# Canadians in Iraq



## tomahawk6 (12 May 2008)

A couple of nice articles.Not recent but good background.

http://www.bragg.army.mil/MNCI/leader.html

http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?k=64311&id=dc2e159f-22f2-43c1-93f9-0fb2edaa104e

Canadian General, Ex-JTF2 commander takes leading role in Iraq Takes Senior Command Role in Iraq
By Jon Elmer and Anthony Fenton

VANCOUVER, Jan 23, 2008(IPS) - Despite the government's official position abstaining from combat in Iraq, Canada has dispatched yet another top general to the command group overseeing day-to-day operations for the U.S.-led occupation and counterinsurgency war.

Brigadier-General Nicolas Matern, a Special Forces officer and former commander of Canada's elite counter-terrorism unit, will serve as deputy to Lt. Gen. Lloyd Austin III, incoming commander of the 170,000-strong Multi National Corps-Iraq beginning in mid-February. 

Matern is the third Canadian general to serve in the command group of Operation Iraqi Freedom as part of an exchange programme that places Canadian Forces officers in leadership positions in the U.S. military. His deployment is part of a three-year post with the U.S. Army's 18th Airborne Corps, based out of Fort Bragg, North Carolina. 

Officials at Fort Bragg confirmed that Matern has already been deployed to Iraq, though no official statement has been made by Canadian officials. 

Meanwhile, 42 Canadian tanks and armoured personnel carriers left Edmonton last week destined for Fort Bliss, Texas to participate in pre-deployment training exercises with the U.S. Army before a summer rotation in Afghanistan. A Department of National Defence press release characterised the training as "massive", with more than 3,000 Canadian soldiers taking part in Exercise Southern Bear. 

Such joint exercises are commonplace throughout all branches of the armed forces and beyond. A report from the U.S. Department of State's counterterrorism office described how "the governments of the United States and Canada collaborated on a broad array of initiatives, exercises, and joint operations that spanned virtually all agencies and every level of government." 

During his first visit to Washington as Prime Minister in 2006, Stephen Harper boasted that the North American alliance was the "strongest relationship of any two countries, not just on the planet, but in the history of mankind." As much as 90 percent of Canadian trade is with the U.S., with upwards of two billion dollars a day in goods and services crossing the border. 

There are also economic interests in Iraq itself. The April 2007 Iraq Reconstruction Report lists Canada as the fourth largest importer of Iraqi oil. Industry Canada records that total Canadian imports from Iraq have risen from 1.06 billion dollars in 2002 to 1.61 billion dollars in 2006, making Iraq second only to Saudi Arabia as a Middle Eastern source for Canadian imports. 

According to Canada's Defence Policy Statement, the increased collaboration with the U.S. military will "not see the Canadian Forces replicate every function of the world's premier militaries," but rather fill niche roles that allow Canada's interventionist capabilities to be relevant and credible. 

To this end, Matern's Special Forces background is seen as an asset. "He comes in with a unique set of skills," Col. Bill Buckner of the 18th Airborne told the Ottawa Citizen. "We're the home of the airborne and the special operating forces, so he fits in very nicely to this warrior ethos we have here." 

Matern was a commander in the secretive commando unit, Joint Task Force-2, before being promoted to deputy commander of the newly created Canadian Special Operations Forces Command. 

Canada's most important foreign policy documents list Iraq, along with Afghanistan, Haiti, Sudan, and Israel-Palestine, as areas of "strategic priority". 

Canada was an active participant in the 1991 Gulf War and helped enforce the crippling blockade on Iraq throughout the 1990s, but declined to join the so-called "coalition of the willing" in March of 2003 when the U.S. launched the invasion to overthrow Saddam Hussein without a final U.N. resolution authorising the war. 

Nevertheless, Canada's contribution to the mission is notable. In 2003, Canada pledged 300 million dollars in aid and reconstruction in Iraq. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police has helped train more than 30,000 Iraqi security forces in neighbouring Jordan, and has had top level advisors operating within the Iraqi interior ministry. As well, Canadian frigates continue to operate alongside the U.S. aircraft carriers in the Arabian Gulf that are a primary staging platform for bombing raids in Iraq. 

Indeed, during the first week of the war in 2003, then-U.S. Ambassador to Canada, Paul Cellucci, said that Canada had provided "more support indirectly to this war in Iraq than most of the 46 countries that are fully supporting our efforts there." 

Around the same time that Canada opted out of combat in Iraq, it increased its combat role in Afghanistan, ultimately taking command of the counterinsurgency war in southern Afghanistan. 

Unlike the Canadian deployment in Afghanistan, which is subject to relatively significant coverage domestically, Canada's participation in Iraq is handled much more carefully by Canadian officials. 

Defence Minister Peter MacKay did not return a call seeking comment and no official statement has accompanied Matern's recent deployment. 

Opposition New Democratic Party defense critic Dawn Black expressed reservations about the implications of the special military relationship: "We're concerned about an overemphasis on interoperability with the U.S," she told IPS from her British Columbia office. "It affects whether we have an independent foreign policy and sovereignty as a country." 

