FORT HOOD, Texas- Leaders throughout 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division attended a Leader Development and Education for Sustained Peace seminar last week to prepare them for their deployment to Iraq as part of Operation New Dawn.
The course provided insight into Islam, ethics, politics, influence operations and human terrain understanding, post-Saddam governance, stability operations, relations with regional neighbors, reconstruction and economics.
This type of training helps leaders prepare for upcoming deployments to Iraq by giving them insight into different ways of handling their mission for a specific operational environment.
Greywolf Soldiers will advise, train and assist Iraqi Security Forces, as well as partnering with civil authorities and agencies.
"I will work with the Department of Border Enforcement, so this gives me insight into my area of operations," said Capt. Paul Lockhart, the commander of Company D, 1st Battalion, 12th Cavalry Regiment. "The intelligence I'm gathering here sets the bounds for my requests for information and sets the framework for relationships with my counterpart."
The topics provided valuable insight to where the leaders will work and how they will operate, presenting them with new and different challenges.
"The most important piece of information I have taken away from the course is how our mission will be tied closely with the transition of responsibilities to the Department of State," said Capt. Erik Simonson, a battalion-level intelligence officer with 1st Bn., 12th Cav. Regt.
"Our responsibilities sometimes have larger consequences than we initially see and it is important to remember how all the people involved in aiding Iraq are truly tied together," he said.
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