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Iraq
Champ to send 400 additional advisors to Iraq
2015-06-10
[The Hill] The Obama administration is planning to send about 400 additional trainers to Iraq to train Iraqi forces against the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, according to the New York Times.
As with the British training contingent going to Iraq that we noted recently, it assumes that the problem is that the Iraqi troops just need more training. We've been doing that all along, and the result was that the Iraqi army broke and ran when it confronted ISIS. The problem isn't training. The problem is that the average Iraqi isn't willing to fight for Iraq. The Shi'a militias that now confront ISIS are fighting for Shiastan, and the Kurds are fighting for Kurdistan, but none of them are fighting for Iraq.
The decision comes after an embarrassing defeat of Iraqi forces at Ramadi last month to the terrorist group, prompting the administration to reconsider its training and equipping program for Iraqi forces.

Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Iraqi forces in Ramadi had lacked the "will to fight," and Sunni tribal fighters there had complained of not receiving any training or equipment from the central government.
Posted by:Besoeker

#13  Spot on. I remember the handful of Marines sent to guard the perimeter of the base at Da Nang. '65 I believe.
Posted by: borgboy   2015-06-10 18:41  

#12  Kicking the can is not a strategy.
Posted by: Pappy   2015-06-10 18:35  

#11  All you commenters have missed the big picture. Mr Pres now has, and has just disclosed, his grand strategy to defeat ISIS.
Posted by: irishrageboy   2015-06-10 15:49  

#10  Why is it that the first thing I think after seeing this headline is "Champ to send 400 potential bargaining chips to Iraq"?
Posted by: DarthVader   2015-06-10 14:47  

#9  Send Holder and Lerner and a few others to help them out.
Posted by: rjschwarz   2015-06-10 14:26  

#8  prompting the administration to reconsider its training and equipping program for Iraqi forces

Two lies and a canard in that one.

I remember a friend who retired and went to work for Vinnel Corp. in the Magic Kingdom back in the 1980's.

I was peripherally involved with the Saudi Navy back then as well (not as a contractor.) The sailors and the ratings were reasonably competent*. It was the officers, and especially the "command" ranks that were... lacking.

* It rather helped that the sailors are pretty much stuck with their ships. Sauds had, and may still have, a habit of recruiting from the coasts and then assigning sailors to the coast opposite wherever they called home.
Posted by: Pappy   2015-06-10 11:27  

#7  Wince your left eye, and you see this is an iranian phase. Wince both, and it is also a hedge against the Kurds.

As for GI Iraq, tough to run a post route into 3-4 defense when you know the coach has a wager on the other team winning.

And I think Matt has a damn fine question.
Posted by: swksvolFF   2015-06-10 10:31  

#6  Waitasec! The Iraqui phase is closed. Isn't it? Didn't the Chosen One say so?

"Real war or police action, dead is still dead!"
Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839   2015-06-10 09:57  

#5  By the way: whatever happened to that famous Status of Forces Agreement we couldn't negotiate with the Iraqis? Are these "trainers" subject to the jurisdiction of the Iraqi courts if they happen to shoot somebody?
Posted by: Matt   2015-06-10 09:50  

#4  I know it's different but I keep flashing back to my childhood memories about Viet Nam. I was old enough to understand what was going on there pre-LBJ and the massive build up.

Needless to say they are not good memories.
Posted by: AlanC   2015-06-10 09:29  

#3  I remember a friend who retired and went to work for Vinnel Corp. in the Magic Kingdom back in the 1980's. Whenever the SANG would fail or fall a bit short on training tasks during a MILGROUP review or Army Training and Evaluation Program, it was ALWAYS the trainer's fault.

"Contractor failed to train to standard" ...or some such language.
Posted by: Besoeker   2015-06-10 09:01  

#2  SOG, advisors only, amirite?
Posted by: Frank G   2015-06-10 08:57  

#1  Is Obama going to have their backs when the Iraqis drop their rifles and run or are they sitting ducks?
Posted by: JohnQC   2015-06-10 07:16  

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