ITALIANS RECEPTIVE TO MISSILE DEFENSE COOPERATION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 004303

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2012
TAGS: PREL MARR MNUC MARR MNUC IT CBW ITPREL CBW
SUBJECT: ITALIANS RECEPTIVE TO MISSILE DEFENSE COOPERATION

REF: STATE 128306

CLASSIFIED BY: A/DCM THOMAS COUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 1.5 (B)(D)


1. (C) SUMMARY. IN MEETINGS WITH ITALIAN OFFICIALS ON JULY
24, DOD DAS IAN BRZEZINSKI AND AN INTERAGENCY TEAM UPDATED
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THE GOI ON THE US MISSILE DEFENSE (MD) PROGRAM, DISCUSSED THE
NEW POST-SEPTEMBER 11 SECURITY ENVIRONMENT AND OUTQNED A
FRAMEWORK FOR ENHANCED ALLIED PARTICIPATION AND MD
ARCHITECTURE. THE TEAM STRESSED THE IMPORTANCE OF
IDENTIFYING IN THE PRAGUE SUMMIT COMMUNIQUE A NATO MD FOCAL
POINT THAT CAN HELP MEMBERS AGREE ON AN ALLIANCE POSITION ON
MD. GIVEN THE GOI'S COOPERATION WITH THE US ON OTHER PROJECTS
AND ITALY'S RECEPTIVENESS TO PREVIOUS MD BRIEFINGS,
BRZEZINSKI SUGGESTED THE GOI MIGHT BE ABLE TO CONVEY TO OTHER
EUROPEAN ALLIES THE URGENT NEED TO MOVE THE MD PROGRAM
FORWARD. THE ITALIANS AGREED THAT NATO SHOULD EXTEND THE TMD
STUDY NOW UNDERWAY TO CONSIDER BROADER MD OPTIONS,
RECOMMENDED STRENGTHENING NONPROLIFERATION REGIMES AS PART OF
THE MD CONCEPT AND PROPOSED THAT THE NATO-RUSSIA COUNCIL BE A
FORUM FOR MD DISCUSSIONS WITH RUSSIA. ENGAGING WITH RUSSIA
AND CHINA ON MD IS PARTICULARLY IMPORTANT, ACCORDING TO THE
ITALIANS, IN ORDER TO REASSURE THEM ABOUT THE DIRECTION AND
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAM. THEY NOTED THAT MD WAS NOT LISTED
IN A JULY LETTER FROM LORD ROBERTSON AS A SEPARATE AGENDA
ITEM FOR THE PRAGUE SUMMIT, AN OVERSIGHT THEY SAID SHOULD BE
CORRECTED TO REFLECT MD AS A NATO PRIORITY. BRZEZINSKI
ENCOURAGED THE ITALIANS TO CONTACT DEFENSE DEPARTMENT AND
MISSILE DEFENSE AGENCY (MDA) REPRESENTATIVES FOR MORE
INFORMATION OR TO DISCUSS OPPORTUNITIES FOR COOPERATION. END
SUMMARY.


