Military Emergency Unit personnel join NATO mission in Iraq

• A three-week emergency counselling programme for Iraqi Army Headquarters officers will be conducted.

A team made up of four members of the Military Emergency Unit (UME) has joined NATO Mission Iraq (NMI) for three weeks. Their task, within this North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) operation, is to develop a programme of advice in emergencies for officers of the Iraqi Army Headquarters.

The Spanish soldiers who have travelled to Iraq are experts in different disciplines such as: advising civilian authorities, natural disasters and intervention and support to authorities in emergencies.

During this training period, the three officers and the non-commissioned officer will be in charge of instructing the Iraqi military on the different types of risks (forest fires, floods, earthquakes, etc.), the procedure for receiving international teams if Iraq were to suffer a catastrophe and the models of organisation and action in these situations according to Iraqi and Spanish regulations, as well as analysing models from other countries. Students will also receive training in more specific subjects, such as public communication in emergencies, and will study case studies.

NATO has been carrying out the NMI mission, at the request of the Iraqi government, since 2018. The purpose is to advise the Iraqi military on the national security architecture, the development of its professional military education system and the fight against terrorism.