Gaping Holes In Iraq's National Security (Video)

From Al Jazeera:

As US troops prepare to leave Iraq in six months time, the country will be left with no effective defence from external threats.

The army is ill-equipped, with no Iraqi pilots train to fly modern jet fighters and no missile defence system.

Iraq currently does not possess any such aircraft, and if it were to purchase such planes it would take two to three years to fill a single squadron of pilots.

Al Jazeera's Josh Rushing reports from Tikrit, Iraq.

My Comment: Of course they are not ready .... and will probably not be ready for at least a decade .... which is probably one of the reasons why some U.S. soldiers/trainers will be left behind.

With U.S. Combat Forces Leaving Iraq, Major Iraqi Arms Purchases Are Now In The Pipeline

Iraq To Spend $13B On U.S. Arms, Equipment -- USA Today

BAGHDAD — Iraq is preparing to buy as much as $13 billion in U.S. arms and military equipment, a huge arms order of tanks, armored vehicles and ships that American officials say shows Iraqi-U.S. military ties will be tight for years to come.

"It helps to build their capablities, first and foremost, and second it builds our strategic relationship for the future," said Army Lt. Gen. Michael Barbero, the ranking U.S. officer responsible for training and advising Iraq forces.

Read more ....

My Comment: Everyone that I know who studies the arms industry looks at this Iraqi arms purchase as the tip of a very large iceberg .... especially when high priced items like fighter aircraft and missile systems are offered .... and eventually purchased .... in the years to come.

If there is an area of concern, it will be the problem of theft and corruption.