FORWARD OPERATING BASE DANGER, Tikrit, Iraq, April 30, 2004 — The 1st Infantry Division sponsored an Iraqi Security Forces Conference here April 27.

From the hiring of Iraqis for police duties to the equipment needed to fulfill those duties, a wide-range of topics was discussed at the six-hour conference attended by U.S. and British forces involved in the operation.

Brigade and battalion commanders from the 1st Infantry Division in charge of Iraqi police services, Iraqi Civil Defense Corps, representative from border enforcement and Coalition Joint Task Force 7 counterparts attended the conference to discuss critical issues such as the manning and infrastructure for the Iraqi security forces.

During a press conference April 28, Maj. Gen. John R.S. Batiste said the 1st Infantry Division, or Big Red One, would “continue to work jointly with Iraqi Security Forces to achieve a safe and secure environment for all Iraqi citizens.”

“We are committed to improving Iraqi security by assisting, training and equipping the Iraqi security forces,” Batiste said. “We have established a professional training program and facilities within which to train [Iraqi Civil Defense Corps] leadership and soldiers.”

Batiste said that Task Force Danger currently has 40 international police advisors to help advise, train and mentor Iraqi police officers in police operations.

“The Iraqi security forces and coalition forces are the only legitimate armed forces in Iraq,” he said. “Together we will ensure a safe and secure environment for all Iraqis.”

This is the first time the 1st Infantry Division has sponsored a security conference. Similar ones are usually held in Baghdad every four to six weeks.

Lt. Col. LaTonya Lynn, provost marshal for the 1st Infantry Division, said training security forces to police their own is not a new mission for the Big Red One. In Kosovo, the division trained peacekeepers.

“We have done this particular role before,” Lynn noted. “Just not in Iraq.”

Lynn said challenges to implementing a solid Iraqi security force included cultural differences and “getting the proper equipment to the proper people at the proper time.”

“Timing is everything,” she said.

Many pieces of equipment must come through countries outside Iraq.

“That makes it more of a challenge because of the force protection issues and security measures that have to be taken to ensure that we are safeguarding not only the equipment, but also the individuals who are actively participating in those escorts,” Lynn said.

The 1st Infantry Division’s provost marshal said Iraqi’s are receiving police training in the Task Force Danger areas of operation as well as Baghdad and Jordan.

“Force protection is paramount,” she said.

While many Iraqis view the coalition forces as “outsiders,” Lynn said the military was here to try and assist them in becoming self-reliant in policing themselves.

“We are introducing democracy into a culture where there was no democracy,” she said.