So, you're going to be on a MiTT. What do you need to know?We've been on a military transition team (MiTT) with the 3rd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army The Iraqi Army is the army of Iraq, active in various forms since the country was formed in the aftermath of World War I. Today, it is a component of the Iraqi Security Forces tasked with assuming responsibility for all Iraqi land-based military operations following the 2003 Division (3/4/2 IA) in Mosul for four months, and after reviewing the many lessons we've learned, we wish we could get into a time machine and go back to prepare ourselves better for the MiTT mission. What we've learned so far applies not only to a MiTT, but also to all types of transition teams in Iraq or Afghanistan--border transition teams (BTTs) and special police transition teams (SPTTs), to name a couple. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] For example, in the past several months, we have learned the following important principles. The unit you work with is not a US unit and never will be. Nonetheless, it is capable of great things--the trick is to encourage improvement in ways the unit leaders can adapt as their own, so improvements endure after your team leaves. Team members are advisors and, as such, don't "direct" change--just help the unit improve. You must spend many hours getting to know your counterparts over countless meals and Chai, working to build rapport, before your unit members seriously will consider any recommendation you give. You will be the most successful when you are the "unnoticed" influence in the unit. This is not about you but about the unit. As a team member, you are there to make the unit strong enough to fight and win against the insurgency in·sur·gen·cy n. pl. in·sur·gen·cies 1. The quality or circumstance of being rebellious. 2. An instance of rebellion; an insurgence. insurgency, insurgence 1. and protect its fellow citizens. The team's job is all about relationships. With work, you will make slow, but steady progress toward the unit leadership's accepting you and your other team members as brothers, which helps your team help the unit improve. Most importantly Adv. 1. most importantly - above and beyond all other consideration; "above all, you must be independent" above all, most especially , we have learned that being on a MiTT is a great job. It can be frustrating frus·trate tr.v. frus·trat·ed, frus·trat·ing, frus·trates 1. a. To prevent from accomplishing a purpose or fulfilling a desire; thwart: but also very rewarding as we watch our unit grow and improve. So, what would we have done differently based on what we know now? This article provides lessons learned during the last few months as the 3/4/2 IA MiTT at Combat Outpost Resolve in southeastern Mosul. These are the things we would like to have known after our training in the US, Kuwait and at the Phoenix Academy in Taji, Iraq
Taji, Iraq (Arabic: تاجي) is an area approximately 20 miles north of Baghdad, and the site of a large U. . When you are assigned to a MiTT, one of the first things First Things is a monthly ecumenical journal concerned with the creation of a "religiously informed public philosophy for the ordering of society" (First Things website). you will learn is where you fit into the team. The size of the unit your MiTT works with will dictate your team's size and composition. Our experience is on a battalion MiTT, but our general organization and functions apply to all transition teams as the same staff functions must be performed on each team. The first challenge is to find out who is doing what on the team and how that applies to staff functions. See the figure for our team's organization. As you can see in the figure, we designated team staff functions based on the advisor's job. For example, the headquarters and service company (HSC HSC - High Speed Connect ) trainer was the team S1 and the maneuver trainer was the team executive officer (XO). It is also important to designate a team NCO-in-charge (NCOIC NCOIC Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (military) NCOIC Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium ). The NCOIC serves as a model for Iraqi units. The MiTT must work diligently to help the unit develop effective NCOs--a strength of the US Army. In discussing our organization and team staff functions in this article, we tell what each has learned in the various positions. MiTT Team Chief. If you are to be the chief, it will "pay big dividends" if you get to know all team members and get the mailing and email addresses and telephone numbers of their families and get the families involved as support for the team. We began a monthly newsletter immediately that continues today. As far as our MiTT train up was concerned, the program of instruction (POI) seemed endless and very repetitive. From the MiTT chief's "foxhole," here is a list of the most important training. Ensure all team members are combat lifesaver qualified. This is a requirement for deployment. We mention it because it is good training--everyone needs these skills. Be sure all team members are trained and licensed on the M1114/M1151. This is not just a high-mobility multipurpose mul·ti·pur·pose adj. Designed or used for several purposes: a multipurpose room; multipurpose software. multipurpose Adjective wheeled vehicle Noun 1. wheeled vehicle - a vehicle that moves on wheels and usually has a container for transporting things or people; "the oldest known wheeled vehicles