The tanks will be transferred to Iraqi control at the Besmaya Combat Training Center for integration into the 9th IA Mechanized Division located in central Iraq.

This delivery is part of a larger, comprehensive program to modernize Iraq’s conventional defense capabilities.

“This represents a significant milestone for the Iraqi Army as we approach the end of Operation Iraqi Freedom and the beginning of Operation New Dawn,” said the USF-I Deputy Commanding General for Advising and Training, U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Michael D. Barbero, “These tanks will strengthen the Iraqi Army’s ability to protect the sovereignty of Iraq. And a stable and secure Iraq that can protect itself will be a stabilizing force in the region.”

In anticipation of the tank delivery, the U.S. and Iraqi Armies collaboratively developed a training program in 2009 to help familiarize Iraqi crewmembers with the Abrams tank.  The Iraqi crewmembers are also scheduled to receive a complete, new equipment training package in conjunction with the fielding of the tanks.

“This is the centerpiece, the key enabler, of the 9th Iraqi Army Mechanized Division,” said Lt. Col. Willie Roseman, USF-I (A&T) Iraqi Army Modernization Program Manager. “The delivery of the M1A1s will lay a strong foundation of modern external defense capabilities for the Iraqi Army.”

The remaining 129 tanks and seven recovery vehicles are scheduled to be delivered in similar increments on a monthly basis until about December 2011.