Iraq has accelerated military procurement, including requesting
information on the U.S.-origin F-16 multi-role fighter. Officials said the
Defense Ministry has drafted a plan for military modernization by 2020.
The U.S. military, with more than 145,000 troops in the country, has
reported significant improvement in the Iraqi police. Officials said the
U.S. military has reversed its position as late as January 2008 that the
Iraqi police be disbanded amid a determination that it was infiltrated by Al
Qaida and Iranian-sponsored militias.
"There has been a remarkable turnaround," U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Frank
Helmick, responsible for training the Iraqi forces, said. "They are now an
aggressive bunch."
So far, the Interior Ministry has formed a police force of 560,000
officers. The size has enabled Iraq to assume security responsibility for 11
of the nation's 18 provinces.
Officials said the military and police were in greatest need of
logistics and a junior and mid-level command. They said the military has
extended basic combat training from five to eight weeks.
At the same time, Iraqi soldiers and police officers were being
instructed on modern logistics. The military and police have been operating
on the "train-the-trainer" model that would eventually place the effort in
Iraqi hands. The Iraqis have already begun implementing a repair, logistics
and training system.
"The IA [Iraq Army] is taking responsibility for the supplying of
uniforms to the IA soldiers," British Army Brig. Johnny Torrens-Spence.
In September, more than 170 senior logisticians and Iraqi advisers
gathered to discuss ways to improve military logistics. The soldiers came
from battalion, division and brigade levels to brief the military leadership
on training, maintenance and issues occurring in their areas of operation.
"We gathered everybody from across theater to check the progress of our
logistics partnership initiative," Col. Ronald Pulignani, an adviser to the
Iraqi military, said. "Everyone left better informed and ready to move the
logistics partnership initiative forward."