April 26,
2008: Iraq's tiny navy (1,350 personnel and 31 patrol boats) has a morale
problem. Most of the thousand sailors and 350 marines are Shia, recruited from
southern Iraq. This makes the sailors and marines vulnerable to local gangs and
pro-Iranian militias. These two groups simply threaten to harm the families of
the sailors and marines, in order to coerce these military personnel to look
the other way. As a result of this threat, foreign navies do most of the work
guarding Iraqi offshore oil facilities, and going after smugglers. One reason
for the recent Iraqi governments recent military operations in southern Iraq,
to smash the power of the gangs and militias. That battle is not yet over, but
so far the government operation has been successful. If the security forces
succeed, the Iraqi Navy will become more trustworthy, and capable of
undertaking more security duties. The sailors will still be vulnerable to
bribes, which have been the traditional way for smugglers to deal with the law.
