Meet and Greet

By Kate Brannen / July 28, 2009 at 5:00 AM

Defense Secretary Robert Gates arrived in Iraq this morning to meet with the 4th Brigade, 1st Armored Division, a combat unit that was recently transitioned into the Army's first "advise and assist" brigade. Its mission is to train and advise Iraqi security forces while the United States draws down its combat forces over the next year.

The brigade, trained specifically to carry out stability operations, marks a change in the United States' role in Iraq, as well as in how the Army is adapting to answer the demand for security force assistance in Iraq and Afghanistan. In March, Lt. Gen. William Caldwell, commander of the Army's Combined Arms Center at Ft. Leavenworth, KS, said eight brigades had been tapped for special training to become AABs, as Inside the Army reported.

The 4th Brigade, based at Ft. Bliss in El Paso, TX ,and known as the "Highlander" brigade, began operations in Southern Iraq on June 4.

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