MOD REINSTATEMENT INITIATIVE BRINGS IN THOUSANDS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BAGHDAD 003038

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/21/2018
TAGS: PGOV PINS IZ
SUBJECT: MOD REINSTATEMENT INITIATIVE BRINGS IN THOUSANDS
OF FORMER OFFICERS, NCOS

Classified By: Political-Military Minister-Counselor Michael Corbin for
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) Summary: The Iraqi Ministry of Defense initiated
September 6 a program to reinstate or retire remaining
officers and NCO's from the pre-2003 Iraqi Army. The
initiative is being administered jointly by the Ministry of
Defense and the Prime Minister's Implementation and Follow-up
Committee for National Reconciliation (IFCNR). Applicants
residing in Iraq have 8 weeks to present themselves to one of
eleven reception centers established at Iraqi Army Division
headquarters throughout Iraq; those residing outside Iraq
have 12 weeks to do so. Applicants age 49 and above and/or
who held a rank of Lieutenant Colonel or above will be
retired, a stipulation met by dismay in conversations with
senior officers of the former army, some of whom believe the
restrictions reflect Iranian influence. Initial results from
the program are extremely positive, with 57,457 NCOs and
10,560 former officers registering through September 19. The
initiative is being billed by the PM's staff as a major
reconciliation initiative to move the country beyond issues
lingering from the 2003 dissolution of the Iraqi Army and to
draw away remaining support from former officers for the
Sunni insurgency. It may achieve that with some lower-ranked
applicants, but failure to resolve the fate of senior
officers of the former Army -- some of whom desire a symbolic
return to service through appointment to advisory positions
within the MOD -- may deny this initiative the full and
positive impact intended by the GOI. End Summary.

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"Closing the File"
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2. (U) On September 6, the Iraqi MOD began its largest
initiative to date to facilitate the reinstatement or formal
retirement of former officers and NCOs of the pre-2003 Army.
Those living inside Iraq have 8 weeks from September 6 to
appear at one of 11 IA Divisional reception centers
established by the MOD, while those outside the country have
been given an additional 4 weeks to appear. The Prime
Minister's Implementation and Follow-up Committee for
National Reconciliation (IFCNR) and the Ministry of Defense
are administering the program and directing an information
campaign to notify those eligible through Iraqi and regional
media outlets as well as through direct engagement with
groups of former military throughout Iraq. Letters have also
been issued to Iraqi Military Attaches posted to neighboring
states outlining the process. Press reports announcing the
initiative noted that it reflects Prime Minister Maliki's
instruction to "close the file" of the former army. Long
anticipated, it appears to have been driven in part by the
PM's positive interaction with former officers during ISF
operations in Mosul, in which a number of former officers
were enlisted to bolster IA units.


3. (U) Once registered at a reception center, former officers
and NCOs will be paid an interim monthly salary until a final
decision has been taken whether to reinstate to active duty
or reserve status or to retire the applicant. Age, health
condition and Baath party rank are figured into the decision,
with a stipulation that those above age 49 and/or above the
rank of Lieutenant Colonel would be immediately processed for
retirement. Membership in certain notorious organizations
(the Fedayeen Saddam, and certain pre-2003 intelligence
agencies, for instance) are grounds for denial of any
benefits.

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Senior Officers Balk at Age Restrictions
--------------


4. (C) Age and rank restrictions have been met with strong
criticism by some former officers. Lt. General Raad Hamdani,
a former Republican Guard Corps Commander and leader of a
group of former officers negotiating reinstatement issues
with the GOI (brokered by MNFI's Force Strategic Engagement
Cell) since late 2007, told FSEC officers in Amman September
12 that the restrictions are a major disappointment and
reflect an Iranian hand. Hamdani believes age and rank
restrictions are intended to prevent the return senior
officers with service experience from the Iran-Iraq war and
to block the presence of Sunnis among the ranks of senior
Army officers. (Note: Hamdani has been working with the GOI
to gain reinstatement of senior officers to advisory, staff
college and other non-combat appointments. Resistance to
this notion has emerged notably within the MOD, both on
grounds that former regime officers were absent during the
critical post-2003 fighting to save the government and among
some who fear losing senior positions to returnees from the
former army. End note.) According to IFCNR officials, the
age restriction can be waived for certain technical skill

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sets, in particular those associated with Air Force
specialties.


5. (C) Many of those eligible for the program reside in
neighboring states and are reportedly suffering badly after 5
years without pay or benefits. Hamdani noted the concerns
many of these officers would have in trying to return to Iraq
to register, including the fear of being denied re-entry to
Jordan or other neighboring states where many reside without
legal status. IFCNR figures indicate there are approximately
140,000 officers and NCOs from the former army whose service
status remains unresolved. This figure does not include
regular soldiers and includes many that IFCNR suspects to be
"ghost" or duplicate names. At an IFCNR meeting September
10, Colonel Ali al-Hisabi, Director of IFCNR's Office of
Dissolved Entities, estimated the maximum that might apply at
80,000. Through September 19, IFCNR reports 57,457
registrations among NCOs and 10,560 among former officers
(lieutenant and above),exceeding IFCNR's expectations to
date. IFCNR figures show that prior to initiation of this
new initiative, 142,293 former officers and NCOs have been
processed for reinstatement or retirement since 2003, with
12,460 officers brought back to active duty.


6. (C) Comment: The reinstatement initiative is an important
and positive step for PM Maliki in reaching out to veterans
of the former army. Early results indicate broad willingness
among veterans to register and settle their status, though
their motivation -- whether a desire to reconcile or a
reflection of material need -- remains unclear. The
inclusion of age and rank restrictions (that may, it must be
said, reflect current operational requirements of the new
Iraqi Army),very likely does reflect continued deep
suspicion within the GOI towards Sunnis associated with the
former regime. A failure to more aggressively engage former
high-ranking officers, a community whose reconciliation
remains important symbolically for many Sunnis, may
ultimately diminish the positive effect of this and other
GOI reconciliation initiatives. End Comment.
CROCKER