were found in Sumer and Syria and date from around 3500 BC" axle - a shaft on which a wheel rotates (HMMWV HMMWV High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV is a trademark of AM General LLC; aka HUMVEE, also a trademark of AM General LLC) )--it is armored and heavy and can be a challenge for some to drive in a tactical situation. Remember, you lead a small team; when convoy manifesting comes around, all team members must be able to drive. Get all team members qualified on the M240B andM2. Like being able to drive, being able to crew these key weapon systems is an important skill for all team members. The team must be able to move across the battlefield. Crew-served weapons will have to be manned, and all team members must be able to perform these force-protection tasks. Get as many team members blue force tracker (BFT (Binary File Transfer) An extension to the fax protocol that allows transmission of raw data. A page of text is transmitted faster than a bitmap of the page and is displayed at normal printer resolution at the receiving side. ) trained as possible. To serve as a truck commander (TC), one must be able to operate the BFT, understand its displays and maintain situational awareness Situation awareness or situational awareness [1] (SA) is the mental representation and understanding of objects, events, people, system states, interactions, environmental conditions, and other situation-specific factors affecting human performance in as the team moves around the battlefield. As chief, you must make sure your team has all the skills necessary to thrive on the battlefield. HSC Advisor and S1. As the HSC advisor, you should be a senior captain, preferably with command experience, ideally as an HSC commander. You are responsible for many "moving parts Moving parts are the components of a device that undergo continuous or frequent motion, most commonly rotation. "Parts" only include the mechanical components which does not include fuel, or any other gas or liquid. ," most of which are administrative. One challenge is that the Iraqi Army struggles with most administrative tasks. Your primary focus areas are as follow. Pay Operations. Find out what you can about your Iraqi Army unit's pay history. One of your biggest responsibilities is monitoring Iraqi Army pay operations for discrepancies and errors. Knowing what to expect can help you avoid major problems. Specialty Platoon Mentorship. You spend a lot of time with the Iraqi HSC commander, advising him. You help him work with the maintenance platoon leader A platoon leader or platoon commander is the officer in command of a platoon. This person is usually a junior officer — a second or first lieutenant, or an equivalent rank. He is usually assisted by a platoon sergeant. to establish maintenance procedures, work with the reconnaissance platoon to ensure it is trained and used properly, ensure the transportation platoon is adequately trained and resourced to help the command accomplish its missions and facilitate the training and resourcing of the medical platoon. Awards Programs. Find out if the outgoing MiTT has had an awards program for the Iraqi Army. If it hasn't, develop one. Proper recognition of soldiers is a powerful motivation tool and can help move the unit in the right direction. S2 Advisor. Contact the MiTT your team is replacing as soon as possible and determine the unit's intelligence skills. Additionally, as the incoming MiTT S2, you can prepare for the tour by focusing on the following areas. Predictive Analysis. Helping the Iraqi S2 figure out who the enemy is, where he's located, what his capabilities are and where he has operated in the past is paramount to advising the commander on matters of intelligence. The Iraqi unit's S2 is an essential member in the mission planning process, not just the "detainee de·tain·ee n. A person held in custody or confinement: a political detainee. Noun 1. detainee - some held in custody political detainee guy." The unit S2 most likely will need help in conducting map reconnaissance and identifying enemy trends/tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs) and then using this information to forewarn fore·warn tr.v. fore·warned, fore·warn·ing, fore·warns To warn in advance. forewarn Verb to warn beforehand Verb 1. the commander and his company commanders before they move out on missions. Detainee Operations. Understand the basic rules regarding the treatment of detainees. Review detainee-handling procedures and forms before deploying to theater, if possible, and ensure the Iraqis understand that you work as a team in the detainee process. At first, you probably will need to micromanage micromanage Administration A popular term for excess oversight of lower management by upper management the battalion's detainee process. If the Iraqis already have a system in place that works well, use it. If you don't understand how to handle evidence properly, learn it. Contaminated contaminated, v 1. made radioactive by the addition of small quantities of radioactive material. 2. made contaminated by adding infective or radiographic materials. 