Iraqi Police Service Improvement Act of 2008 - Directs: (1) the Secretary of State to assume responsibility from the Department of Defense (DOD) over the Police Training Teams being used in Iraq to provide advisory support, training and development, and equipment for the Iraqi Police Service; (2) the Secretary to ensure that a majority of the members of each Police Training Team consists of qualified civilian advisors, including Department of State employees and contractor employees; and (3) the Secretary and the Secretary of Defense to submit to Congress a statement of understanding on command structure, including the responsibilities of members of the Police Training Teams.
States that: (1) in addition to members of the Armed Forces serving on Police Training Teams the Secretary of Defense, at the request of the Secretary, shall make DOD equipment available for the Police Training Teams; and (2) the Armed Forces shall continue to provide security for Police Training Teams.
[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Printing Office]
[H.R. 6190 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
2d Session
H. R. 6190
To restore to the Department of State responsibility over the Police
Training Teams being used to provide advisory support, training and
development, and equipment for the Iraqi Police Service, to require the
Department of State to provide the majority of members for the Police
Training Teams, and for other purposes.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
June 4, 2008
Mrs. Tauscher (for herself, Mr. Brady of Pennsylvania, Mr. Cohen, and
Mr. McGovern) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the
Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on
Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the
Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall
within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To restore to the Department of State responsibility over the Police
Training Teams being used to provide advisory support, training and
development, and equipment for the Iraqi Police Service, to require the
Department of State to provide the majority of members for the Police
Training Teams, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Iraqi Police Service Improvement Act
of 2008''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) In 2004, National Security Presidential Directive 36
(NSPD-36) transferred responsibility from the Department of
State to the Department of Defense for ``organizing, equipping,
and training all Iraqi security forces'' and stated that ``at
the appropriate time, the Secretary of State and the Secretary
of Defense shall jointly decide when these functions shall
transfer to a security assistance organization and other
appropriate organizations under the authority of the Secretary
of State and the Chief of Mission.''.
(2) On May 25, 2007, the Independent Commission on the
Security Forces of Iraq, also known as the Jones Commission,
was created to assess the readiness of Iraq's military and
police forces and report its findings to Congress.
(3) The Jones Commission cited progress by the Iraqi Army
and the Ministry of Defense but less improvement by the
Ministry of Interior, ``whose dysfunction has hampered the
police force''. The Jones Commission found the ``Iraqi Police
Service is incapable today of providing security at a level
sufficient to protect Iraqi neighborhoods from insurgents and
sectarian violence'' and stressed that the police are central
to the long-term establishment of security in Iraq.
(4) The Jones Commission report stated that although ``U.S.
military officers rather than senior civilian law enforcement
personnel lead the Coalition training effort for the Iraqi
Police Service; this arrangement has inadvertently marginalized
civilian police advisors and limited the overall effectiveness
of the training and advisory effort.''. The Jones Commission
recommended that leadership of the Coalition Police Assistance
Training Team (CPATT) and the Police Training Teams should be
transferred to senior civilian law enforcement professionals.
(5) The Jones Commission found the number of civilian
international police advisors to be insufficient for the task
of training the Iraqi Police Service.
(6) The Department of Defense's September 2007 Quarterly
Report to Congress on Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq
found that the Ministry of Interior and its forces required
``continued advisory support, training and development, and
equipping to be able to progressively assume missions from
Coalition forces. The efforts of embedded advisors are focused
on addressing continued shortcomings in logistics, leadership
and budget execution that hamper improvement, and in certain
cases, cause regression.''. The advisors also assess and report
on the operational readiness of the units they mentor on a
monthly basis.
(7) The Department of Defense September 2007 Quarterly
Report also stated, ``Current funding levels for the IPA
[International Police Advisors] program and availability of
military assets do not allow for full coverage of the more than
1,100 provincial and local police headquarters and stations in
Iraq.''. In the Department of Defense March 2007 Quarterly
Report, the Department of Defense stated that ``cost and risk
preclude deploying enough PTTs [Police Transition Teams] to
cover all of Iraq's police stations; at any time, only 5 of
Iraq's 18 provinces have sufficient PTTs . . . Continued PTT
presence and participation at Iraqi Police Service stations are
needed to improve police readiness and to sustain progress in
reforming community policing.''. However, Transition Teams are
embedded in the Ministry of Defense, the Joint Headquarters,
and with most battalions and brigade and division headquarters.
(8) The Department of Defense September 2007 Quarterly
Report also stated that there were 238 Police Transition Teams
for the Iraqi Police Service, with each team composed of
approximately 12-15 members, two to four of whom are civilian
Department of State contractors, funded by the Department of
Defense's Iraq Security Forces Fund. The remaining members are
military personnel.