2. (C) THE ITALIANS NOTED THE USG'S SHIFT FROM THE DETERRENCE
CONCEPT OF MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION (MAD) AND THE
EXPANSION OF THEATRE MISSILE DEFENSE (TMD) TO A MORE
COMPREHENSIVE MISSILE DEFENSE APPROACH TO DETERENCE. MD IS
THE PREFERRED TERMINOLOGY NOW, THE TEAM EXPLAINED, BECAUSE OF
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THE NEED TO INTEGRATE CAPABILITIES TO PRODUCE A LAYERED
PROGRAM DEALING WITH ALL RANGES OF BALLISTIC MISSILES.
MEDIUM AND INTERMEDIATE RANGE MISSILES ARE CREATING NEW RISKS
AND CHALLENGES, MDA'S DAVID KIEFER SAID. THINK OF MD IN
TERMS OF WHAT WE WANT TO PROTECT -- SUCH AS DEPLOYED FORCES
-- RATHER THAN A PARTICULAR GEOGRAPHIC AREA, KIEFER
SUGGESTED. KIEFER REVIEWED VARIOUS OPTIONS UNDER
CONSIDERATION, AND NOTED THAT THE PROGRAM IS DESIGNED AROUND
SHORT, DISCRETE STEPS THAT BUILD CAPABILITY IN TWO YEAR
INCREMENTS UP TO 2014. THE USG IS PREPARED TO INVEST ABOUT
$8 BILLION A YEAR IN THE PROGRAM, HE SAID. THE CHALLENGE IS
TO MAKE FULL USE OF WHAT IS AVAILABLE AND INTEGRATE PROVEN
TECHNOLOGY INTO NEW SYSTEMS AS ADVANCEMENTS ARE MADE. ALLIES
THAT DECIDE TO PARTNER WITH THE US ON AN INTEGRATED MD SYSTEM
ARE BEING ASKED TO IDENTIFY COOPERATIVE INITIATIVES OVER THE
NEXT SIX TO EIGHT MONTHS.


3. (C) KIEFER NOTED THAT GROUND BASED, LONG RANGE DEFENSE IS
THE MOST READILY AVAILABLE OPTION. THE USG IS NOW LOOKING
FOR FIXED SITES FOR RADARS AND INTERCEPTORS THAT WILL PROTECT
EUROPEAN ALLIES AND PARTS OF THE US AND CANADA. THIS COULD
INCLUDE LARGE SEA PLATFORMS AS WELL AS LAND-BASED SITES THAT
PROVIDE WIDE COVERAGE. OSD'S PEPPINO DEBAISO POINTED OUT THAT
ADVANCED RADAR TECHNOLOGY MEANS THAT A SMALL NUMBER OF SITES,
RADARS AND INTERCEPTORS CAN PROVIDE EXTENSIVE COVERAGE FOR
THE TYPES OF MISSILES BEING DEVELOPED OVER THE NEXT 10 YEARS.
HOW COMMAND AND CONTROL WILL WORK WITHIN THE NATO STRUCTURE
IS UNDER DISCUSSION AT NATO AT THE SAME TIME AS OPERATIONAL
CONCEPTS FOR A TEST BED ARE BEING DEVELOPED. THE US WOULD
LIKE AN EXISTING NATO WORKING GROUP TO TAKE ON THE SUBJECT SO
THAT EVERYTHING IS READY SIMULTANEOUSLY BY 2004.
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4. (C) NOW THAT THE ABM TREATY CONSTRAINTS HAVE BEEN REMOVED,
THE USG HAS MORE FREEDOM TO SHARE INFORMATION AND COOPERATE
WITH ALLIES AND INDUSTRY TO DESIGN THE SYSTEM, KIEFER SAID.
ALLIES CAN LEVERAGE THE $40 BILLION INVESTMENT THE USG MADE
BEFORE THE ABM TREATY WAS TERMINATED AND JOIN IN AFTER MUCH
HAS ALREADY BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. THE OBJECTIVE NOW IS TO
ESTABLISH AN INTERNATIONAL DESIGN TEAM, WITH DIFFERENT LEVELS
OF PARTICIPATION, HE EXPLAINED. COUNTRIES SUCH AS ITALY CAN
COME IN AT LEVEL I, WHERE THEY CAN INFLUENCE THE DIRECTION OF
THE PROGRAM, OR LEVEL II, WHERE THEY CAN WORK ON ONE OR MORE
DISTINCT ELEMENTS OF THE PROGRAM BUT STILL BE INVOLVED IN
DETERMINING HOW THAT PIECE FITS INTO THE BIG PICTURE. LEVEL
III WILL INVOLVE WORK ON COMPONENTS ONLY AND LEVEL IV WILL
REQUIRE MINIMAL INVOLVEMENT BEYOND STAYING INFORMED OF THE
PROGRAM'S DEVELOPMENT. MINISTER FRANCESCO TRUPIANO,
DIPLOMATIC ADVISOR TO DEFENSE MINISTER MARTINO, POINTED OUT
THAT WORKING BILATERALLY -- GOVERNMENT TO GOVERNMENT AND ALSO
INDUSTRY TO INDUSTRY -- WOULD REQUIRE MORE WILLINGNESS BY THE
USG TO SHARE TECHNOLOGY. MFA COORDINATOR FOR SECURITY
AFFAIRS CARLO TREZZA SAID THAT EXISTING INVOLVEMENT BY SOME
ITALIAN COMPANIES IN MD DEVELOPMENT SHOULD BE EXPANDED, BUT
ENCOURAGED THE USG TO EXPLAIN BETTER THE NEW "BEST VALUE"
APPROACH TO INDUSTRIAL COOPERATION NOW BEING PURSUED.