3. an infective surface or object. evidence is worthless and only lets bad guys go free unnecessarily. Team NCOIC/S2NCOIC. Our MiTT NCOIC was also our S2 NCOIC as the ranking NCO NCO abbr. noncommissioned officer NCO noncommissioned officer NCO n abbr (Mil) (= noncommissioned officer) → Uffz. . As the team NCOIC, you focus on maintaining standards and developing NCOs (both in the Iraqi army unit and MiTT). The team NCOIC is vital to maintaining a comfortable and civil work environment. Some things for you to consider before deploying include the following. The Plan. Have a tentative plan to develop team standing operating procedures Noun 1. standing operating procedure - a prescribed procedure to be followed routinely; "rote memorization has been the educator's standard operating procedure for centuries" standard operating procedure, standard procedure, SOP (SOPs), TTPs and staff schedules, for example, schedules for tactical operations center A physical groupment of those elements of a general and special staff concerned with the current tactical operations and the tactical support thereof. Also called TOC. See also command post. (TOC) duty, maintenance, etc., and to assign manifesting convoys to one person. NCO Development. The NCO corps in the Iraqi Army is underdeveloped, and, you, as the senior NCO, work with the Iraqi Army command sergeant major (CSM CSM - ["CSM - A Distributed Programming Language", S. Zhongxiu et al, IEEE Trans Soft Eng SE-13(4):497-500 (Apr 1987)]. ) to develop his NCO corps. Patience and realistic expectations are a must. Always remember that you're not trying to make the Iraqi NCOs like yourself. As the S2 NCOIC, your primary responsibility is to help the S2. Maneuver Advisor/XO. As the maneuver advisor, you should be the second most experienced and ranking officer on the team. In the team chief's absence, you are responsible for leading the team as well as interacting with the Iraqi Army battalion commander In the United States Army and United States Marine Corps, the commanding officer of a battalion is a Battalion Commander. The position is usually held by a lieutenant colonel, although a major can be selected for battalion command in lieu of an available lieutenant colonel. . As the XO, you track the team's daily operations and enforce all suspenses while advising the Iraqi Army on operational matters. Here are some of the lessons we learned that will help you. Keep it simple. Whether you're talking about troop-leading procedures (TLPs), the military decision-making process (MDMP MDMP Military Decision-Making Process MDMP Million Dollar Mouthpiece MDMP Mediterranean Dialogue Military Program ) or pre-combat checks (PCCs), remember you're working in another culture and through an interpreter. Keep your concepts and phrases as simple as possible if you want to communicate your message effectively. Practice communicating what you want to say without any military jargon. Slow and steady wins the race. Mission planning and organization are areas that require your constant attention and focused effort to improve the unit. To be most successful, you identify concepts and areas for the unit to improve and then work gradually to get these new concepts and ideas accepted and implemented. Don't try to do too much too soon. Tiny steps in the right direction, ultimately, will get you to your goal. Develop some language skills. Our team in Mosul works with Kurdish soldiers. The language instruction we received was in Arabic. Find out what language and dialect the majority of the soldiers in your Iraqi unit will speak and learn some basic phrases. Being able to speak your Iraqi unit's language "pays dividends" in forming relationships faster and getting the important information at 0200 when there isn't an interpreter around. Don't try to clone yourself. If you keep this phrase in your mind, you'll be infinitely more successful and enjoy your time on a MiTT. Your efforts never will create a mirror version of the US Army. Your job is to make the Iraqi Army better and capable of self-sustaining combat operations. Anytime you accomplish this, whether it is through the first back brief on a terrain model or something as simple as getting a young NCO to conduct a "police call" around the perimeter, smile and recognize that you're making progress. S4 Advisor and S4 NCOIC. An accomplished S4/S4 NCOIC can make all the difference on a MiTT. You must understand the system and be able to network effectively with your Coalition counterparts in order for the team to accomplish many of its mission tasks. Don't expect the normal US supply system to function flawlessly. Due to the MiTT organization, the team sometimes falls outside of the norm, and other US military systems and organizations have a hard time understanding the team's needs and limitations. You must be able to communicate effectively with others if you hope to get the support you need. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As the S4/S4 NCOIC, prepare for your mission by focusing on the following tasks. * If you have no supply experience, review AR 735-5 Policies and Procedures Policies and Procedures are a set of documents that describe an organization's policies for operation and the procedures necessary to fulfill the policies. They are often initiated because of some external requirement, such as environmental compliance or other governmental for Property Accountability. * Establish a logistics support activity (LOGSA LOGSA Logistics Support Activity (USAMC) LOGSA Logistics Support Agency ) account before deploying. * Find a copy of the Federal Logistic Catalog (Fedlog) and install it on your computer. * Determine the Department of Defense activity address codes (DODAACs) that you will use in country. * Bring a personal computer if the team you are replacing does not have team computers. * Bring copies of DA Form 2062 Hand Receipt/Annex