Montrose Toast

 Divisional OOB as of 31 December 2012

This Iraqi Security Force (ISF) update provides a summary of changes to the ISF during December 2012.  The Iraqi Security Force Order of Battle is updated as of 31 December 2012.  Highlights in this update include:  

• 5th Mechanized Division receiving BTR4s. 
• 3 C130Js received; Press conference with IMoD provides some details on Russian Deal; Iraqi Air Defense Command. 
• 2 OSVs delivered to Basrah. 

Army

The 12 December edition of Khaima magazine reported on the 5th Mechanized Division.  This was the first time the 5th was called Mechanized.  The 18/5 Mechanized Brigade is to receive its BTR4s soon.  1-18/5 Mechanized Battalion has completed training on BTR4s and the 2-18/5 Mechanized Battalion is now undergoing BTR4 training.  The division is converting to 1 armored brigade [20/5] and 3 mechanized brigades [18/5, 19/5, and 21/5].  The 20/5 Brigade has 1 armored battalion currently in training.  The source of the 175 tanks needed to equip the 5th Mechanized Division has not been identified.  [35 tanks per battalion/5 battalions.] The 5th Mechanized Division was trained on M113s but is apparently being equipped BTR4s instead.

Aviation

Iraq accepted 3 C130Js in Baghdad on 17 December.  The remaining 3 C130Js on order are to be delivered during 2013.

The 12 December edition of Khaima magazine reported on the Defense Minister meeting with journalists to discuss the Russian Deal:

• ADC has been contracted by the army to fit 23mm and 14.5mm cannons to 4x4 vehicles for convoy protection duties. 
• The Russian deal included two types of aircraft, neither of which the Russians had exported before. One of these is the Mi28NE. 
• The air defense system also has not been exported by Russia and is used only by the Russian military. 
• 4 different systems that Iraq proposed to the Russians and the Russians have yet to approve their sale to Iraq until a country-country agreement is made due to strategic nature of these weapons.
• Iraq was supposed to receive the weapons from Russia from 14th June 2013 but now the deliveries have been delayed due to the political outburst and the new purchasing committee.  

The 26 December edition of Khaima magazine reported on the receipt of 3x C130J medium lift cargo aircraft and the Air Defense Command [ADC].   The ADC was activated on 8 December 2011 consisting of 16 officers and 24 enlisted personnel and one civilian.  In this one year ADC has setup early warning radars, early warning spotters, some air defense artillery batteries, early warning center in the south, and the Central Air Defense Command in Baghdad.  In addition there have been two campaigns to salvage old equipment from the previous army.  The 2013 budget has allocated a very large amount of capital for re equipping the ADC.  The early warning system now covers 90 percent of Iraq's air space.  Iraq is buying air defense missile systems and will not rely on a single source of supply for them.  Only Kirkuk, Taji, Tallil, & Basrah SOCs/ASOC are displayed in the photos accompanying the article.

Navy

On 20 December, 2 Offshore Support Vessels [OSV] were delivered.   The 26 December edition of Khaima magazine included a full page article on these new OSVs.  The OSV crews were trained in the US for 3 months.  The OSVs will support patrol boats in their tasks as well as having a secondary diver launch capability.