Multi-National Security Transition Command – Iraq
Public Affairs Office, Phoenix Base
APO AE 09348

PRESS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Release No. 090905-02
Sept. 5, 2009
Contact:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
DSN:  318-852-8742
Maj. Bob Owen

River Police Protect Iraq’s Waterways

BAGHDAD – Iraqi River Police conducted operations on the Tigris River here Sept. 1 to practice their skills in keeping Iraq’s waterways safe from terrorists.

The mission of the river police is to provide search and rescue, safety patrol, and counter smuggling operations along the waterways of Iraq. Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq advisors, mentors and trainers help the river police to accomplish this mission. 

There are two advisors at the River Patrol. One is responsible for teaching waterborne operations, how to pilot the boats, and how to use the boats to conduct the operations found in the mission statement. The second advisor is a highly skilled and qualified dive instructor and he is responsible for the dive training. These advisors have teaching certifications required to conduct operations in search and rescue, safety patrols and counter smuggling in a river environment.

Iraqis here received “train the trainer” instruction to give them the expertise they need to visit each Iraqi province to disseminate river-boat patrol techniques to their own units.

Currently, there are 22 boats in the Baghdad Training Center. There are four different designs of boats used in this training. They are used for regular operations and also have different designs and capabilities. These boats can be used to respond to missing person reports as well as engage in recover of drowning victims.

The biggest success that the U.S. advisors have seen with the Iraqis is their ability to grasp these complex river patrol techniques and apply them to their own curriculum.  This professionalizes the Iraqi river patrols to be better able to handle its mission.

Despite some maintenance issues, which are pervasive across Iraq, the Iraqis do a good job of keeping these boats afloat and running, said one U.S. Army advisor.

There will be more train-the-trainer courses conducted by U.S. advisors and attended by the Iraqi river patrol trainers. This cooperation is a large part of the success of the Security Agreement between the two countries and sets the stage for future training.

-30-

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR INTERVIEWS CONCERNING THIS RELEASE, CONTACT THE MULTI-NATIONAL SECURITY TRANSITION COMMAND – IRAQ PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE BY E-MAIL AT This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it OR BY PHONE AT DSN: (318) 852-1332 OR IRAQNA: 0790-194-0270.  FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR ORGANIZATION VISIT:  WWW.MNSTCI.IRAQ.CENTCOM.MIL.