NAVY NEWS, OCTOBER 2007
Ships of the
“YOU lead from the
The Iraqi Navy comprises less Meanwhile, back in Umm
front.”
than one per cent of its country’s Qasr, engineers help out in the
Thus spoke Audie Murphy, the
total Armed Forces strength. workshops, logisticians advise in
most decorated American soldier
The backbone of the ‘fl eet’ the warehouse and the operations
of World War 2.
are fi ve inshore patrol craft team assist in the command HQ.
Wise words.
– capable of speeds in excess of These pages have covered the
You do indeed lead from the
30kts – supported by smaller Fast efforts of the transition team over
front on the battlefield.
Aluminium Boats, or FABs, (think the past four years.
But sometimes, just sometimes,
RIBs or Rigid Raiders with roofs). And transition is perhaps a
you can impart more knowledge
In the coming months the force word which best describes the
and achieve greater results by
will mushroom, as 21 new vessels team itself over that period.
doing the opposite... leading from
are brought into service – again For whereas once it instructed,
behind.
under the tutelage of the NaTT. now it sits back, observes, advises,
It is, says Capt Tim Stockings,
Like the Navy it is raising, the comments.
Commanding Officer of the Naval
NaTT is based at Umm Qasr, “Mentoring is more than just
Transition Team (NaTT), how the
Iraq’s principal deep-water port training – it means letting the
finest traditions and skills of the
just across the border from Iraqis do things for themselves,
Royal and US Navies and US
Kuwait. making their own mistakes and
Coast Guard are passed on to the
The team is surprisingly small hopefully learning from them,”
fledgling Iraqi Navy and Marines.
– it consists of just 60 British explains Lt Cdr Rob Beadnell, the
The transition team is the
sailors, soldiers, Royal Marines, training offi cer.
smallest of the training and
US Navy, US Marines and US And that means stepping back
mentoring organisations provided
Coast Guard personnel. at times when something goes
by the Allied powers to nurture The work is divided pretty wrong, rather than stepping in – to
the Iraqi military. much as you would expect: the see how the rookie sailors react,
The aim of Army and Navy sailors focus on ship-handling and to see whether they can solve the
mentors alike is to ensure that seafaring, the marines and coast problem without external input.
when the Allies withdraw their guards oversee board and search “It can occasionally be
forces from Iraq, the country’s missions and the defence of the frustrating, sometimes time
sailors and soldiers can take two oil platforms in the northern consuming,” Lt Cdr Beadnell
charge of their own borders and Gulf which account for 90 per adds, “but pretty enjoyable when
territorial waters. cent of Iraq’s wealth. the Iraqis get it right.’
Mike Carol❤
Back to School
THERE’S a real buzz in the Training
teachers. It’s important that the marines and
School as another platoon of marines turns
sailors are taught by people who know what
up for classes.
they’re doing and are respected.”
A brief period of chaos follows as they all
One significant step forward recently has
try to check the board at the same time to see
been ensuring the Iraqi sailors and marines
which classrooms they’re supposed to be in.
shoot the AK47 on the range and at sea on
The general noise level rises as dits and
a regular basis, supervised by senior marine
jokes echo down the corridor then suddenly,
NCOs.
as quickly as they appear, they’re gone – off
“This led to a big increase in standards – as
into class – and normality returns to the
well as a much safer base,” Lt Cdr Beadnell
shiny tiled hallway.
adds with a smile.
“It’s like this most mornings” says Lt Cdr
● An Iraqi patrol boat races through the Gulf Another major bonus has been provided by
Beadnell.
the arrival of two interpreters – Lt Athos
“The sailors and marines are just as Ritsperis and LS Rupert Young – to teach
enthusiastic as our recruits, so the school the Iraqi sailors English.
can get pretty lively.”
That’s not so that they can understand their
A wide variety of courses are run at the mentors.
naval base: induction classes for officers
It’s so they can conduct boarding operations.
and ratings, specialist training in
As in the air, so in the sea, English is the
engineering and seamanship, as well as
language of transportation.
language lessons.
It’s not just trainee ratings who pass through
Over the past few months, the emphasis
the NaTT at Umm Qasr.
has been very much on ‘top-up’ training
(officially it’s called ‘continuation
As of the end of August, 46 officers
training’). had arrived at the base, having already
undergone basic military training at Iraq’s
Each week a different ship’s crew and
academy in Nasariyah.
marine platoon go back to school to refresh
their skills to ensure they haven’t forgotten What happens next very much mirrors the
what they were taught. education of the RN’s officers; the Iraqis go
It’s all good fun but very serious as the
to sea for a week to give them experience of
sailors and marines have to pass if they
life aboard a working warship in the shape
are to earn the crucia
of RFA Sir Bedivere.
l tag ‘fully mission
capable’. The next step of broadening their knowledge
“We’re involved in every stage of t
is to undertake bridge and engineering
he
training,” Lt Cdr Beadnell adds.
watchkeeping in September and plans are
in hand to educate at least three Iraqi Navy
“We’ve worked hard to get the right people as
officers at Dartmouth later this year.
AW is fit
● FAB times... An Iraqi Fast Aluminium Boat is escorted out of Umm Qasr by two RIBs and (above) on
patrol in the Khawr Abd Allah
014-015_NN_Oct.indd 1 18/9/07 16:50:53
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