A suggestion for training Iraq security forces

Report: Iraqi security forces still lag
By LOLITA C. BALDOR, Associated Press Writer
18 Dec 2007
WASHINGTON - ... The Defense Department's quarterly report on progress in Iraq said that while the size and capabilities of the Iraqi Army and police forces have grown, many are still dependent on the U.S. and coalition nations for logistics and training.

A reminder:
'As Iraqis Stand Up, We Will Stand Down,' Bush Tells Nation
By John D. Banusiewicz
American Forces Press Service
WASHINGTON, June 28, 2005 – On the one-year anniversary of the transfer of sovereignty in Iraq to a transitional Iraqi government, President Bush tonight promised that U.S. forces would remain in Iraq until the job is complete, "but not one day longer."

I've just a couple of questions:
1) When is "the job complete"?
2) How much have we spent training Iraqi security forces so far?

Okay, anyone can criticize W - it's not that hard!
How 'bout offering a constructive alternative?

For what it's worth:
A suggestion related to training Iraqi forces.

As a U.S. Army Basic Trainee in 1975, my training included a couple of days in the classroom with lectures covering (VERY briefly) the history of the U.S. and the history of the U.S. Army. I learned who von Steuben was, and what he did for Washington's Continental Army - something I'd NOT learned in public school U.S. History class!

My bet is that training for Iraqi army & police is focused solely on what might be called "technical" aspects of the job: drilling in formation, basic weapons training, crowd control, etc. ... with NO training designed to provide them a sense of purpose, a link with any meaningful heritage, a belief that their country is worth defending.

The article cited above notes that, "As of November, 21,000 Iraqi soldiers had been dropped from the rolls this year after going AWOL, the report said." Now, even the U.S. Army suffers from AWOLs, but the level reported here suggests that recruits don't have any sense of a "greater good" to be served.

My suggestion? Include a full week of history in the Army & Police basic curriculum. Emphasize that Iraq is the "cradle of civilization"; that Hammurabi with his palace in Babylon gave the world the first law code; that art, literature, architure derive from Iraq. Mention the Epic of Gilgamesh with its remarkable Flood story. Include the history of Baghdad's greatness - of Harun al-Rashid & the Arabian Nights. Emphasize the grandeur of Harun's court at the time of his correspondence with the European barbarian Charlemagne. Remind them that one of their Kurdish countrymen - Saladin - defeated Richard the Lion-Heart! Theirs is a country worth preserving, worth fighting for, worth dying for.

If the Army & Police are our best bets for establishing a post-Saddam national Iraqi identity, the training that we provide ought to nurture that identity!