Though approximately 93 percent of the coalition troops in Iraq are American, the U.S. has long been keen to emphasise the multinational component of a war that former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan described as "illegal". 

Major General Peter Devlin, a Canadian Forces officer currently operating as deputy commanding general in Iraq, recently told the Washington Post that the effect of the multinational element is in bringing "greater legitimacy to the effort here in Iraq". 
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18Abn Corps has now assumed command of MNC-I from III Corps.

MG Devlin article.
http://www.iimefpublic.usmc.mil/Public/InfolineMarines.nsf/%28ArticlesRead%29/1119C697453ADFC74325736F003170C2






Canadian Maj. Gen. Peter Devlin, the Multi-National Corps-Iraq deputy commanding general, talks with locals during a patrol with Soldiers from the 4th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division from Fort Lewis, Wash., in Rashidiyah, Iraq, Sept. 12. Devlin spent the day with the Soldiers, keeping in touch with the ground troops in Iraq.


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## Mojo Magnum (12 May 2008)

For goodness sake someone  get that man a tan coloured tack vest, who dresses him anyway.

But really, am i the only one who feels embarrased by this ensemble?


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## blacktriangle (12 May 2008)

It was the first thing I noticed too, Oh well at least he doesn't look American.


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## slowmode (12 May 2008)

Its great to see Canadians helping our greatest ally down south. Especially great to show that our Leadership ability being recognized.


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## Trinity (12 May 2008)

popnfresh said:
			
		

> It was the first thing I noticed too, Oh well at least he doesn't look American.



No.. not at all with the two stars on his helmet.....  :-\


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## Mike Baker (12 May 2008)

popnfresh said:
			
		

> It was the first thing I noticed too,


Yeah I did too.

Sure do look out of place a bit eh.

Baker


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## slowmode (12 May 2008)

Trinity said:
			
		

> No.. not at all with the two stars on his helmet.....  :-\


I noticed that to, I personally dont think they should be there, Its like a target, very dangerous. Officers are very important for the military and I think 2 stars on the helmet...isent to safe.


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## CougarKing (12 May 2008)

slowmode said:
			
		

> I noticed that to, I personally dont think they should be there, Its like a target, very dangerous. Officers are very important for the military and I think 2 stars on the helmet...isent to safe.



Wasn't he just issued that two-stars rank mainly to allow US personnel to recognize his rank since most US personnel don't recognize CF ranks?


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## KevinB (12 May 2008)

Lot of CF uniforms here these days... I saw 7 today where I am...


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## The Bread Guy (12 May 2008)

CougarDaddy said:
			
		

> Wasn't he just issued that two-stars rank mainly to allow US personnel to recognize his rank since most US personnel don't recognize CF ranks?



Even if someone doesn't recognize two Maple Leafs immediately, I'm guessing someone would know by the time the first person or two called him General, no?



			
				slowmode said:
			
		

> Officers are very important for the military and I think 2 stars on the helmet...isent to isn't too safe.



Well, the big boss himself wears stars on his helmet with the troops, so it appears to be SOP.....









Only a wild guess/speculation on my part, but the ONLY reason I could see him getting a green tac-vest would be because he or someone else actually said, "well, if someone in AFG needs it, s/he needs it more than someone in IRQ".  Besides, wouldn't people complain if he got all matching kit when some in AFG didn't?


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## Calgone (12 May 2008)

Just out of curiosity, Are American troops required to salute Maj. Gen. Peter Devlin?


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## MikeL (12 May 2008)

Calgone said:
			
		

> Just out of curiosity, Are American troops required to salute Maj. Gen. Peter Devlin?



I'm 99% sure they would, same with any other officer from a NATO country or whatever.

They even gave him the US rank equivelent insignia/patch  so they can recognize what rank he is.


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## aesop081 (12 May 2008)

Calgone said:
			
		

> Just out of curiosity, Are American troops required to salute Maj. Gen. Peter Devlin?



Yes.


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## Pencil Tech (12 May 2008)

"No.. not at all with the two stars on his helmet....."

British Generals working these days in multinational ops also wear stars, even on their shirt collars where they would normally wear gorgets. It's the way of the world...


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## slowmode (12 May 2008)

Calgone said:
			
		

> Just out of curiosity, Are American troops required to salute Maj. Gen. Peter Devlin?


The rank is still the rank even in another country, especially our ally. We salute the rank.


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## medaid (13 May 2008)

Calgone said:
			
		

> Just out of curiosity, Are American troops required to salute Maj. Gen. Peter Devlin?



I would LOVE to see the first soldier, airman/woman, Marine who does NOT salute the Maj. Gen.

Despite that fact... I don't really like his star adorned helmet cover. 

Two maple leafs? Sure... go for it. But how about just no insignias on the helmet cover? Please... someone get him an AR TacVest... failing that, I've got quite a few AR rigs sitting around that he could HAVE.


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## KevinB (13 May 2008)

I see US NCO's saluting Aussie officers, Brit officers, and Canadian officers here -- why would they not?

