Commander leads troops through transition

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Karen Petitt
  • Multinational Corps-Iraq Public Affairs
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AFPN) --  Leading more than 160,000 troops through a transition of authority from coalition forces to the interim Iraqi government is more of an art than a science says the commanding general for Multinational Corps-Iraq.

Army Lt. Gen. Thomas F. Metz said that art comes in the delicate balance of reassigning resources for changing priorities, providing security and working with the Iraqis to rebuild their infrastructure.

“For some of our troops the ... transfer of power will not change their day-to-day mission, but for others it will be a very visible shift in focus,” he said. “We will definitely see an increase in our efforts to help Iraq become more secure and much of our effort will be behind the scenes. We’re looking to the Iraqi people to take the lead in many areas, but it’s not all going to happen (overnight). It’s a capacity that we will have to grow over the next several months.”

He said the transition means that the coalition force is now a partner to Iraq and that multinational forces will continue to conduct operations against anti-Iraqi forces. In time, the Iraqi security force will communicate its readiness to take the lead and coalition forces will begin to draw back.

While the coalition has been instrumental in restoring electricity, building sewage treatment facilities, reopening schools and numerous other civic projects, General Metz said its No. 1 concern is the security of Iraq.

“The biggest gain we’ll have after the transition, I believe, will be the amount of human intelligence we’re able to gather,” he said. “With Iraqis taking the lead, I think we’ll see a greater amount of success in rooting out these thugs, criminals, former regime members and insurgents. Our ticket out of here is a safe and secure Iraq, and this transition brings us one step closer.”

He said joint coordination centers are being set up in provinces throughout Iraq, and that security committees will oversee the safety of their areas. There will be some coalition presence in these centers, but only for training and coordinating. Some forward-deployed locations will be realigned or closed, but the coalition will always maintain the capability to re-enter an area full strength should the need arise.

One aspect of a safe and secure Iraq will be if the national elections scheduled for December can be done without violence. The general said having armed guards at every polling place is not the goal. There needs to be security, but it should not resemble a battle zone.

“If we can achieve that right balance of security and freedom, then we have achieved success here,” he said. “We will continue to stay as long as we’re needed. We are currently seeing that as the (Iraqi security forces) take the lead, and as they become targets of these attacks, we’ll be here to protect them until the threat is eliminated.”

General Metz said that he appreciates the hard work and dedication of the coalition forces.

“I’m proud of your professionalism and your discipline,” he said. “We put you in complex situations, and your work has strategic importance.”