SUPPORT TO IRAK III

Colonel José María Gutiérrez del Olmo, commander of the 6th Regiment “Saboya”, will also be the commander of the Spanish contingent in Iraq. It will be the first unit from the Heavy Forces to take part in this mission.

Preparation for the mission has included English and Arabic lessons; information on the materiel used by the Iraqi Army; training of drivers, gunners and maintenance personnel for RG-31 and Lince tanks (which are being used in the mission); training of Raven UAV operators and technicians; and self-defence courses focused on issues such as green-on-blue attacks (in which local forces undergoing training or someone infiltrated among them target instructors from the international troops). It has comprised courses, workshops and conferences, as well as several exercises.

The core of the contingent is the instructors’ teams: two from Spain and a third, from Portugal. The latter will be integrated with the Spanish teams and has already arrived in Besmayah. Most of the instructors come from the “Saboya” regiment, but some are members of the Campaign Artillery Group or the Sappers Battalion, both from the same Brigade. They are backed by a Protection Unit (a company from the Regiment), a Logistics Unit (from the 9th Logistics Group and the 61st Logistic Support Group), a Signals Unit (made up of personnel from the 11th Signals Company and the Signals Brigade) and a Base Support Unit (from the Logistics Group) responsible for maintaining the facilities.