Major William Taylor served as a military transition team (MiTT) member in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from December 2005 to December 2006. In this interview, Taylor talks about the MiTTs and the current disconnection from their strategic vision and the actual application. The MiTT deployment selection process was given to the Worldwide Individual Augmentation System, which included retiree recalls. Based on the wide range of personnel from different military services and professional education, the MiTT had a steep learning curve to prepare the team for deployment. Taylor talks about the first MiTT predeployment training and how it has transitioned over the years to improve the quality and length of predeployment training to better prepare MiTT soldiers for deployment. Taylor received cultural training during predeployment and again at the Phoenix Academy, however a big piece of the training that he believed was missed was how they handle conflict resolution, how the tribes impact behavior, the influence of religion and how to actually be advisors. Another aspect that was lacking in the training was on what the US military could perceive as corruption. Taylor was paired up in country with the 1st Brigade, 9th Iraqi Division, based in Baghdad and at the time the only mechanized brigade in the Iraqi Army. After Taylor was able to establish a relationship, he was able to have academic discussions about Desert Storm and the current war with members of the 9th Iraqi Division. While the junior enlisted did not have much practical experiences, the senior NCOs and officers had the practical experiences to lead the Iraqi Army against their enemy. There were several interpreters so communication was never an issue, in addition to Taylor knowing some Arabic. Taylor talks about IED attacks and direct fire attacks on the convoy and how the Iraqi division responded to the attacks. He also offers his recommendations for the future of MiTTs and training requirements.

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