The Report of the Iraq Inquiry

• Minister of Finance;

• National Security Adviser (in an advisory capacity);

• Director of the Iraqi National Intelligence Service (in an advisory capacity);

• Senior Military Adviser (in an advisory capacity);

• MNF Commander or his representative (by invitation); and

• other appropriate individuals (by invitation).

424. The first meeting of the MCNS took place on 21 March under the chairmanship of

Ambassador Bremer.362 He later described the committee as “effectively an Iraqi version

of our [the US] National Security Council”.363

425. The MCNS met regularly from this point onwards and its meetings were often

attended by the British Ambassador and the Senior British Military Representative

in Iraq.

426. The role of National Security Adviser was to act as the primary adviser on national

security matters and to manage the National Security Advisory Staff. Dr Mowaffak

al‑Rubaie was appointed to that role in April 2004 and served until April 2009.

427. A briefing from the MOD for No.10 in May described the following structures

beneath the MCNS:

• A Commander’s Council and a Contact Group.

• Provincial and local structures, such as provincial security committees to discuss

“security issues in the broadest sense” (these became known as Provincial Joint

Co‑ordination Centres – PJCCs) and local co‑ordination structures known as

Joint Operating Centres.

• The Iraqi Army and the ICDC would be under the command and control of the

IMOD through the Joint Headquarters. However, in the short term they would

need to be under the operational command and control of the MNF.

• There was uncertainty around police command and control but it was thought

that they would report through local police chiefs to the MOI. Ideally the police

force should be the lead for all internal security but this might not be possible

straight away.

• That transition to local control would occur at different speeds in different

areas. The CJTF‑7 target for local control across Iraq had slipped from June to

December – “a target which not only will be met but which will be bettered by the

four provinces of MND(SE)”.364

362 Telegram No 102 IraqRep to FCO, 22 March 2004, ‘Iraq: First Meeting of the National

Security Committee’.

363 Bremer LP III & McConnell M. My Year in Iraq: The Struggle to Build a Future of Hope.

Threshold, 2006.

364 Minute Naworynsky to Quarrey, 11 May 2004, ‘Iraq: Security Structures After 30 June’.

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