The following material was extracted from MCCLL reports based on interviews, lessons and observations from operational units that participated in OIF/OEF over the past 36 months. Although this material is based on collections that took place in 2005 through 2007, comments from recent observers and currently deployed individuals indicate that issues on the ground likely remain the same. Content of this paper is grouped in response to specific questions in the TECOM tasking dated 2 April 2008.

Saying it was “astonished” by a US court’s decision to drop manslaughter charges against private security guards who were accused of killing 17 civilians caught up in a Baghdad traffic jam, the Iraqi government yesterday promised to continue its battle to secure justice for the victims of “people who like to shoot unarmed people”. Wejdan Mikhail, the country’s Human Rights Minister, said she would now support efforts to bring civil charges against the Blackwater employees accused of firing automatic weapons and throwing hand grenades at cars negotiating a roundabout in Nisur Square just over two years ago.

A judge in Washington ruled late on Thursday that the high-profile case, which sparked allegations of a culture of lawlessness and unaccountability at Blackwater and other private security firms in Iraq, should be thrown out due to an apparent legal technicality.

Provincial reconstruction teams (PRTs) were established as a result of the need to develop the infrastructure necessary for the Afghan and Iraqi people to succeed in a post-conflict environment. The efforts of PRTs take place every day during a time when major conflict is commonplace in both countries. PRTs have become an integral part of the long-term strategy to transition the lines of security, governance, and economics to the indigenous people. Integrated appropriately, PRTs serve as combat multipliers for maneuver commanders engaged in governance and economics, as well as other critical lines of operation. In addition, PRTs serve as force multipliers for U.S. Government (USG) development agencies engaged across the stability and reconstruction sectors.

All personnel are to be moved away from the suspect item. Mark your location and note the direction and distance to the device. Move to a minimum distance of 300 meters from the suspect item. The Convoy Commander or Patrol Leader at the scene makes the decision on how large an area to clear based on METT-TC. Detonation may be imminent if the device was armed before being located. Personnel should make maximum use of hard cover, ensuring they are out of the direct Line of Site (LOS) from the suspect area to cleared positions. If cover cannot be obtained, maximize distance from the device.

The concept of strategic communication is an often-discussed topic within government policy circles and at all levels of professional military education. Doctrinal definitions are continually updated and refined to the point that few appear to agree upon the role that strategic communication should play as either a diplomatic function, an aspect of military operational planning, or a process to be executed in the course of national policy. There are, however, a set of key points that all sides seem to agree upon.

The following casualty data were compiled by the Department of Defense (DOD), as tallied from the agency’s press releases. Table 1 provides statistics on fatalities during Operation Iraqi Freedom, which began on March 19, 2003, and is ongoing, as well as on the number of fatalities since May 1, 2003, plus statistics on those wounded, but not killed, since March 19, 2003.

Baghdad yesterday suffered a string of attacks that left more than 95 people dead in the latest sign that violence in Iraq has intensified in the wake of a handover from US troops to Iraqi security forces. The attacks also wounded at least 500 in the bloodiest day in the capital since US troops withdrew from the country’s cities in late June. The two deadliest bombings were at the finance and foreign ministries, which are among the most heavily guarded buildings in Baghdad, Iraqi authorities said.

A close confidante of Government scientist Dr David Kelly has demanded a new investigation into his death. Mai Pederson, a US Air Force linguist who served in Iraq with Dr Kelly’s weapons inspection team, has called on Attorney General Baroness Scotland to carry out a ‘formal, independent and complete review’ into the ‘suspicious circumstances’ of his death.

A deadly car bomb in northern Iraq shattered the mood of celebration tonight just hours after makeshift bands, dancing teenagers and crowds waving Iraqi flags had marked the withdrawal of American troops from the nation’s cities.Six years after the US-led bombardment of the capital, control of the city’s streets has been handed back to Iraqis.