3rd Infantry Division Operations - Fort Stewart - U.S. Army

The Surge 81
Security Force member with the professionalism and competence
that makes the NCO Corps the backbone of the U.S.
Army. Instructors gave professional development and leadership
training during a two week training program. The return
of a professional, well-equipped, and confident Iraqi Security
Force presented a nightmare scenario for extremists and terrorists.
Governance and Economics
More of everything was needed for the Iraqi population.
Security alone would not heal the sick, feed the hungry, shelter
the homeless, or advance the education of Iraq's next generation.
For a time, the insurgency had flourished because it could
afford to pay naive young men to risk their lives and attack
government and coalition forces. Now, four years after the
invasion, Iraq's new government was stronger. The population
felt safer. Reconciliation measures were adopted and laws were
passed that benefited the Iraqi people as a whole.
The U.S. State Department pitched in and small teams of
civilian experts called Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs)
were deployed to help Brigade Commanders and provincial
governments address the needs of their citizens. Commanders
often met with their counterparts from "city councils" or
provincial-level leaders and worked through difficult issues.
Helicopters shuttled national-level ministerial leaders to their
constituents in MND-C's area of operations. These "helicopter
ambassador" missions connected the local government to
the national governmental leaders. At the same time, sheiks of
local tribes gathered to share ideas, reconcile and chart a way
forward for their communities. Improved security and government
resurgence inspired confidence from foreign investors and