Wikileaks - MXCIX

161442 7/9/2008 22:33 08STATE73794 Secretary of State CONFIDENTIAL 08USNATO144 VZCZCXYZ0003 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHC #3794 1912244 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O P 092233Z JUL 08 FM SECSTATE WASHDC TO ALL NATO POST COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE RUEHAK/AMEMBASSY ANKARA IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHSL/AMEMBASSY BRATISLAVA IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHBM/AMEMBASSY BUCHAREST IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHUP/AMEMBASSY BUDAPEST IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHKV/AMEMBASSY KYIV IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHLJ/AMEMBASSY LJUBLJANA IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHLE/AMEMBASSY LUXEMBOURG IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHMD/AMEMBASSY MADRID IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHPG/AMEMBASSY PRAGUE IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHRK/AMEMBASSY REYKJAVIK IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHRA/AMEMBASSY RIGA IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHRO/AMEMBASSY ROME IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHSF/AMEMBASSY SOFIA IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHTL/AMEMBASSY TALLINN IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHVL/AMEMBASSY VILNIUS IMMEDIATE 0000 RUEHWR/AMEMBASSY WARSAW IMMEDIATE 0000 INFO RUEHGB/AMEMBASSY BAGHDAD PRIORITY 0000 RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY 0000 RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO PRIORITY 0000 RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY 0000 C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 073794

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/09/2018 TAGS: PREL, MARR, NATO, IZ SUBJECT: DEMARCHE REQUEST TO GAIN ALLIES' AND UKRAINIAN SUPPORT FOR THE EXPANDED NATO TRAINING MISSION-IRAQ

REF: USNATO 00144

Classified By: EUR Nerissa Cook, Acting DAS for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).

1. (U) This is an action request to alert NATO Allies and Partner Ukraine that NATO agreed on July 1 to expand the NATO Training Mission-Iraq (NTM-I), to encourage Allies and Ukraine to provide additional resources to support new training tasks in response to the newly expanded mission, and to urge all Allies to fill existing gaps in the current force structure. Please see paragraph 11.
----------
BACKGROUND
----------
2. (U) Since 2004, the NATO Training Mission-Iraq (NTM-I) has provided a variety of training programs to Iraqi Security Forces to help establish a more secure environment in Iraq. Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki recently affirmed the value of this mission, and requested additional NATO training in a letter to NATO's Secretary General and during an April visit to NATO Headquarters (see ref A).

3. (U) NTM-I has trained in-country over 10,000 Iraqi Government security personnel in areas such as civil and military staff training, police training, and officer and non-commissioned officer (NCO) leadership training. These programs are based on a training, advising, and mentoring approach that allows Iraqi officers and NCOs, following their completion of an NTM-I program, to provide that training in turn to new Iraqi security personnel.

4. (SBU) The core focus of NTM-I's mission has centered on training officers at Iraq's own military institutions and in their command and control centers. In 2006, NATO broadened its focus to include training programs for the Iraqi Navy, and Gendarmerie-type training for the Iraqi National Police (INP), the latter led by Italy's Carabinieri. This multi-year program has thus far successfully trained three of eight INP battalions. According to the Iraqi National Chief of Police, the first trained INP battalion has excelled in Baghdad and performed well above the level of the local police during militia clearing operations in Basra.

5. (C) Currently, there are 166 NATO trainers and advisors in Iraq. The breakdown is as follows: Czech Republic (3), Denmark (12), Estonia (3), Hungary (18), Italy (70), Lithuania (4), Netherlands (7), Poland (3), Portugal (6), Romania (2), Slovenia (2), Turkey (2), Ukraine (2), United Kingdom (16), and the United States (16).
-----------------------------
FILLING EXISTING REQUIREMENTS
-----------------------------
6. (C) The staffing requirements for NTM-I, called the Crisis Establishment (CE), outline the positions needed to fulfill all the training tasks. The CE is currently short about 20 trainers for programs related to intelligence, command and control (C2), and staff officer training at the Iraqi Military Academies.

7. (SBU) NATO's training mission in Iraq also coordinates donations of equipment for Iraqi Government security personnel from a number of Allies. Since 2004, NATO has coordinated over USD 170 million worth of donations to Iraq. Allies are encouraged to donate more equipment to the Government of Iraq.
---------------------------
NATO AGREES TO EXPAND NTM-I
---------------------------
8. (C) On July 10, NATO's North Atlantic Council (NAC) agreed to expand the NTM-I mission in areas such as advanced forensics, border security, and Air Force and Navy leadership training. These specific training requests are in direct response to PM Maliki's Jan 29 letter to NATO's Secretary General. They were highlighted in the NATO Bucharest Summit Declaration and then stressed again by PM Maliki at an April meeting at the NAC in Brussels (see ref A).

