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24 January 2006

Slovenia To Join NATO Training Mission in Iraq

Alliance trained nearly 1,500 Iraqi officers in 2005

Washington -- The United States welcomes Slovenia’s decision to assign four soldiers to the NATO Training Mission in Iraq, the State Department said January 23.

More than 100 NATO personnel are deployed in Iraq for a noncombat mission to train Iraqi military forces engaged in the ongoing struggle against anti-government insurgents. In 2005, the alliance trained 1,000 mid- and senior-level officers inside Iraq and close to 500 more at facilities in Europe.

Slovenia’s decision to participate in the Iraq mission reflects “NATO's commitment to help to stand up capable Iraqi security forces,” the State Department said in a written response to a question at the January 23 press briefing.

“The Slovenian contingent will take part in NATO's ongoing leadership training for Iraqi officers,” the State Department said. “We understand they will offer instruction in logistics and other areas.”

The deployment also “reflects Slovenia's strong commitment to NATO and to peace and stability in Iraq,” the statement said. “The United States is grateful for Slovenia's commitment in Iraq as well as its support to NATO operations in the Balkans and Afghanistan.”

In 2006, NATO’s goal is to train another 1,500 Iraqi officers, according to a January 18 news release from NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.

NATO trainers have been working in Iraq since August 2004 as part of the alliance’s support for the development of the country’s security institutions, the news release said.

“The NATO training effort focuses on mid- and senior-level Iraqi officers,” the statement said. “It aims to help the Iraqi security forces develop an officer corps trained in modern military leadership skills, as well as to inculcate the values appropriate to democratically controlled armed forces.”

The NATO training includes courses in strategic planning, management and analysis of lessons learned from day-to-day operations.  Training primarily takes place at the Iraqi Joint Staff College in Ar-Rustamiyah, on the outskirts of Baghdad. The facility was opened in September 2005. (See related story.)

For more information, see NATO Training Mission-Iraq on the Web site of NATO’s Allied Forces Southern Europe.

(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)