 The same as I see Canadian NCO's saluting US and other coalition officers (and US Warrant Officers).

The Stars go with being posted into a US Unit in theatre - easier recognition at a glance.

They are issued US weapons as well, that is CF pers posted into US units.


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## Armymedic (13 May 2008)

MedTech said:
			
		

> Please... someone get him an AR TacVest... failing that, I've got quite a few AR rigs sitting around that he could HAVE.



Why? Its not like his cam and concelment depends upon the vest he wears? Besides, it not like the ACU pattern completely disappears in a light coloured sand enviroment.


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## medaid (13 May 2008)

St. Micheals Medical Team said:
			
		

> Why? Its not like his cam and concelment depends upon the vest he wears? Besides, it not like the ACU pattern completely disappears in a light coloured sand enviroment.



Because AR would make him look that much cooler is all. Personally it doesn't matter, but public image wise? Why not kit him out so he's the same colour ;D


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## 1feral1 (13 May 2008)

Calgone said:
			
		

> Just out of curiosity, Are American troops required to salute Maj. Gen. Peter Devlin?



Bloody hell, salute in theatre??

Australians generally do not, in fact I spoke to a UK Gen like we were neighbours. I did address all US/Coalition officers as Sir, but thats as far as it went. Usually  a 'hows it going mate' and a smile would suffice.

207 saluteless days of happiness. It is tradition for Australians not to salute in theatre. Within ourselves a compliment of 'good morning Sir' was a salute substitute. We only had about 7 or 8 officers in our Combat Team, and we all knew each other very well.

Some US areas in FOBs would say 'This is a Salute Zone'.

I think its foolish to salute in theatre. We all know who we are, and there is no need to attract any unnecesssary attention to each other.

As for rank on helmets, it was common for US Forces to have their rank thie helmet covers, and their names on the helmet cover band. We never did that, but we did wear US rank along side our Aussie rank on our flak jackets.


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## Red 6 (13 May 2008)

Trying to avoid those "sniper checks," eh, Wes?


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## lone bugler (13 May 2008)

wow just awesome, Canadian MG wearing a 2 star helmet, woodland tac vest


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## Red 6 (13 May 2008)

Seriously, I don't care what this guy wears. As long as he's doing a good job, taking care of Soldiers and accomplishing the mission, he's good to go regardless of what color uniform he has on. To me as an American, it is awesome to see a Canadian officer like this leading American Soldiers in battle. Not only that, but he'll bring back an irreplaceable amount of knowledge in leading high-level units in combat when he goes back to the Canadian Army. Good on him!

cheers, Mark


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## George Wallace (13 May 2008)

lone bugler said:
			
		

> wow just awesome, Canadian MG wearing a 2 star helmet, woodland tac vest


 :

After looking at your profile, I now know why you commented as you have.

I still say....  :

Get some TI.


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## The_Falcon (13 May 2008)

The first thing I noticed right off the bat was the MOLLE/Modular vests the US soldiers were wearing  >.


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## Yrys (13 May 2008)

George Wallace said:
			
		

> After looking at your profile, I now know why you commented as you have.



"Rank: 	Pte(r)"

At least, he's honest ...


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## 1feral1 (13 May 2008)

Red 6 said:
			
		

> Trying to avoid those "sniper checks," eh, Wes?



There were many (heaps) LECs around our FOB (the Baath Pty HQ was being renovated and will be for another 100 yrs), and who knows to be honest, plus within the IZ at that time roving snipers in vehicles were present, and it was not advised to hang out at one spot in the IZ for no more than 5-10 mins because of this.

Again why advertise things.


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## aesop081 (13 May 2008)

Yrys said:
			
		

> "Rank: 	Pte(r)"
> 
> At least, he's honest ...



He might be honest but it doesnt give his comment a single shred of credibility.


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## 1feral1 (13 May 2008)

lone bugler said:
			
		

> wow just awesome, Canadian MG wearing a 2 star helmet, woodland tac vest



Where are you going with this?

I would not care if my ECBA was pink. It stops shrapnel and with the plates in it, stops 7.62mm too.

Don't be so critical over nothing. Those stars on his helmet are courtesy rank to allow US pers to identify his rank. Maybe if you read into things a bit better, you would understand, even with that 5 yrs in cadets.


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## Garett (15 May 2008)

Canadians serving on exchange in the US also wear badges sown on their CADPAT uniforms (ranger, Div etc...) and the pins or whatever they are (jump wings etc...). Its their thing and it helps you fit in.


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## Teddy Ruxpin (15 May 2008)

I've worn US rank (along with Canadian, of course) on tour simply as a courtesy to the Americans who did not understand the stripes.  I've also explained to USN and USMC personnel that our stripes correspond to their Naval equivalents.  The Brits do the same.

Saluting is mandatory on most (but not all) US secure facilities.


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## armyvern (15 May 2008)

Teddy Ruxpin said:
			
		

> I've also explained to USN and USMC personnel that our stripes correspond to their Naval equivalents.



I'm thinking along the lines of "a set of Canadian Captain stripes equals your Naval Captain rank." 

One could do lots with this!!  >


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