Iraqi Security Forces Order of Battle Update: December 2008

The December 2008 updates to the Iraqi Security Forces Order of Battle are now available at the ISF OOB homepage. The significant changes to the Order of Battle that occurred in November are summarized below.

Force Build up in Mosul.

Iraqi Security Forces built up heavily in Mosul during November. Major elements of the Iraqi Army’s 9th, 10th, and 12th Brigades of the 3rd Division are reported in Mosul. Last month’s unconfirmed reporting of the Iraqi Army’s 2nd Division being relieved from Mosul and sent to Anbar has been corrected by other reporting. The 8th Brigade, 2nd Division was relieved by the 3rd Brigade, 1st Quick Reaction Force Division, and was sent to Habbenayah and Kalsu for 60 days training. The 3rd Iraqi National Police Division is taking over command of the western half of Mosul. Elements of the Knight’s Ride Brigade, 3rd INP Division, and the 1st INP Mechanized Brigade have also been deployed to Mosul.

Iraqi Air Force Developments.

Details concerning the Iraqi Air Force were briefed on Nov. 2 and were previously addressed in “Iraq announces plan to expand the Air Force.”

On Nov. 3, the first four of the 15th Special Operations Squadron’s Mi-17v5 helicopters arrived. They are to receive the remaining 22 by the end of the year. This is ahead of previously briefed schedule, as they were scheduled for an early 2009 delivery. The aircrew and personnel have been training using 4th Transport Squadron’s helicopters since January 2008.

The 12th Training Squadron received five more Bell 206 helicopters on Nov. 7. This doubles the number of Iraqi owned training helicopters. The Iraqis are also receiving helicopter training using 10 US National Guard OH-58 helicopters.

Iraqi Army Force Training.

As reported above, the 8th Brigade, 2nd Division was replaced by 3rd Brigade, 1st Division. The 8th was sent to Habbenayah for 60 days training and reorganization in late October. Also, elements of the 8th Brigade are training in maintenance at Kalsu. This split of the 8th Brigade for training, and sending them that far away, despite other training facilities being closer, indicates the probable type of training. Habbenayah is where the IA 27th Brigade received air assault training from US Navy SEALS and US Marine Corps aviation. Kalsu is the home of the Iraqi Army’s Commando Training. The 8th appears to be getting vehicles to finish motorizing and is being trained in air assault. While the 8th Brigade is in training, the 2nd Division Headquarters staff is also receiving training.

Combat engineering training continues. The 31st Brigade, 8th Division has become the first Iraqi Army brigade to have a Route-clearance platoon for each of its battalions. However, the 31st Brigade is still awaiting receipt of its equipment. At the other end of the engineering training spectrum, the 10th Division started its second class in route-clearance in November. Iraq is organizing a Chemical Defense Corps along the US Army’s organization. The school for this training is being established at Taji and is the Iraq Army Engineer School’s Chemical Defense Section.

In other training, the 2-30 Battalion, 8th Division became the fourth battalion to graduate the Warfighter battalion training program. Warfighter is a battalion level refresure infantry training.

The US Army is assisting the Iraqi Army Armor School at Besmaya. According to Colonel Naething of Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq: “We are going to set up a training program wherein we conduct some training on our M1s while waiting for the ones they bought to arrive. Our M1s will remain under our control the entire time, but it will give them a head start.”

Iraqi Army Force Developments.

According to a Nov. 2 brief, the Iraqi Army has started forming the “life support battalions for mortars”. This translation probably means that they are forming the support elements of the mortar-heavy brigade fire support battalions. The brief also mentioned that Bayji National Depot was being expanded from just an ammunition support battalion to a brigade, gaining an equipment storage depot, food depot, and fuel depot. This organization pattern will probably be mirrored in the south, when the Najaf National Depot forms.

Of note, the Iraqi Army now has Improvised Explosive Device Jammers in the HMMWVs assigned to 1st, 2nd, 5th, 6th, 9th, and 11th Divisions.

Field training continues on the newly formed Iraqi Army 41st Brigade, 10th Division in Amarah. The 41st Brigade replaces the problematic 4-10 Brigade that was disbanded in December 2007. The 41st was first noted active in training in May 2008.

On Nov. 20, 1800 personnel of the new formed 45th Brigade, 11th Division graduated the Unit Set Fielding program at Besmaya. Those numbers indicate that the battalions are understrength for standard infantry, they are not standard infantry, or that only two battalions and the brigade headquarters graduated.

The Iraqi Army has also added the 5-7 Battalion, 2nd Division; the 4-38 Battalion, 10th Division; and the 10th Iraqi Army Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team. Additionally, On Nov. 20, the 7th Divisional Training Center opened its new training facilities.

Iraqi Ministry of Interior Forces.

On Nov. 20, 142 personnel graduated the Ministry of Interior’s Operator Selection Course and joined the National Emergency Response Brigade. Operator is the polite term used to refer to special operations personnel. Originally there were 4,800 applicants. Those applicants were vetted by SWAT forces reducing the group down to 217 candidates. Of those 217 candidates, 142 graduated. An additional six more simular sized classes are expected to fill out the Ministry of Interior’s premier special operations brigade.

The Baqubah National Emergency Response Brigade appears to have split off a new brigade, the Diyala Emergency Police Brigade. The Diyala Emergency Police Forces appear to be expanding to a divisional sized force.

A new Emergency Response Unit has been identified at Balad and the Muthanna Emergency Police are getting HMMWVs.

Tags: Iraq