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Initial Concept
At the beginning of 2004 the Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense of the U.S. recognized a need for professional patriotic men and women from the Iraqi exile community to advise and support the reconstruction and capacity building efforts in Iraq. Operational Support and Services, Inc. (OSS), a private corporation, was directed to provide these people. During the summer and fall of 2004 information from diplomatic meetings and on-going operations in Iraq made it clear that the initial concept would need to be developed and expanded. The final product of these efforts became known as the Bi-Lingual Bi-Cultural Advisor – Subject Matter Expert (BBA-SME) Program. Implementation The first BBA – SME candidates were recruited, selected, and trained by OSS in December of 2004. This group was then sent to Iraq beginning in January of 2005 to provide support to the Multi-National Forces - Iraq Civil Military Operations (MNF-I CMO). These courageous people represented the “cream of the crop” of Iraqi ex-patriot professionals and proved this within the first few months of their arrival. The excellent interpersonal, managerial, and leadership skills displayed lead to the rapid advancement of many reconstruction efforts. This group’s knowledge of Iraqi social, political, and cultural matters were instrumental in fostering the much-needed trust, support and cooperation between the Coalition forces, the Iraqi government, and the Iraqi people themselves. The Development Phase The outstanding success of this first group, combined with the ever-changing requirements of the MNF-I CMO and the Department of Defense resulted in an increase in the initial numbers of BBA – SME’s. It strongly reinforced the need for these types of professionals in every functional area of expertise, from governance assistance to business development to criminal/civil law. Where We Are Now The recent expansion of the BBA – SME Program saw the inclusion of the Department of State and Department of Commerce as clients, further validating its need and success. The program is now incorporated in each of the 18 provinces of Iraq, including the capital, and continues to be one of the most dominant positive influences and forces in the reconstruction efforts in Iraq.
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