Lieutenant Colonel Scott Farquhar served as a military transition team (MiTT) leader from May 2007 until May 2008 to advise a brigade of the Iraqi 3rd Infantry Division in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. Farquhar and his team completed predeployment training at Fort Riley and he provides detailed insights into what was effective training and what wasn't. After the movement over, the team received additional training not previously received at Fort Riley. Once in Kuwait, Farquhar and a few other officers went to the Iraqi Assistance Group headquarters at which time they received a brief on operations. They also received personal guidance and advice which assisted them throughout their tour. The team also went through the COIN Academy at Taji before making their way to Balad Airfield. Farquhar discusses the reasoning behind the decision to have them not live with their Iraqi counterparts. He also goes into the background of their Iraqi counterparts and what they accomplished during his year-long deployment. Communication was not a barrier for the MiTT when training their Iraqi counterparts and they spent several days a week with the Iraqi Army. Farquhar talks about the coordination role the team played in providing supplies to the Iraqi Army and ISF, which in return was then passed out to the Yazidi collectives, and the importance of the locals receiving supplies from the Iraqi Army and ISF instead of the US military. He talks about the approaches the US military set in place to decrease the risk of attacks on the convoy routes and who was in charge of route security. Farquhar's biggest challenge was not being able to co-locate with the Iraqi Army to provide additional face-time to train, mentor and assist. While he saw improvement in their capabilities, he believes the unit would have been able to see a greater improvement if they would have been closer. Nonetheless, he said, "I'm glad I went when I went and where I went. I had a very good team and I served with a very good Iraqi unit. I was able to serve with very good coalition force units who provided me all the support I could ask for. I'm very positive about the Iraqi military and that part of the institution." That said, he added, "My biggest fear is whether or not the damage done to the society by the Saddam regime, particularly in the last 12 years of his rule under the sanctions … that they might not be able to overcome this." Farquhar also provides his professional lessons learned and suggestions to the greater US Army.

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