The Kurds, at least in Iraq, have consistently been friends of the US, and at least compared to the other states in the region, a basically progressive and mode

The Kurds, at least in Iraq, have consistently been friends of the US, and at least compared to the other states in the region, a basically progressive and moderate government. (There are issues with Turkey and Iran w.r.t. Kurds in those countries as well as with the idea of Kurdistan, since it would potentially redraw their own borders.) Aside from some very specialized troops (combat controllers and maybe some other SOF; high level logistics people to interface with the rest of the supply chain; some trainers and advisors) you could probably equip the Kurdish forces with modern weapons to good effect. The biggest issue is bypassing the Iraqi central government basically admits that Iraq is/was/will always be a failure, and guarantees it. This might cause both Iran and KSA to intervene in the territory. This could lead to escalation; I'd personally be willing to accept the status quo in Syria if the alternative is a regional war.