First Iraqi Coastal Defense Forces Ships Delivered

[darrels joy]

First Iraqi Coastal Defense Forces Ships Delivered

By Journalist 2nd Class Wes Eplen, Commander, U.S. Naval
Forces Central Command/Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet Public
Affairs

MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- Two patrol craft departed
Bahrain April 30 en route to Umm Qasr, Iraq, where coalition
forces will begin training the newly created Iraqi Coastal Defense
Force (ICDF).

Patrol Craft 102 and 103 are two of five patrol crafts provided
by the United States, and will be the first vessels belonging to the
ICDF. The 27-meter long Chinese-made crafts were originally
to be acquired by the Saddam Hussein regime in 2002 under the
oil-for-food program, but were not allowed to enter the country
due to their military capabilities.

The United States purchased the boats from the Chinese
ship-builder, said Cmdr. Neil Hanson, maritime interception
operations officer for Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central
Command/U.S. 5th Fleet. The purchase included an agreement
to compensate the German company shipping the boats so that
no one, including Iraq, incurred any financial damage, he added.

After spending nearly two years dry-docked in Jebel Ali, United
Arab Emirates, the boats finally sailed to Iraq. They were
manned by British-led coalition forces commanded by Royal
Navy Capt. John Murphie, director of ICDF training.

A commanding officer, chief marine engineer, deputy marine
engineer, coxswain and eight-man deck crew of British,
American and Australian Sailors man each craft and will
immediately begin at-sea training with their Iraqi counterparts
upon arrival.

ICDF training officially began in January of this year with 214
volunteers attending a three-month boot camp. After completing
boot camp and a brief period of leave, the ICDF sailors were
transported to the newly constructed base in Umm Qasr, where
they began technical training April 21.

"The aim of it all is to equip them and train them, so they can
conduct policing operations in their waterways and out to their
12-mile limit, and conduct defense of their shoreline," said Royal
Navy Lt. Des Hirons, spokesman for the ICDF training team.

The patrol craft crews will be trained to perform anti-smuggling
operations, harbor and coastline defense, search and rescue
operations, and various other operations inside the 12-mile
international water boundary.

"Any nation that owns coastal waters has an obligation to police
and protect those waters," said Hanson. "It's a national
responsibility to be able to do these kinds of things."

Many of the ICDF volunteers have previous military or civilian
maritime experience, said Hirons. So a core skill level already
exists among the trainees.

"They are very keen and very willing to learn," he added. "They
are keen to get the boats, and they want to get out and show
how good they are. And they are very, very receptive to training.
They are like sponges, they just want to absorb as much
information out of us as possible."

According to Hirons, the coalition goal is to train the ICDF to a
level where they can independently conduct daylight operations
by June 1, and by Sept. 30, both day and nighttime operations.

For related news, visit the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces
Central Command/ Commander, 5th Fleet Navy NewsStand
page at www.news.navy.mil/local/cusnc.