CONTINGENCY OPERATING SITE GARRYOWEN, Iraq - Iraqi Police of the 4th Battalion Emergency Response Unit recently completed Special Weapons and Tactics training conducted by “Comanche” Company C, 4th Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment.
The SWAT training was a three-week course consisting of rifle marksmanship, reflexive fire, close quarters battle, cordon and search procedures, sensitive site exploitation and first aid.
“We are busy here. I will be moving into the city to get embedded with the Iraqi Police,” said Sgt. 1st Class Jose M. Sanchez. “At Contingency Operating Station Garryowen we are setting up an Iraqi Police Academy and our sister platoon is assisting in the training that is conducted there.”
Sanchez, an infantryman from El Paso, Texas, was a reflexive fire instructor for the course.
“That involved scenarios where they would engage targets to their front, left, right, and rear,” explained Sanchez. “Some of the iterations were stationary and some were moving.”
The instructors conducted three days of basic dry-fire instruction and culminated with a live-fire range at COS Garryowen.
“I, myself, enjoy training Soldiers and being able to train the Iraqi Police is no different, except that we use an interpreter to get the point across,” said Sanchez. “I found the Iraqi Police to be very attentive and motivated in learning our TTPs. At the same time, we also learned a few of their TTPs they use when they conduct Iraqi led operations.”
Several of Company C’s leaders were selected to serve as trainers for the Iraqi Police. Those chosen were of different military occupational specialties: artillery, armor, and infantry. Prior to deployment, some of the U.S. Soldiers participated in training conducted in Texas by the El Paso and Austin police departments that prepared them to train Iraqis.
“All of the NCOs selected had several years of hands-on experience running multi-weapon ranges,” said Sanchez.
The Iraqi Police send hand-picked individuals from each of their respective battalions.
Comanche company commander Capt. Allen Trujillo, from Chimayo, N.M., coordinates with Staff Maj. Gen. Sa'ad Al-Harbanyi or Col. Muhammad to send select individuals to receive training who will then serve as trainers for their own battalions once they complete the SWAT training course.
“The classes are constantly going on. The only thing that changes is the respective U.S. platoon that will execute the training for them,” said Trujillo.
“In Comanche Company, we have missions that take us to Joint Security Station Gasper to support a Special Forces Team that is embedded with the 3rd Bn. ERU, the Iraqi Police Academy and to the Provincial Department of Police,” said Sanchez.
The Iraqi Police receive a few days of classroom instruction followed by several days of practical application before proceeding to live-fire day.
Comanche company trains the ISF at two different locations, COS Garryowen, where they have both classroom and a local training area and range and the Iraqi Police Academy.
“At the IP Academy we recently completed two personal security detachment training classes and just finished our first tactical site exploitation class in which we actually were able to get Iraqi Judges to show up and sit down with the students to talk about the importance of TSE,” said Sgt. 1st Class Sean M. O’Connor, an M-1 tank crewman from Scranton, Pa.
“These are my Soldiers training these classes, not specific forensic or PSD specialists or experts,” O’Connor added. “The quality of training so far has been excellent.”
