[1] The primary mission of transition teams is to train, mentor, and advise their foreign counterparts in the security forces of Iraq in the areas of intelligence, communications, fire support, logistics, operations and infantry tactics.
The goal is to make the local security forces capable of conducting their mission and operations effectively and independent of foreign intervention or advice.
Areas covered by transition teams include military and counterinsurgency operations (tactics, logistics), civil policing and border enforcement.
When executing military operations with their Iraqi counterparts, transition teams call for U.S. close air support, indirect fire, and medical evacuation, whenever necessary.
BTTs are transition teams embedded (FOB Caldwell, COP Shocker) with the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior's Directorate of Border Enforcement (DBE) forces at the brigade and battalion levels.
Specifically, these teams focus on assisting the DBE in preventing the infiltration of insurgent, terrorist, and criminal elements into Iraq.
These teams assist the Iraqi POED and customs officers in controlling the illegal importation, shipping and smuggling of humans and goods through Iraq's international ports of entry.
These teams focus on assisting the Iraqi POED and customs officers in preventing the infiltration of insurgent, terrorist, and criminal elements into Iraq.
Similar to the BTTs, PoETTs are often deployed with a civilian subject matter expert or advisor as well as maintenance and communications personnel due to the remoteness of these assignments.
The U.S. military also embeds a small number of specialty transition teams in low-density administrative, logistics, base security, and transportation units.
Since October 2006, the U.S. Army's 1st Infantry Division, based at Fort Riley, Kansas, is responsible for training all transition teams for service in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In August 2009, the 162nd Infantry Brigade, based at Fort Polk, Louisiana, will be responsible for providing tough, realistic, combined arms and services joint training for Foreign Security Forces-Transition Teams in a mid-to high-intensity environment.
The second component is 3–6 weeks at 29 Palms Marine Corps Base, CA referred to as Enhanced Mojave Viper (EMV).
Such a mission could involve 10,000 to 20,000 American troops instead of the 3,000 to 4,000 now in this role.In general, the U.S. military reports that it has been satisfied with the results of the transition team strategy in the Iraq War.