Montrose Toast

There have been significant changes in the reporting on the Iraqi Army's 14th Motorized Division in Basrah province.  These changes indicate the 14th Division is the first to get armored battalions transferred from 9th Armored Division as the 9th upgrades to M1A1 armored battalions.

The 14th Motor Transport Regiment is now being called a “Provisional Transport Regiment”.  This indicates the MTR is being broken up to form brigade support battalions.  The only heavy division in the Iraqi Army [9th Armored Division] does not have an MTR.  Instead it has four brigade support battalions.  This conversion of the 14th MTR means the conversion of the 14th Motorized Division to mechanized is already in progress and that it will be more than one brigade of the 14th upgrading in the next year. 

The 52nd Brigade of 14th Division has been reported as a “Navy Brigade” which indicates some or all of the battalions of the brigade are transferring to the Iraqi Marines soon.  Those battalions will be replaced with 9th Division armor battalions and probably the two battalions of NATO donated T72 tanks.  The 52nd Brigade is probably converting to an armored brigade and losing two of its four battalions of infantry to the Marines in the process. 

The 36th Armored Brigade of 9th Armored Division is the first to upgrade to M1A1 tanks.  The new 5-36/9 Armored Battalion received its third company of M1A1s in August 2009.  This replaces the Basrah deployed T55 tank equipped 1-36/9 Armored Battalion.  The 1-36/9 will re-designate and become a permanent part of 14th Division instead of a temporary attachment.

By the end of 2009, three more companies of M1A1 tanks will be fielded, filling out a new M1A1 equipped armored battalion.  Also 70 NATO donated T72s will arrive, providing tanks for two more T72 equipped armored battalions.  To provide the mechanized companies for those new M1A1 and T72 battalions, the BMP1 equipped 2-36/9 “Tank” Battalion will trade three of its four BMP1 companies for M1A1s.

These trades in the 9th Armored Division minimizes the impact of the upgrade and transfers to the 36th Armored Brigade by reconfiguring it to two M1A1/BMP1 equipped armored battalions and an M113 equipped mechanized reconnaissance battalion.

• 1-36/9 Armored Battalion [T55/BMP1] transferred to 14th Division.
• 2-36/9 “Tank” Battalion [BMP1] detaches three of its four companies to help form 5-36/9 Armored Battalion and two [T72-equipped] armored battalions in 14th Division.  Those companies are replaced with M1A1s, converting to 2-36/9 Armored Battalion [M1A1/BMP1].
• 3-36/9 Armored Cavalry Battalion [T72/BMP1] transfers to 14th Division.
• 4-36/9 Mechanized Reconnaissance Battalion [M113] remains in 36th Armored Brigade.
• 5-36/9 Armored Battalion [Forming/training:  M1A1/BMP1] remains in 36th Armored Brigade.

That means that the 9th Armored Division’s 36th Armored Brigade only loses a BMP1 battalion while trading two T55/T72 equipped battalions for two M1A1 equipped armored battalions.

The 14th Division trades four infantry battalions for one T55/BMP1 equipped and three T72/BMP1 equipped armored battalions.

The Iraqi Marines gain two infantry battalions, doubling their strength.

Personnel for the NATO donated T72 battalions and filling out the brigade support battalions will probably be drawn from the 52nd Brigade’s other two infantry battalions.

While this still leaves the 14th Motorized Division’s infantry components mounted on DZIK3 light armored personnel carriers and trucks [including HMMWVs], it does provide the tank components and the brigade support battalions for the re-designation to mechanized division in early 2010, possibly before the end of 2009.  When the M1126 Strykers start arriving, the upgrade of the infantry components will probably start.

This will leave the remaining one T55 equipped and three T72 equipped armored battalions in 9th Armored Division to trade for M1A1s.  In 2010, the 34/9 Armored Brigade will probably start converting since it has the remaining T55 equipped armored battalion and the remaining BMP1 equipped “tank” battalion.  The 36/9 Armored Brigade will probably start trading its T72s for M1A1s in late-2010.  The 37/9 Light Mechanized Brigade will start conversion when the M1126 Strykers start to arrive [no schedule yet].  The 37/9 Brigade is currently equipped with BTR80 APCs and EE-9 Scout Cars which are probably transferring to 53/14 Brigade as the 37/9 receives its Strykers.  The 37/9 Brigade has been receiving training and familiarization with US Strykers.

The candidates for the remaining tanks from the 9th Armored Division will probably start receiving the 34/9 Armored Brigade’s tanks in 2010.  The method of conversion of the 36/9 Armored Brigade indicates the Iraqi Army is going with using the armor from 9th Armored Division to build two mechanized divisions rather than separate brigades.  However, that could be just a special case for the 14th Motorized Division due to its strategic location.  The candidates for upgrade starting in 2010 are [in order of probability]:

• The 5th Motorized Division in Diyala province,
• The 3rd Motorized Division in Ninawa province,
• The planned 18th Division to form in Maysan province,
• The 7th Motorized Division [Quick Intervention Corps] in Anbar province,
• The 11th Motorized Division in east Baghdad, and/or
• The building Presidential and Baghdad Brigades in Baghdad.

This changes part of the previous estimate of the redistribution plan of the Iraqi 9th Armored Division's armor.   The previous estimate projected an upgrade of only one brigade of the 14th Motorized Division to armored in the near future.  If the 14th Motorized Division is being fully upgraded to mechanized, then that means a reduction in the projected distribution of the armor to other divisions.   The strategic location of the 14th Motorized Division in Basrah, covering the primary export route of Iraq’s oil, supports this mechanized upgrade.   This also means that some of the other likely candidates for upgrade to mechanized or armored are not getting that older armor from 9th Armored Division.