BASRAH — Twenty-three Iraqi Security Force officers from the Basrah Police and Iraqi Army 14th Division came together to participate in an Iraqi-led, three-day Civil-Military Operations course here, Dec. 21-23.

The course focused on increasing ISF abilities by covering topics such as roles and responsibilities for civil-military operators, emergency management, key leader engagement, population and resource controls and CMO information management.

Currently, the class is made up of mostly young officers: first and second lieutenants. Class leaders said this is how Iraq will grow future leaders that are able to take initiative and work together.

“These officers will be more efficient planners and have better manners and morals to deal with civilians,” said Iraqi Lt. Col. Hussain Jassim Abdalla, an engineer and Chief Assistant CMO for the Iraqi Army 14th Division, through a translator.

Abdalla, one of the instructors, said this course is important because they are learning new, modern Army methods.

“These skills are very important in modern life,” he said as he compared the current battlefield to the days of WWI. “Today’s Army is more involved in reconstruction and building a better society.”

The Police in this program are from the Joint Security Stations and they work together with the Iraqi Army in Basrah neighborhoods.

“These classes give them the knowledge and skills to work with civilians and to be knowledgeable about them,” said Lt. Col. Paul Chappell, one of the course instructors.

Chappell is a U.S. Army civil affairs advisor with Multi-National Division-South East. He currently mentors Iraqi leaders along with the British advisory team working at the Basrah Operations Center.