ABSTRACT
The noncommissioned officers (NCOs), sergeants and corporals provide a center of gravity for effective fighting forces and often lead small units. They will be vital to sustaining the Iraqi army through the battles ahead. There were only 5,000 of these embedded trainers in the field. As the Iraqis headed into combat without American partner units, they will probably need more training teams to embed with them. How many? That is a decision that has not yet been made. A consensus among senior officers engaged in this program suggests that the number of trainers must be doubled, perhaps even tripled if the new Iraqi army is to be successful. The Iraqis only have to be better than their enemies. There is a danger in committing the blood, treasure and time necessary to train a large Iraqi army. Wars are not won by the bigger force, but by intangibles. Leadership, courage, adaptability, integrity, intellectual agility and allegiance ultimately determine who wins wars.
