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This column is the second in a series that explains some of the differences between the U.S. and Iraqi Armies.  Breaks occur in order to break up length.

The U.S. and Iraqi armies differ in part because the U.S. Army has been established for so much longer.  The U.S. Army has tried and true methods for training and equipping its Soldiers that the Iraqi Army is attempting to create while simultaneously fighting insurgents.  Personal commitment and leadership are two other differences are deeper than what is visible on the surface.

The U.S. Army not only empowers commissioned officers at the lowest levels, but it places great authority in the hands of American noncommissioned officers (NCOs).  Quite simply, sergeants are the backbone of the Army.

A school analogy illustrates the difference between officers and noncommissioned officers.  The Army’s officers are like the school’s administrators—the vice principles, principal and above.  The teachers are like the sergeants, and the students are the Soldiers that directly work for them.

The Iraqi Army takes a much different approach to authority with a heavily top-down, officer-centric view.  A lower-ranking Soldier making a decision equates to challenging the authority and disrespecting the unit’s commander, a mistake that would likely land an Iraqi Soldier in jail. 

The Iraqi unit’s commander will often defer to his commander on up the chain.  A decision that an American corporal (the lowest NCO rank) might make could very easily ascend to an Iraqi major’s office for judgment.

Interestingly, Iraqi officers value the American NCOs greatly, often commenting that they wish that they had NCOs like ours.  However, when challenged to empower their NCOs and offered plans for training, the Iraqi officers balk, “Our Soldiers are not like your Soldiers.”  While this may be a matter of whether the chicken or the egg comes first, the Iraqi officers have a point. 

Iraqi Soldiers do not have the sense of instilled pride and patriotism of the American Soldiers.  If a U.S. Soldier is given orders to deploy or perform a task that he does not like, then he does it anyway.  Iraqi Soldiers, on the other hand, are free to quit at any time and will, if they decide that they do not like what they are doing or if it is not worth the pay that they are receiving.

Iraqi Soldier manning his post.