UMM QASR, Iraq, Aug. 20, 2004 — Iraqi Coastal Defense Force servicemembers carried out two training missions here Aug. 19, as the Iraqi government prepares for commencement of naval operations Oct. 1.

The force currently consists of 412 trained personnel and includes five 27-meter long Chinese-made patrol gunboats and various other support craft. The two missions, piloting and sea rescue, are part of the ongoing effort by the Multinational Security Transition Command-Iraq to train the Iraqi Coastal Defense Force.

“Our mission is to protect our coastline from the terrorists and our enemies,” Iraqi Coastal Defense Force, Patrol Boat Captain, Lt. Amer (Iraqi crew surnames withheld for security reasons) said, “And right now there are a lot of terrorists trying to cross our borders.

“They are our biggest threat right now and with this wonderful training, we can do our part to stop them,” he said.

In training since Jan. 2004, the force is now concentrating on more advanced seamanship, towing, gunnery, sea rescue, chart reading, navigation, anti-smuggling, operations, and rigid inflatable boat integration and small boat drill instruction.

The Iraqi Coastal Defense Force is also learning how to put all of this in the context of a democratically based maritime sea force.

“In Saddam’s time our navy had very bad boats and human beings had no value,” Iraqi Coastal Defense Force, Buffer, Sgt. Maj. Nadhim said, a veteran of Iraq’s former navy during the war with Iran. A buffer is a senior enlisted sailor who acts as a buffer between the officers and enlisted personnel.

“But now our first priority is the human being,” he said. “When we approach ships, we consider everyone to be our friend and treat them nicely with respect.

Still carrying coalition advisor support teams from the Coalition Military Assistance Training Team, the last bit of training has reached its fine-tuning and polishing stage with the Iraqis navigating and operating their boats largely on their own. Coalition advisors fill only a support role at this point, available as needed.

“The instruction is very good,” Amer said. “We don’t just go through training, but we do it again and again if we don’t know until we understand and know the job completely.

“Even the experienced members have learned much more than before,” he said.

In addition to protecting the coastline from smugglers and anti-Iraqi forces entering the country through the roughly 50-mile coastline, the Iraqi Coastal Defense Force will patrol to the 12-mile international water boundary. The force will also serve to protect the country’s various oil platforms located the Persian Gulf within that zone.

The Iraqi Coastal Defense Force also includes a land-based infantry unit to support the force’s security mission in the area. The sea and land based units work closely with the Iraqi Riverine Patrol Service patrolling the country’s southern waterways and rivers on a similar mission.

The five patrol craft were originally acquired by the previous regime in 2002. They sat dry-docked for nearly two years before being purchased from the Chinese shipbuilder, ultimately reaching the docks of Umm Qasr. The Iraqi Coastal Defense Force assumed control of the Umm Qasr Naval Base on June 12 and is currently operating at 100 percent of its originally programmed manning goal.

“We hope our navy will be great,” Nadhim said, “But not be aggressive against our neighbors.

“It’s important to protect our country,” he said.