MILITARY: On Iraq, Afghanistan and the future

Marine general reviews latest trip to Middle East and what he brought home

| Saturday, May 24, 2008 5:50 PM PDT ∞

Editor's note: Reporter Mark Walker interviewed Camp Pendleton's Lt. Gen. Samuel T. Helland last Sunday while flying home from a two-week visit with troops in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kuwait and other sites in the Middle East.

Watch the video

Helland, who heads Marine forces in that region of the world as well as Camp Pendleton’s I Marine Expeditionary Force, responded as follows in this excerpted transcript:

What did you learn on your visits with the troops and commanders?

Most of the time when I travel in the theater, I like to travel with a purpose. One of the objectives this time was attending a conference with commanders (before moving on to Afghanistan and Iraq).

As we re-introduce forces in Afghanistan, it was good for us to go out and visit those Marines and sailors who are out in places, for example, such as Bastion (a massive military base in Afghanistan).

I wanted to see how they are doing, how they are living and to make sure that they know that I know what they are doing is important to the overall fight against the tyranny of terrorism around the world. So we go out and see them and I enjoy visiting with them and talking to them and answering their questions.

And, of course, part of it is in the spirit of unity and cooperation of engagement for U.S. Central Command, and to have one of its ... commanders talking to his counterparts in Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq.

We met with an Afghanistan general, and it was good to shake his hand and look him in the eye and say, "We're here, we're partnered with you, we're part of the coalition and we're joining you in this fight against the terrorist activity in your country.

The same thing applies when we were in Iraq visiting with the 7th Iraqi army division. We sat down with the assistant chief of staff, a brigadier general, and talked about how well he is doing, how well-trained his Iraqi National Army soldiers are and addressed the fact that they are engaged in a fight and that we're with them.

It was well done. I enjoyed the trip. I always enjoy engaging with our coalition partners.

In Afghanistan, how much can the Marines accomplish during their seven-month deployment that started in April?

The reintroduction of the Marine forces back in Afghanistan is to provide some emphasis and support in the south. I think they are going to have a great effect on the Taliban forces that are there by disrupting and exposing that infrastructure to kinetic responses. So far, it appears from what I was told and what we saw on the ground that we are having a very positive effect in support of the NATO alliance.

Whether or not we stay beyond 210 days or we become firmly entrenched in Afghanistan remains to be seen. Afghanistan is a great place for Marines, a great place for us to set up and continue to be part of the fight against the terrorist activity in that part of the world.

If there’s a fight in the world, we, the Marine Corps, need to be part of it and especially as we deal with the worldwide fight against terrorism. Marines are going to stay engaged; that’s what we do.

What is your assessment of the current situation in Iraq?

Of everything we saw, the most impressive thing to note was the continued engagement of the Iraqi National Army to take on the mission by themselves.

The Marines and soldiers in the Anbar province will move from direct engagement to overwatch soon when we return provisional control to the Iraqis.

The Iraqis are getting stronger, more capable, more professional and more engaged in their own fight to insure stability and security in their own nation.

What we saw as well was Marine forces continuing to take the fight to the enemy in the northern part of the province, as well as ongoing work on commerce and prosperity initiatives in Anbar.

Haditha, for example, is now a hub of commercial activity with an operational rail line and a refinery processing crude oil.

But the enemy always adapts, and so do we. The question on the battlefield is who can adapt the quickest? We are doing pretty well ---- he doesn't know where we are going to attack or when or how. The (enemy) leadership is getting younger, it's taking more risks and making more mistakes. When an enemy makes mistakes, he gets caught. That's how we find, fix and finish ---- that decisive action that we take when we surround them.

Will larger U.S. bases in the province close soon?

Our desire is to adjust the forces on the ground and move into overwatch to provide more and more support to the Iraqi National Army.

The key to this is that everything is condition-based so that we can be successful in whatever we do.

To declare victory and move on at this point would be premature. To put a time frame on that would be premature ---- we just continue the fight.

Some Marines complained about their personal gear, particularly their protective equipment. What did you learn from those discussions?

If you think of a Marine as a weapons system, everything he carries and puts on his body is part of that system. So everybody personalizes their equipment to meet what they think allows them to best accomplish their mission.

Everyone adjusts their gear to adapt to their assignment and their environment. It is the best that is available in the Free World today to protect our Marines and sailors who are in harm’s way.

The new vest is like any other system ---- it has its pro and cons. But it's by far the best there is ---- there's nothing better out there today. That doesn’t mean it can’t be improved. All personal protective gear is cumbersome ---- you can't get away from that.

We have personal protective gear that is working, but it can be improved.

Do you have concerns about stress on the troops from repeated deployments and expanding responsibilities?

We're coming off a surge in Iraq and we continue to grow the Marine Corps to 202,000 (troops) and that meets the (Marine Corps) commandant's goal to get our dwell (between deployments) time. We are doing very well. As we come off the surge, the Marines will have more time at home, so I think we are on the track. We just have to steady the course.

When you read the news coverage of Iraq and Afghanistan, what is the media missing? What is the public not aware of?

What America is missing is the great contribution that those soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and members of the Coast Guard are making on the ground today in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Horn of Africa.

The public doesn't get to see that. They only see the negative part and embellishment of things that go wrong. We need to spend more time on what is going right with American youth and their tremendous sacrifice and patriotism. They go in harm's way so our nation can be successful and so people back home can enjoy freedom of the press, freedom of speech and freedom of religion.

What are you bringing home on your to-do list?

Most of the things that I bring home as the combatant commander is to find the ways and means to provide the support and advice to the forward deployed forces and how we use those forces. I also bring home the knowledge of how well they are doing on the ground.

Part of coming into the theater this time was bringing a representative of Marine Corps Combat Development (Col. George Dallas). He was invaluable as we went around and the Marines talked about different things, such as whether their equipment fit properly, whether they were having problems with (the new generation) Mine Resistant Ambush Protected vehicles. With all new weapons systems, there are issues. The MRAP is brand new and we have to work through it. It’s just like having a new car; when certain things don’t work, we just have to fix them.

What do you enjoy the most on these trips?

Talking with the Marines. They're so honest and straightforward. We’ve got the smartest, sharpest, most aggressive bunch of Marines in the world. They're supported by the tremendous sailors, especially those medics that are out there on the line every single day.

They are focused, they are professional, they are all the things you want in a military force.

The Marine Corps brings a young man or woman in off the street and develops them in boot camp, provides them with the tools and essentials to be a better person and give them that combat warrior ethos.

We send them out into a very stressful, difficult combat environment and bring them back safe and sound. Someday, they will return to American society a better citizen and a better person. They will be more mature, more stable, more focused on life and ready to make a contribution to our society.

What keeps you awake at night?

What the enemy will do next. What changes they will make as they adapt to our offensive operations and what effect that will have on the troops and how we can best support them.

I was very encouraged on this trip by the progress that I have seen in the training of the Iraqi and the Afghani National Army and their focus of effort. Very encouraged ... very encouraged.

Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.