The ICDC was established through CPA Order Number 28 of September 3, 2003 to complement operations conducted by Coalition military forces in Iraq.

"[7] After a July and August formal required troops to task assessment, it was decided that the ICDC, to be renamed the Iraqi National Guard, would add 20 battalions, for a total of 65.

In the city of Tikrit, units of the 1st ID designed a 3-week course that included training on rifle marksmanship, conduct of traffic checkpoints, map reading, basic drill, and first aid.

Iraqi Colonel Shaker Faris Al Azawi, commander of the 203d ING Battalion, commented, “Our relationship with the Coalition forces is very good.

Kenneth Pollack summed up the ICDC in 2006 in these words:[11] ..in Washington’s fever to churn out more Iraqi soldiers to hold up as proof that no more American or other foreign forces were needed, the Administration insisted on a breakneck pace that virtually eliminated any ability to vet personnel before they were brought into the ICDC.