"What we do helps the Defense Ministry," the commander of the
academy, who was not identified, said. "They are in need of the intel we
provide them. All the ministries and directorates are all linked with intel.
Our aim here is to fight terrorism."
"This is the first time Iraqis have been able to create maps," U.S. Army
Staff Sgt. Christopher Donaldson, an adviser to the Iraqi military, said.
"In the past, mapping was hired out to other countries. Having this
capability reduces their dependence on other nations."
Each cadet at the Iraqi Military Intelligence Academy was required to
complete a four-week basic military intelligence course and a five-week
specialty course. Eight of the students were the first to graduate from the
new geospatial and mapping course.
The academy has offered such specialty courses as analysis,
counter-intelligence, human intelligence, low-level voice intercept, and
reconnaissance and surveillance. In 2008, the academy added signal intercept
along with four graduate level courses. The graduate courses were geospatial
and mapping, senior intelligence management, advanced human intelligence and
advanced interrogation.
Officials said the Iraqi Military Intelligence Academy has trained
almost 3,000 personnel since its establishment in 2005. They said that by
2010, the academy would graduate 3,000 cadets per year while faculty would
expand from 24 to 135.
"With each graduation more qualified students go out to the ranks of the
Iraqi army and help accomplish the mission," U.S. Navy Lt. Chance Hill, an
adviser to the intelligence academy said. "As the numbers of graduates grow,
we move that much closer to making a professional Iraqi army."