(9) In testimony given to the Subcommittee on Oversight and
Investigations of the Committee on Armed Services of the House
of Representatives, the Department of State stated that since
the Department of Defense assumed responsibility for training
the Iraqi Security Forces, the Department of Defense has
transferred $1,500,000,000 to the Bureau for International
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) of the Department
of State to provide trainers and advisors, including 690
International Police Liaison Officers, who are DynCorp
contractors, and who serve as advisors in the field to train
and mentor Iraqi Police.
(10) At hearings on the Iraqi Security Forces conducted by
the Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations of the
Committee on Armed Services of the House of Representatives,
several witnesses agreed that there were not enough civilian
police advisors for many units of the Iraqi Police Service and
that the military advisors lacked the appropriate policing
background to appropriately support the community-policing
conducted by the Iraqi Police Service.
SEC. 3. DEPARTMENT OF STATE RESPONSIBILITY FOR POLICE TRANSITION TEAMS
FOR THE IRAQI POLICE SERVICE.
(a) Transfer of Responsibility.--
(1) In general.--Notwithstanding National Security
Presidential Directive 36 (NSPD-36), not later than 180 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
State shall assume responsibility from the Department of
Defense over the Police Training Teams being used in Iraq to
provide advisory support, training and development, and
equipment for the Iraqi Police Service.
(2) Statement of understanding.--Not later than 120 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of
State and the Secretary of Defense shall submit to Congress a
statement of understanding on command structure, including on
the roles and responsibilities of members of the Police
Training Teams.
(b) Composition of Teams.--The Secretary of State shall ensure that
a majority of the members of each Police Training Team consists of
qualified civilian advisors, including employees of the Department of
State and employees of contractors secured by the Department of State.
Not fewer than two members of each Police Training Team shall be police
officers or have retired from police service more than two years before
becoming members of a Police Training Team. The leader of each Police
Training Team shall also be an employee of the Department of State or
an employee of a contractor secured by the Department of State. Members
of the United States Armed Forces and personnel from other United
States Government agencies, including the Department of Justice, may
serve on a Police Training Team in a supporting role.
(c) Transfer of Funds.--Effective as of the date on which the
Secretary of State assumes responsibility from the Department of
Defense over the Police Training Teams, all funds made available for
the Police Training Teams (currently funded through the Iraq Security
Forces Fund of the Department of Defense) and not expended as of that
date shall be transferred to the appropriate account for the Bureau for
International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs of the Department
of State for the purpose of using Police Training Teams to provide
advisory support, training and development, and equipment for the Iraqi
Police Service.
(d) Authorization of Appropriations.--There are authorized to be
appropriated to the Secretary of State such sums as may be necessary
for the Department of State to staff Police Training Teams in
accordance with the findings of the study under section 4(a).
(e) Continued Department of Defense Role.--In addition to members
of the Armed Forces serving on Police Training Teams under subsection
(b), the Secretary of Defense, at the request of the Secretary of
State, shall make available equipment of the Department of Defense for
use by the Police Training Teams. The Armed Forces shall continue to
provide security for Police Training Teams, in the manner provided for
reconstruction teams operating in Iraq.
SEC. 4. STUDIES REQUIRED.
(a) Staffing for Police Training Teams.--Not later than 60 days
after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of State
shall, in consultation with the Government of Iraq and Coalition
forces, conduct a study and submit to Congress a report containing the
recommendations of the Secretary on--
(1) the number of civilian advisors needed to sufficiently
staff enough Police Training Teams to cover a majority of the
approximately 1,100 Iraqi police stations;
(2) the availability of Department of State personnel and
contractors to staff the Police Training Teams; and
(3) the funding required to staff the Police Training
Teams.
(b) Update of IG Assessment.--Not later than 90 days after the date
of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense and the
Secretary of State shall submit to Congress an update to the 2005
interagency Department of Defense-Department of State Inspector General
Assessment of Iraqi Police Training.
SEC. 5. REPORTS ON POLICY IMPLEMENTATION.
Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this
Act, and every 180 days thereafter, the President shall transmit to
Congress a report on the actions that have been taken to implement the
requirements of this Act. The report shall specifically identify the
status of--
(1) the assumption of responsibility for Police Training
Teams by the Department of State;
(2) the equipment level of the Iraqi Police Service,
including armored vehicles and heavy weaponry, and the advisors
on the Police Training Teams assigned to the Iraqi Police
Service;
(3) the number of civilian police advisors training the
Iraqi Police Service;
(4) the number of Police Training Teams and the make-up of
each team;
(5) issues affecting the recruitment of the appropriate
number of advisors;
(6) the indicators used to measure the effectiveness of
advisors;
(7) the indicators used to measure the effectiveness of the
Iraqi Police Service; and
(8) the impact of transferring to the Government of Iraq in
2007 responsibility for the vetting and recruiting of persons
for the Iraqi Police Service with respect to the performance of
units of the Iraqi Police Service.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Referred to the Committee on Armed Services, and in addition to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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