NATO Senior Civilian takes up role in Iraq

Homeland June 6, 2017

NATO has made significant step in strengthening its ties with Baghdad following the UK’s Paul Smith assuming office as NATO Senior Civilian in Iraq.

Mr. Smith will represent the NATO Secretary General and the Alliance at large, as NATO continues to help strengthen the Iraqi security institutions in their fight against terrorism.

He will work with a range of people including high-ranking Iraqi officials, representatives of the Global Coalition to Defeat ISIS, the diplomatic community, and members of international organizations, including the United Nations and the European Union.

He will also lead the NATO Training and Capacity Building presence in Iraq (NTCB-I), which includes a Core Team made up of eight civilian and military personnel as well as mobile training teams who travel to Iraq, as required, to provide specific courses agreed with the Iraqi authorities.

NATO’s support to Iraq is aimed at increasing Iraq’s training capacity in the medium and long term. It includes courses on countering improvised explosive devices, explosive ordnance disposal and de-mining; civil-military planning in support of operations; civil emergency planning; training in military medicine; technical maintenance of Soviet-era military equipment; and reform of the Iraqi security institutions.

NATO-Iraq relations are underpinned by an Individual Partnership and Cooperation Programme signed in September 2012, which provides a framework for political dialogue and tailored cooperation in mutually agreed areas, and a Defence Capacity Building Package for Iraq, agreed in 2015.

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Iraq NATO NATO Senior Civilian Paul Smith