Paul Eaton Quoted in AFP on Training Forces in Iraq and Syria

US hopes training local forces will work – this time

September 11, 2014 | AFP

Dating back to Vietnam, US attempts to construct professional armies often have faltered, usually because the local leaders see the military as a means of holding on to power rather than defending the country, experts say.

The most recent failure occurred only a few months ago in Iraq, where a massive training effort ended with army divisions throwing down their weapons in a humiliating rout by IS militants.

The outcome, after $24 billion worth of training, came as a crushing disappointment to the US military, but most senior officers blamed the sectarian agenda of former prime minister Nuri al-Maliki, who they say appointed political hacks instead of qualified officers.

“The idea was to create an army that was reflective of the Iraqi society and that model broke down after the Iraqis took command of their own forces and the units started to become aligned in a sectarian manner,” said Paul Eaton, a retired US major general who led training efforts in Iraq ten years ago.

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