Number to hand-receipt any equipment received en route to your final destination. * Bring a box with basic supplies (pens, pencils, notepads, etc.) to get you started while in training. * Before arriving in country, determine what supplies the team will need in country, prepare the proper paperwork to request the supplies and drop the requests upon arrival at your team's location. * Be prepared to face an underdeveloped and underused Iraqi supply system. It will take research and patience to begin to understand its complexities. For example, for those "old timers" who remember the paper DA Form 2404 Equipment Inspection and Maintenance Worksheet system, the Iraqi system is similar. All supply and maintenance requisitions must be in "hard copy" and stamped at every level of command to be filled. Communications NCOIC. MiTT teams, in many cases, are separated from other US forces. Being able to communicate with higher headquarters is essential. Your primary job will be to keep the team in contact with higher headquarters while coaching and mentoring the Iraqi Army communicators. Some of your duties will include the following. Learn the team's communications package. You have to be the subject matter expert (SME (1) (Small and Medium-sized Enterprise) See SMB. (2) (Subject Matter Expert) An individual who is well-versed in the policies and procedures of a particular department or division. ) on each piece of equipment and capable of operating and maintaining it. Advise your unit on communications. This will require some study on your part to learn the Iraqi systems and help the unit maintain communications. You're probably going to dedicate yourself to some intense self-study sessions with manuals and instruction booklets for communications systems you've never worked with. Time spent learning these systems will "pay off tenfold tenfold Adjective 1. having ten times as many or as much 2. composed of ten parts Adverb by ten times as many or as much Adj. 1. " when you can work with the Iraqi Army on their systems. Medic. The medic on a MiTT is incredibly important. Unlike many MiTTs, our team is not collocated with US forces. Because of our remote location, we are on our own in the event of most emergencies, including medical emergencies. Confidence in your skills as a lifesaver is critical because there will be times when that skill is called into action. Some of your basic, daily areas of responsibility are as follow. Team Medical and Health Maintenance. Some of the facilities you find the team occupying probably will be sub-standard. Identifying health hazards health hazard Occupational safety Any agent or activity posing a potential hazard to health. Cf Physical hazard. and getting them corrected will require your constant attention and action. Medical Supplies. Pack heavy. You never know when you're going to get resupplied, so stock a wide range of medical supplies. It also helps to network aggressively with your Coalition partners to resupply re·sup·ply tr.v. re·sup·plied, re·sup·ply·ing, re·sup·plies To provide with fresh supplies, as of weapons and ammunition. re some of the items that are more difficult to get. Unit Medics Med´ics n. 1. Science of medicine. Training. You're with the unit to help the Iraqi medics get better at doing their job--not do their job for them. If you understand your job, you will find yourself turning the Iraqi soldiers back to their own medics for routine treatments. Many of the medics will have medical training but lack field experience. Work with the Iraqi Army medics to get their hands on patients. For example, helping them run sick call is an excellent way of ensuring they get valuable hands-on training. Emergency Medical Management. You're in a combat zone, so you can expect to treat everything from an ingrown toenail ingrown toenail Onychocryptosis Podiatry The growth of the edge of a toenail–usually of the great toe–into the skin surrounding the nail, which may be accompanied by inflammation or pain Etiology congenitally curved nails, fungal infection, trauma Risk to life-threatening bullet and blast injuries. Make sure you do a medical evacuation (MEDEVAC) rehearsal during your relief-in-place (RIP) with the outgoing MiTT. Many posts in Iraq have emergency entrances--learn the routes in your area. Fire Support Officer (FSO (Free Space Optics) Transmitting optical signals through the air using infrared lasers. Also known as "wireless optics," FSO provides point-to-point and point-to-multipoint transmission at very high speeds without requiring a government license for use of the spectrum. )/Fire Support NCO (FSNCO FSNCO Flight Safety Non-Commissioned Officer ). In Iraq, you may or may not make a call-for-fire, and you must be proficient at coordinating for close air support (CAS) and Army aviation. The most common fire support platforms in our area are aviation, which are used mostly for non-kinetic operations, such as gathering intelligence. Be prepared for an intelligence-heavy approach to your operations. On our team, our fire supporters provided invaluable support in the following areas. Targeting. Expect to work closely with the S2. Target packages are paramount in a successful operation. One of the weaknesses in most Iraqi Army units is developing a good picture of the target and its capabilities before they begin operations. Vehicle Operations. Grab a wrench. Mentoring and coaching the Iraqi Army unit as it learns to keep its vehicles operational is a major job. We are fortunate to have a