Written by Maj. Pete Schnobrich Iraq Training and Advisory Mission - Air
Saturday, February 26, 2011 BAGHDAD — The Iraq Training and Advisory Mission - Air has committed significant effort in the rebuilding of the Iraqi air force and Iraqi Army Aviation Command into credible and sovereign fighting forces. One of the main paths along this effort is establishing a basic ground attack capability from both fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.
An Iraqi Air Force AC-208 Cessna Caravan aircrew launches a Hellfire missile at a target on the Aziziyah Training Range south of Baghdad. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Brandon Bolick)
The experience of the U.S. Air Force in the last eight years operating in support of security operations can be focused on one common theme - the detailed integration of airpower with ground forces. That is essential to security operations. Advisors are approaching future operations for all branches of the Iraqi military no differently.
Throughout the past year, ITAM-Air's advisors have made progress exposing Iraqi leadership to the philosophy that joint integration between forces is the only way to effectively assist security operations. This concept is new to the Iraqi military, particularly when it comes to the operational and tactical employment of forces.
The IqAF and IqAAC have displayed a desperate need for advocates of airpower. ITAM-Air's joint air operations integration team has been spearheading this effort throughout the past year. While aircraft capabilities grow, so does the interest and desire of the Ministry of Defense to tap into these resources. This most frequently comes in the form of daily intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions.
Most recent developments revolve around ground attack, where Iraqi special operators work directly with IqAF attack aircraft to ensure the safe and effective employment of weapons in support of ground forces. Iraqi airpower is a long way from executing these mission sets as efficiently as the U.S. military, yet advisors see their efforts to build a joint Iraqi military from the ground up as setting a solid foundation for joint operations in Iraq.
While the ability to bring weapons to bear on the enemy is one part of capability, delivering these effects while minimizing collateral damage is another. The U.S. military has learned these concepts the hard way over the past decade. Advisors are not willing to let their Iraqi counterparts make the same mistakes. Common sense tells us the easiest way to avoid collateral damage is to avoid kinetics altogether. When they are required, the U.S. Air Force has found the solution in highly accurate weapons specifically tailored to meet the desired effects of the ground commander.
Advisors are working to establish a similar attack capability for the IqAF and IqAAC to mitigate undesirable second-order effects. The Iraqi precision attack capability is in its infancy, with the IqAF having successfully fired two AGM-114 Hellfire missiles during training. For IqAAC, the next step is establishing initial operational capability with their newest attack helicopter, the EC-635. The next big step for the IqAF is to develop and refine joint tactics, techniques and procedures to support security operations.
The IqAF has been refining their capabilities through daily training missions. Although effective and successful training is essential to any basic capability, it only gets them halfway. It is a challenge for Iraq, given their limits in manpower and equipment, to be able to provide either airborne or on-call airpower 24/7.
These limitations, combined with the Iraqi tendency for highly centralized command, means the IqAF and IqAAC traditionally operate more rigidly rather than flexibly. Advisors have been working hard to increase Iraqi flexibility in order to more rapidly respond to operational requests.
A recent victory for advisors is the delegation of some command authority to the Iraqi air operations center to conduct mission support for short notice security operations. Additionally, advisors have been working diligently to increase the flexibility of IqAF and IqAAC through the forward deployment of aircraft to support operations more directly.
While the IqAF and IqAAC have room to become more agile and responsive, the principles of command and control that have been instituted by advisors are paving the way toward a more flexible fighting force.
Through the course of the year, ITAM-Air will continue to refine these ground attack capabilities alongside their Iraqi brethren. Each and every day the IqAF and IqAAC leadership surprise their advisors with their dedication and proactive ingenuity. With end of mission quickly approaching, advisors will not see all the fruits of their labor, yet it is easy to see how the foundation and guiding principles of the IqAF and IqAAC have taken shape.
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