9. (C) The recent approval of the mission reflects two major milestones: PM Maliki's personal involvement in NTM-I and Allied willingness to expand the mission. In the last year, PM Maliki has participated in graduations at the National Defense College and at the Carabinieri-led training school for the first of eight Iraqi National Police Battalions - both of which fall under NTM-I. His first visit to the NAC in mid-April convinced even skeptical Allies that NTM-I is a successful mission that can and should be continued and expanded. PM Maliki has noted that Iraq wants to foster a stronger NATO-Iraq relationship. Last Fall, GOI officials expressed to NATO's Secretary General their interest in joining the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative.

10. (C) The Allied agreement to expand the mission clearly demonstrates a new attitude among Allies towards Iraq and its participation in NTM-I. However, agreeing to expand the mission does not equate with Allies' volunteering to send trainers and advisors. We should capitalize on the recent approval of the NTM-I mission review to encourage Allies to provide trainers and advisors to fill the new training requirements.
--------------
ACTION REQUEST
--------------
11. (C-REL NATO Allies and Ukraine) Drawing on the above background, Posts are requested to pursue the following objectives with senior MFA and MOD officials:

For Prague, Copenhagen, Tallinn, Budapest, Rome, Vilnius, the Hague, Warsaw, Lisbon, Bucharest, Ljubljana, London, and Kyiv:

-- Thank Allies and Ukraine for their continued contributions to NTM-I and encourage them to respond favorably to the NATO decision to enhance the mission with more trainers and advisors. (Note: we expect SHAPE to distribute a new manning request - Crisis Establishment 6.0 - by the end of July.)

For Ankara:

-- Thank Turkey for its continued support of NTM-I, and determine whether, in addition to providing assistance on any other training requirements, it would be willing to become the lead nation for a border security training program along the lines of the Carabinieri model. Such a program would encompass 20-30 Turkish trainers at a location in Iraq, under NTM-I authority, with a commitment of at least one year. The Turkish Delegation at NATO has been approached with this proposal and has readily agreed to ask for guidance from Ankara.

For all NATO Allies and Ukraine:

-- Stress to government officials that Allied leaders committed at the Bucharest Summit to "favorably consider the Government of Iraq's request to enhance the NATO Training Mission-Iraq (NTM-I) mission in areas such as Navy and Air Force leadership training, police, and border security" among other areas that are specifically stated in the Summit Declaration;

-- Note that based on this guidance, NATO Permanent Representatives agreed to enhance the NTM-I mission in the following areas:

a. Mobile training and education teams located within the schools and training centers of the Iraqi Security Forces (ISF); b. Professional military education and leadership development within the schools and training centers of the ISF; c. "Train the Trainer" leadership skills for the Army, Air Force, and Navy; d. Systems training and advisory teams at both Joint and Ministerial Headquarters, as well as the Senior Operational Headquarters; e. Continued advice and mentoring within the Iraqi Training and Doctrine Command Centers; and f. Advanced forensics and specialized training in border issues;

-- Urge government officials to support the expansion of NTM-I per the Summit and NAC agreements noted above, which respond to Iraqi Prime Minister Al-Maliki's direct request for expanded training from NATO, as noted in para 8;

-- Note that in response to PM Maliki's requests, we expect the new training requirements will include: - a lead nation to provide Air Force and NCO training, - a lead nation to provide training/mentoring at three other Iraqi Military Academies (Zahko, Qalachullan, and An Nasiriyah - 6 personnel per Academy), - additional police trainers for the Carabinieri-led program, - forensics and border security trainers, - guest lecturers at the National Defense University, - filling NTM-I's current manning shortages under the Crisis Establishment 5.0, which currently lacks about 20 trainers, - and Training Augmentation Teams (TAT) to be used to bring specialized training capabilities in theater for short periods;

-- Note that we hope Allies and Ukraine respond favorably to SHAPE,s requests for more trainers and advisors in order to continue and expand the successful NTM-I mission;

-- Explain to government officials, if necessary, that anything less than full support for PM Maliki's direct request for additional training not only sends a negative political message to the PM and the Iraqi people, but also falls short of the Alliance's agreed-to objective of ensuring the establishment of fully functioning and self-sustaining Iraqi security structures responsible to the democratically formed Iraqi Government.
------------------------------
REPORTING AND POINT OF CONTACT
------------------------------
12. (U) Department requests Posts demarche as soon as possible and report responses via front channel message by July 21 in anticipation of NATO meetings in Brussels on this topic at the end of July. An NTM-I manpower conference will be held in September followed by a NATO Global Force Generation conference in Oct/Nov 08. Please contact EUR/RPM Chris Davy at DavyRC@state.sgov.gov or 202-647-2127 for additional information. RICE