethnic group that is spread over Iraq, Iran, Turkey and into several of the old Soviet Union states to the north. They have a history of long-term struggle to create an independent nation from the Kurdish regions of these countries. This adds more problems both domestically and internationally.
The people of Iraq take great joy in reminding the world that the confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers is generally seen as the "Cradle of Civilization" dating back more than 5,000 years. Names like Nebuchadnezzar, Xerxes, Babylon, Babel, Hamurabi, Noah and Daniel are part of Iraq. To this day archeological sites litter the countryside like roadside rest stops in the USA. Sadly, the security situation has brought exploration and excavation of most of these sites to a halt.
The people of Iraq are a curiosity to most Americans. Most Americans hierarchy of loyalties begins with self then goes to family, to friends, to religion and then to nation. In Iraq it is different. It begins with religion, then family, clan, tribe, self and far down the list nation. This makes it much easier for fractionalization to occur along several lines that make it hard for a national sense to form.
The three largest groups are divided along religious line; Sunni, Shia’a and Kurd. All are Muslim, but all have been contending with each other for nearly 1500 years. And each has its own goals, fears and beliefs. There are many other much smaller groups such as Christians and even Jews. They are not an active part of the conflict. They are in a bunker down mode and waiting to see what happens.
Individually the Iraq people are very open, hospitable and warm. I have had many invitations to return after the security situation is resolved to be a guest in their homes. My first Christmas in Iraq was spent at an Iraqi Army base. There were only 13 of us training a brigade of special police; 1500 men. They didn’t know the fine details about Christmas and the details of how we celebrated the holiday. But the Officers and NCOs got together and kicked in from their meager pay to buy us small presents that they presented to us Christmas morning. When you are away from home, in a combat environment and among people who do not share your religious beliefs this can be a very big thing.
When you deal with them as a group things are much different. These groups can be of professional, religious, political or any of several other orientations. Depending on the history, ideology or goals of the group the relationship can be that of cooperation or combat, or anywhere along this spectrum.
Iraqis perceive Americans as anything from friends to vermin to be destroyed. The problem is you are never completely sure where along this line an individual places America. All Iraqis want to see the occupation end. But the vast majority also realize that if we were to just pick up and leave there would be a blood bath of epic proportions. They want us out, but not until the security situation is clear. Recent fighting has been between the different Iraqi factions. The American military has been attacked when they are put in the middle of these groups, that is the reason for the recent spike in American casualties. For every American that is killed there are 15 to 20 Iraqis killed by Iraqis. Since Spring my team has been recovering from 2 to 6 bodies of assassinated Iraqis a day; and that in just a small area north of Baghdad. This is much higher than the 1 to 4 American KIAs a month in the same area.
We must use interpreters to communicate with the Iraqis. All are college educated and come from middle class Iraqi backgrounds. I have had the chance to talk to most of these people about the USA and how they see us. Most want to emigrate to the USA and are actively pursuing student and work visas to the USA. I have even had several of them ask me to sponsor them in this.
Culturally, Iraqis are part of a very authoritarian society. Individual responsibility, initiative and proactivity are rare in their culture. The family is totally patriarchal. After the family come the clan and the head of the clan. Then the tribe and the Sheik who leads that tribe and most of the non-tribal peoples in a given geographical area. Each of these social organizations have a system of obligations and responsibilities going up and down the chain. Because of this complex system the individual becomes less important and has less freedom of action. This affects everyday life to a scale unknown in America. One day I was checking a renovation work site and found a welder sitting next to a tower he had been working on. He was just sitting back drinking Chai. When I asked him why he wasn’t working he told me that he had been assembling cross braces to the tower. He found one that was cut 3" too short and he was waiting for the boss to tell him what to do next. He knew how to fix the problem and had the tools and materials to do so. But even so, he would do nothing until told to do so by the boss. Even more frustrating, he would not go looking for the boss to ask him about the problem, he was waiting for the boss to come by on his regular rounds checking the job site.
So much for the background that I was working in there. Now to the job. After the invasion the coalition found itself with a country without any of the basic institutions needed to run it, an infrastructure in shambles, the old systems of control gone and the national leaders either running and hiding, under arrest or otherwise missing. The option of just getting back on the planes and ships and leaving was not one we could choose in any good conscience. We were left with building a nation from the scraps left. My part was to help create a Police Force. Not to reorganize one, but to create one from whole cloth.
We began with what little was left. A few police stations that could be described at best as in shambles. If you remember the first few months that there were numerous reports of attacks on police stations where the police cut and ran. This was because they had no weapons or ammunition and no support or protection from the coalition. If you have 5 men on duty, no arms, no ammunition even if you had arms and were attacked by a dozen men with automatic weapons and RPGs, I am willing to bet that the option of retrograde movement would be your first and immediate choice.
When we were able to finally arm and train the police they did stand and defend their positions. When the AIF saw this, the attacks on the stations became fewer and much less lethal. Mainly the AIF would restrict themselves to sniper and indirect fire attacks (mortars and rockets).
What about the individual Police officer? Let me give a general snapshot of the average Iraqi Police Officer. He is generally in his early to mid 20s. He is married, very religiously oriented, family oriented, educated to the approximate level of an American 8th grade. He is part of a Patriarchal system that places the man over the woman. He has not been raised to act as an individual and responds best as part of a group. His daily life is one of general tension worrying about being killed commuting to and from work, seeing his family kidnapped and or killed. He has had 5 weeks of basic police training. His government is untrustworthy and ineffective. His loyalties are divided between his job, his family, his tribe, his clan, his religion and his own conscience. He faces ambush and roadside bomb attacks. He receives threats against not only himself, but everyone close to him. He works 24-hour shifts and his duties are at best unclear. His command and leadership structure is at best inept and at worst corrupt and allied with those who are killing him and his partners.
But they still line up at recruiting drives. Even though desertion and UA are a very serious problem, the majority of them still show up for duty. When given effective leadership they respond well within the limits of their training and experience. They want to work, but everything in their system is against them. This is the greatest barrier to creating an effective police service in Iraq.
The answer to all this? There is no quick and easy solution to this situation. What we are doing now is not working. There must be a complete reexamination of the strategy, goals and basic structure of the Iraqi Police service. The Iraqi command and leadership system must be given a 100% review and those who are not producing the results need must be sent packing. The National government, right up to the Prime Minister, must be held accountable for the failures within their system.
We are at war, and I have spent the last two years as a part of that war. If we lose there, then you WILL see roadside bombs, suicide bombs and a program of kidnapping and assassination in our future.
