Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq - United States Department ...

Current Manning InitiativesThe generation of the Objective Counter-Insurgency and Civil Security Forces is complete.The GOI, with Coalition support, isnow executing several manning initiatives toreplenish the force to allow units to be temporarilyrelieved to refit and retrain, and toincrease present-for-duty levels in combatunits. These initiatives will add more than60,000 personnel to the ISF during 2007.MNF-I estimates that the MOI will require32,000 new police annually to replenish theranks. Training bases are established andfully functioning to achieve these replenishmentgoals.• Replenishment of 30,000. MNSTC-I isfunding the training and equipping of30,000 soldiers to replace personnel lossesand to increase the manning of combatunits to 110% to improve present-for-dutystrength.• Prime Minister’s Army ExpansionInitiative. In consultation with the U.S.Government, the GOI decided to increasethe size of the Army by approximately24,000 soldiers. The additional forces willincrease the MOD’s ability to commandand control its forces, enhance its operationaland tactical flexibility, and allowbattle-weary units to be pulled off-line toretrain and refit. This GOI initiative alsocame with fiscal resources from the MODbudget.• Replenishment of National PoliceBrigades. The Civilian Police AssistanceTransition Team (CPATT) is working toreplenish all National Police units withpersonnel and key pacing items of equipmentin support of the Baghdad SecurityPlan and Phase II training at Numaniyah.• Expansion of National Police to 10Brigades. The CPATT is supporting theprime minister’s initiative to build a multicomponent(Iraqi Army and NationalPolice) division-sized force to protect theSamarra Shrine reconstruction project. Theteam is generating a 10th National PoliceBrigade in support of this effort.• Establishment of Three EmergencyResponse Unit Battalions in Anbar. TheCPATT, in cooperation with the MOI andprovincial authorities, is assisting with thetraining and equipping of three battalionsof auxiliary policemen, to assist the IraqiPolice Service primarily in the greaterRamadi area. This is a very positive initiativeto take advantage of increased Sunniparticipation in the police forces of AnbarProvince.Complexity of Personnel Management inMaturing MinistriesThe security ministries continue to strugglewith immature personnel management practices.Personnel strength reporting by Iraqimilitary and police units is assessed as weak.The primary shortfalls in the personnel managementsystem are as follows.• Lack of Confidence in Retirement andDeath Benefit Payments. The GOI isformulating a Retirement/Pensions Law.Until this legislation is in place and effective,the security ministries will continueto pay pensions and martyr pay. The currentsystem is based on an upfront lumpsum payment and a pension of 80% of thetotal basic pay and allowances. This providedadequate financial support to families.These benefits have received significantattention from the MOI, and potentialchanges that would have undermined theseinitiatives have been strongly resisted.This effectively means that the MOI’semployment rolls are enlarged; this iscurrently seen as being the most effectivemeans of “looking after their own.”• Wounded Remaining on the Rolls. TheMOI and the MOD are in the process ofdeveloping an effective system to care forseverely wounded soldiers and policemen.27March 2, 2007