MNF-I deputy commanding general visits MNF-W

[thedrifter]

MNF-I deputy commanding general visits MNF-W

3/8/2009 By Cpl. Meg Murray , Multi National Force - West

AL ASAD AIR BASE, Iraq —

Since the initial invasion of Iraq in 2003, more than 20 non-U.S. militaries have contributed armed forces in support of the ongoing mission in Iraq. As time has passed, both the number of ground forces and the focus of operations in Iraq have evolved, yet different countries continue to work with the U.S. toward a common goal – helping Iraq emerge as a free and sovereign nation.

Among the U.S.’s allies, the most stalwart has been the United Kingdom, and one of its own has been slated to take the number two spot for all Coalition efforts in Iraq.

Before assuming his new position as the deputy commanding general of Multi National Force - Iraq, British Royal Army Lt. Gen. Chris Brown swung through the Al Anbar and Ninewa provinces to visit the Marines, sailors, soldiers and airmen of Multi National Force - West.

During his visit, he spoke with leaders aboard Al Asad Air Base, Sahl Sinjar Air Field, and Camps Al Taqaddum, Ramadi and Baharia.

Brown said the focus of his tour was to get a clear picture of Coalition force responsibilities and assess Iraqi capabilities throughout the MNF-W area of operations.

“[The focus] is now to increase Iraqi responsibility, which they are ready for, to give them the chance to exercise their sovereignty, and to help them do that in a responsible way,” said Brown.

An artillery officer by trade, Brown has been in the Royal Army since 1974 and has seen operational service in Northern Ireland, during the 1982 Falklands campaign, and in Cyprus, the former Yugoslavia, and Afghanistan.

Brown began his tour aboard Al Asad Air Base, where he met with Maj. Gen. R.T. Tryon, MNF-West commanding general, and sat down with several other top MNF-W leaders.

From there, he traveled to Sahl Sinjar Air Field, a small military base in Iraq’s Ninewa province. Marine and Navy leaders aboard the base voiced their opinions and concerns about their area of operation.

“We assist Iraqi forces and enhance their capability, but we are definitely just mentoring at this point,” said Capt. Matthew Bartels, commanding officer of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team-8. “Just by talking to them, the Iraqis [in our area] seem pretty happy, and they at least have some kind of police presence in the area that’s willing to go out and let the people know who to go to if they need anything.”

Brown continued his tour, traveling to Camp Al Taqaddum where he sat down for lunch with Marines from 2nd Marine Logistics Group (Forward), and afterward, was shown around the main logistical hub for MNF-W.

“[Brown’s visit] tells the Marines that he really cares, and he wants to see what’s going on,” said Sgt. Maj. Carl Green, the 2nd MLG (Fwd) sergeant major. “Just him being able to eat lunch with us and to get a brief on what the MLG actually does shows a great deal of concern. It’s really motivating.”

From Camp Al Taqaddum, Brown traveled to other bases in the region, including Camps Ramadi and Baharia. Key leaders at the bases presented him with updates about Coalition efforts in the region.

“And as I go around the country, what’s really great to see is how the Coalition has assisted the Iraqis to achieve so much in a pretty short time,” said Brown, commenting on the summary of his observations during the tour. “The partnership that I see between the coalition now and the Iraqi forces is exactly the sort of thing we dreamed of in [the beginning].”

Though things are looking up for Iraq and its people, Brown acknowledged there is still much work to do.

“Everything I’m seeing at the moment is moving forward positively, and I think that the results of the most recent provincial elections have appeared to move the political process along,” Brown began. “But, I think we’ve just got to build on that between now and the presidential elections at the end of the year.”

However, he remains optimistic about his new position and the immense progress made in Iraq since Coalition troops first arrived in 2003.

“Iraq has come further than we realistically thought possible. I did not expect to come back into Iraq and see that they would be operating pretty much independently and increasingly not relying on what I would call day-to-day coalition hands-on support,” said Brown.

“I have an opportunity to try and help the Iraqis get through this transitional period and to bring the capability the coalition has here to help move the Iraqis forward.”

Ellie