By ANTONIO CASTANEDA, Associated Press Writer
KHALDIYAH, Iraq - The troops on patrol in this city west of Baghdad are Iraqi, part of the U.S. strategy to hand over more responsibility to the new Iraqi military. But the ammo in their weapons and the fuel in their vehicles were delivered by the Americans.
U.S. commanders have identified the lack of an effective supply chain as a major weakness of Iraq's military, and until one is in place, the United States and its coalition partners cannot fully hand over security responsibilities.
"The biggest weakness that the Iraqi army has right now is logistics — where to get the stuff, how to get it. They just don't have it yet," said Marine Maj. Ted Wong of San Francisco, who helps train Iraqi soldiers in this sector 50 miles from Baghdad.
For example, the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Iraqi Division recently took over security responsibilities from American forces in most of this Sunni Arab city in volatile Anbar province.
But most of the supplies still come from a nearby American base — delivered by American convoys. Trucks that ferry Iraqi soldiers refuel at the U.S. base. Food for the Iraqi soldiers is provided by Western contractors — whose local offices are protected within the American compound.
Ammunition for the Iraqis comes from U.S. stocks, said Marine Col. Daniel Newell, who heads a team of advisers working with Iraqi soldiers.
"They don't have a logistics resupply system," said Col. Regis Cardiff, deputy commander of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division. "For the (Iraqi army) to be totally (independent) and for us to be out of battle space completely, they need to have a system."
For the moment, the Iraqis have few options other than the U.S. military. Civilian supply trucks are regularly targeted on main roads across Iraq, and few contractors are capable of shipping goods across the country without American assistance.
Although putting more Iraqi soldiers in the field reduces the dangers faced by American combat troops, U.S. soldiers running supply convoys to the Iraqis will be at risk.
The United States and the Iraqi government were both keen to get as many Iraqi soldiers in to action as quickly as possible without taking time to put in place a network of supply vehicles and warehouses.
"If the tail was coming behind the tooth, well, that was designed intentionally," said Newell, the Marine adviser. "You put all the trigger pullers out there first, which puts the burden on the U.S. to supply them."
Much of the blame for these failings is directed at Iraq's Defense Ministry. Iraqi company and battalion commanders frequently complain that their requests are ignored or overlooked by the ministry.
As a result, U.S. advisers attached to 3rd Brigade now say they monitor Iraqi requests for equipment to make sure their higher command receives and processes orders.
The U.S. command has also periodically alluded to such concerns. In a speech last week, Lt. Gen. John R. Vines, who left his post last month as the second-highest ranking general in Iraq, said progress would hinge on whether government ministries could supply the military and cut out corruption.
The problem is not only in Anbar province, where the entrenched insurgency has challenged development of the Iraqi army. U.S. trainers cited similar problems in the Iraqi brigade that covers western Diyala province north of Baghdad.
During a major U.S. offensive in October in the western city of Haditha, Marine supply trucks hauled in boxes of food, custom made to abide by Muslim dietary requirements, for hundreds of Iraqi troops.
Overall, the U.S. military has deemed only one Iraqi battalion, about 700 men, of being capable of resupplying itself and carrying out independent operations without any U.S. assistance.
A shortage of armored vehicles has also hampered Iraqi troops, prompting U.S. military advisers in the Khaldiyah area to recommend that Iraqi commanders rely on foot patrols vulnerable to roadside bombs that insurgents continue to plant in the area.
Iraqi soldiers occasionally use mismatching vehicles donated by foreign governments, ranging from South African personnel carriers to Pakistani jeeps, and many did not come with replacement parts.
A small team of U.S. contractors on a nearby base currently repairs those Iraqi trucks in use, advisers said.
"A lot of the equipment they should have, they don't. And even if they did have it, frankly, they wouldn't be able to maintain it," said Newell.
Few were willing to estimate when an Iraqi military apparatus would be ready to supply Iraqi troops, who now number over 200,000 men, according to U.S. military statistics.
"I couldn't guess. That's for the (Ministry of Defense) to push and build a system," said Cardiff, the deputy commander.
Link