Saturday, March 7, 2009

Queen's Royal Hussars help put sting in Iraqi soldiers' tails


Junior Iraqi leaders have been treated to a masterclass in command after British soldiers put them through their paces in a demanding series of leadership tasks.

The Queen's Royal Hussars (QRH) have been testing their Middle Eastern counterparts in the Scorpion cadres, designed to develop basic skills.

The QRH, who are in Iraq serving as part of the Germany-based 20th Armoured Brigade, have been leading the ten-day command and tactics course at the former Iraqi Naval Academy in a northern district of Basra City.

The training is organised into an intersection competition, includes exercises in basic infantry skills, and culminates in a house clearance. The Iraqi troops, serving with the 14th Division's 51st Brigade, have impressed their British counterparts. But both senior QRH officers and the infantry instructors assisting the training said they had high expectations and were taking their responsibility to train the Iraqi soldiers extremely seriously.

While confirming that the Iraqi Army is well led at its highest echelons, Lieutenant Colonel Christopher Coles, QRH Commanding Officer, believes that its most junior NCOs (Non-Commissioned Officers) could benefit from a British Army-style cadre.

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