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thedrifter
09-17-09, 07:34 AM
U.S. Embassy officials in Baghdad lend an ear to Marines in Anbar

9/17/2009 By Cpl. Meg Murray , Multi National Force - West

As the drawdown of U.S. forces in Iraq continues, more responsibilities begin to fall on fewer shoulders. However, those shoulders are not always clad with the camouflage uniforms of U.S. service members. As the military presence shrinks, more and more civilians, like those working at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad, find their areas of responsibility expanding.

To help ease the process, Marines of Multi National Force - West hosted representatives of the Department of State and multiple civilian agencies, including several embassy-based action officers and representatives of all three Al Anbar-based Provincial Reconstruction Teams, aboard Al Asad Air Base, Iraq, Sept. 9, 2009.

The main goal of the day-long orientation was for the Marines of MNF-W to increase the action officers’ situational awareness about issues and occurrences in the province.

“We are trying to establish a civilian-military team between MNF-W and civilian components to achieve deeper collaboration as we move forward,” said Bernt Johnson, the foreign policy advisor to the commanding general of MNF-W. “Anbar is and will continue to be important to the U.S. mission, and people continue to understand the important, complex and significant challenges and issues we encounter in Anbar.”

Brig. Gen. John E. Wissler, the deputy commanding general of MNF-W, spoke briefly to the visitors, relaying an encouraging message.

“From a security perspective, Anbar is relatively calm,” Wissler began. “If there’s anything that marks our tour here, I would say it’s the rapid rate of change, and my sense is that will continue.”

Many of the embassy representatives were thankful for the opportunity to learn about Al Anbar from Marines, who have had a presence in the province for six years.

“Sometimes the perspective we get in Baghdad can be very different,” said Samuel Werberg, who has been an economic officer at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad for five months. “Smart people who come here with great ideas sometimes need to step back, look at lessons learned, and ask themselves what it is the people really need us to do out here. We have to recognize the great work done out here for six years now and maintain the relationship of trust [with the people of Al Anbar] that has already been established.”

Collaborative efforts like these ensure the continuation of success by U.S. military personnel and civilians in Iraq, even as the composition of the U.S. support to Iraq gradually shifts in size and form.

Ellie