MAJ Robert Ross served in an advise and assist brigade (AAB) in Adamiyah, Iraq during 2010 and 2011 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). In this June 2012 interview, MAJ Ross discusses the changes he noted this deployment as compared to his first deployment in 2003 and 2004, his responsibilities in the AAB, and the challenges he faced working with the Iraqi Army (IA), particularly with regard to rank structure and authority. MAJ Ross concludes his interview with the observation, "I liked the AAB concept, particularly after hearing some of the horror stories that I heard from the old military transition teams (MiTTs) that didn't fall under any brigade and didn't have anybody's support and a lot of times they're just flapping out there. I think the AAB concept worked well. I don't know if they're ever going to go back -- I hope we don't have to do another counterinsurgency war or we have to go down this road again, but if we do, the concept worked really well. That is some of the lessons learned that I took out of it."

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