Carter seeks ways to improve Iraq training, equipping

U.S. military leaders are looking for ways to improve and speed up the program to train and equip Iraqi forces, including options to better prepare Sunni tribes to join the fight, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said.

Getting equipment to the battlefield more quickly and enhancing the training could help build the Iraqi forces' confidence, Carter said, just days after he publicly chastised them for showing "no will to fight" when they fled Ramadi last week even though they greatly outnumbered Islamic State militants, according to the ABC News on Thursday.

"One particular way that's extremely important is to involve the Sunni tribes in the fight — that means training and equipping them," said Carter, who called a special meeting of his top advisers on Tuesday and tasked them to come up with options. "Those are the kinds of things the team back home is looking at."

Iraqi officials have complained that they are not getting the heavy military equipment they need fast enough. And on Tuesday President Barack Obama said the U.S. and its allies must examine whether they are deploying military assets in Iraq effectively.

A senior defense official said Carter is not considering providing weapons directly to the Sunnis, and still wants to work through the Iraqi government. The official was not authorized to discuss the options publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.

Speaking to reporters traveling with him to Asia, Carter said that the events in Ramadi "highlighted the central importance of having a capable ground partner" in Iraq.

"I think training and equipment effect the effectiveness of the forces and therefore their ability to operate, and their confidence in their ability to operate," said Carter. "So, there's a direct relationship."

Carter spoke at the start of an 11-day overseas trip that includes stops in Singapore for an international security conference and visits to maritime facilities in Vietnam and India.