FSNCO who is comfortable in this role, and his efforts help tremendously. Junior NCO Training. Your working with the Iraqi first sergeant (1SG) can help improve the Iraqi army NCO corps. Team Tips. So you have been assigned to a MiTT and are preparing to go "down range." Before you go, here are a few final words of advice. * Get as many of your team certified to handle your mail as possible. * Talk about driving and convoy security with someone on the outgoing team. How did they maintain separation and forward movement while moving tactically? * Ensure everyone on the team knows and understands the rules of engagement (ROE), especially the rules regarding escalation of force. * Make sure everyone thoroughly understands the hierarchy of weapon statuses and how to safely load and clear all assigned weapons. * Additionally, make and maintain contact with the team you are replacing as soon as possible. Those team members are your SMEs and can give you the realistic picture of your unit and operational environment. Hopefully these tips will help arm you with the tools for success as a MiTT member. Get ready for a challenge and for the "ride of your life." Serving on a MiTT is not easy, but it is a great job and pivotal to our country's exit strategy from Iraq. Captain Jared R. Kite is the S2 Advisor for the 3rd Battalion, 4th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division on the 3/4/2 IA Military Transition Team (MiTT) in Mosul, Iraq. Previously he was the Transformation Officer for the 313th Military Intelligence Battalion (313 MI), 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke Counties, North Carolina, U.S. . Among other assignments, he was the Regimental Chemical Officer for the 319th Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, also with the 82nd Division. Captain Kite previously was enlisted and served as a Counterintelligence coun·ter·in·tel·li·gence n. The branch of an intelligence service charged with keeping sensitive information from an enemy, deceiving that enemy, preventing subversion and sabotage, and collecting political and military information. Agent with C Company, 308 MI, 902d MI Group, Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth (lĕv`ənwûrth'), U.S. military post, 6,000 acres (2,430 hectares), on the Missouri River, NE Kans., NW of Leavenworth; est. 1827 by Col. Henry Leavenworth to protect travelers on the Santa Fe Trail. The oldest U.S. , Kansas. Major Christopher L. Matson, Army Reserves from Charlotte, North Carolina “Charlotte” redirects here. For other uses, see Charlotte (disambiguation). Charlotte is the largest city in the state of North Carolina and the 20th largest city in the United States. , is the Maneuver Advisor and Executive Officer (XO) on 3/4/2 IA MiTT in Mosul. Before deploying, he was a Strategic Analyst with the 108th Division (Initial Training) in Charlotte where he also served as a Budget Officer and Company Commander. Among other assignments, he was a Company Commander and Communications and Electronics Platoon Leader in the 337 MI (Airborne), also in Charlotte. He served on active duty as a Platoon Leader and Battalion Air Operations Officer with the 1-27 IN, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks bar·rack 1 tr.v. bar·racked, bar·rack·ing, bar·racks To house (soldiers, for example) in quarters. n. 1. A building or group of buildings used to house military personnel. , Hawaii. Lieutenant Colonel Richard A. McConnell, is the 3/4/2 MiTT Chief in Mosul. Previously, he was a Fire Support Observer/Trainer assigned to the Battle Command Training Program at Fort Leavenworth. During Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF OIF Operation Iraqi Freedom OIF Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (French: International Organization of Francophonie) OIF Office for Intellectual Freedom (American Library Association) ) I, he was the S3 and XO of 1-12 FA, 17th FA Brigade, III Corps List of military corps — List of military corps by number A number of countries have Third, or III, Corps:
HHb Deoxyhemoglobin HHB Headquarters & Headquarters Battery HHB Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion HHB Half Human Band (band) HHB Hello Honey Bear ), 41st FA Brigade, V Corps Artillery, in Germany and was a Battery Fire Direction Officer in 1-320 FA, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in the Gulf during Operation Desert Storm Noun 1. Operation Desert Storm - the United States and its allies defeated Iraq in a ground war that lasted 100 hours (1991) Gulf War, Persian Gulf War - a war fought between Iraq and a coalition led by the United States that freed Kuwait from Iraqi invaders; . By Captain Jared R. Kite and Major Christopher L. Matson and Lieutenant Colonel Richard A. McConnell
Typical Staff Rank
MiTT Positions Functions Performed (On Our Team)
MiTT Chief Commander LTC
Headquarters and Service S1/HSC Commander CPT
Company (HSC) Advisor
S2 Advisor S2 CPT
S2 NCO-in-Charge (NCOIC) S2/Team NCOIC 1SG
Maneuver Advisor S3/Executive Officer MAJ
S4 Advisor S4 CPT
S4 NCOIC S4 SFC
Communications NCOIC S6 SFC
Fire Support Officer (FSO) Advisor FSO SGT
Fire Support NCOIC (FSNCOIC) FSNCOIC SGT
Medic Medic SGT
Organization of the Military Transition Team (MiTT) for the 3rd
Battalion, 4th Brigade, 2nd Iraqi Army Division (3/4/2 IA) in Mosul,
Iraq. This is the organization specified in the modified table of
organization and equipment (MTOE) for a battalion-level MiTT.
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