Grice, deployed with the 321st Expeditionary Advisory Squadron, has been
part of a U.S. effort to teach the Iraq Air Force to assume responsibility
for the nation's air space. The effort has included training of air traffic
control operations in a course given at Camp Taji, Middle East Newsline reported.
The course contains 16 Iraq Air Force cadets. The Iraqis have been
divided into two groups and were taught basic air traffic control and relating
skills, including responsibility for the tower at Taji. Taji has the
busiest military air traffic control facilities in northern Iraq.
U.S. advisers have reported significant language and cultural gaps in
combat training courses. They said they often succeed by simply repeating
the same motions until they are copied by their Iraqi students.
In more advanced areas, such as air traffic control, comprehension has
been regarded as vital. Advisers said the consequences of misunderstanding
could mean an air collision.
"The accountability of an air traffic controller is huge because they're
responsible for providing safe, expeditious and orderly air traffic services
to all aircraft in order to prevent collisions while also issuing pilot
advisories and separating aircraft both on ground and in the air to prevent
collisions and to ensure their landing areas are free of vehicles and
personnel," Grice said.
The U.S. military has sought to teach English to Iraqi cadets before
they advance to air training. But the advisers acknowledged that often Iraqi
cadets, despite reaching a high level of understanding, become lost when
technical terms and concepts are introduced.
"Having a regular conversation with our students is easy," Grice said.
"It's the technical communication that is the most difficult to work out."
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