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ACTION EUR-00

INFO LOG-00 NP-00 AID-00 ACQ-00 CIAE-00 DOEE-00 SRPP-00
DS-00 EB-00 VC-00 H-01 TEDE-00 INR-00 IO-00
L-00 VCE-00 AC-01 NRC-01 NSAE-00 NSCE-00 OES-01
OIC-02 OMB-01 PA-00 PM-00 PRS-00 ACE-00 P-00
SCT-00 SP-00 IRM-00 SS-00 TRSE-00 T-00 USIE-00
EPAE-00 PMB-00 DSCC-00 PRM-00 DRL-02 G-00 NFAT-00
SAS-00 /009W
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R 050713Z SEP 02
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO SECSTATE WASHDC 5699
INFO NATO EU COLLECTIVE
SECDEF WASHDC
JOINT STAFF WASHDC

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 02 OF 02 ROME 004303

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/28/2012
TAGS: PREL MARR MNUC MARR MNUC IT CBW ITPREL CBW
SUBJECT: ITALIANS RECEPTIVE TO MISSILE DEFENSE COOPERATION


5. (C) DEBIASO STRESSED THAT MD SHOULD BE INTEGRATED INTO
ALLIED DEFENSE PLANNING AS A CORE CAPABILITY. THE ITALIANS
AGREED THAT MD FALLS UNDER NATO CAPABILITIES BUT ADMITTED
THAT FINDING RESOURCES IN AN ALREADY TIGHT BUDGET ENVIRONMENT
WOULD BE DIFFICULT. FOCUSING TOO MUCH ON MD PROJECTS MIGHT
DISTRACT ALLIES FROM ACCOMPLISHING MORE IMMEDIATE
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CAPABILITIES GOALS, MFA DIRECTOR GENERAL GIANCARLO ARAGONA
WARNED. NEVERTHELESS, THE ITALIAN MINISTRY OF DEFENSE IS
ASKING FOR FUNDING FOR MD AS WELL AS OTHER DCI PRIORITIES,
BALKANS OPERATIONS AND SUPPORT FOR OPERATION ENDURING
FREEDOM, ACCORDING TO TRUPIANO.


6. (C) IDENTIFYING IN THE PRAGUE SUMMIT COMMUNIQUE A FOCAL
POINT WITHIN NATO FOR MD ISSUES WOULD TAKE SOME GROUNDWORK
OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, ACCORDING TO TREZZA. NATO DEFENSE
MINISTERS HAVE ADDRESSED MD, TREZZA SAID, BUT THE ISSUE HAS
BOTH A MILITARY AND A POLITICAL FOCUS, INCLUDING DISCUSSION
OF TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER, DUAL USE AND EXPORT CONTROLS. TREZZA
NOTED THAT NATO NEEDS TO CONDUCT NEW THREAT ASSESSMENTS, AND
ADDED THAT ITALY'S PRIMARY CONCERN IS THREATS FROM THE MED
REGION SUCH AS LIBYA. THE GOI SHARES THE USG'S THREAT
ASSESSMENT OF LIBYA, HE SAID, AND IS CONCERNED ABOUT LIBYA'S
POTENTIAL COOPERATION WITH OTHER PROLIFERATORS SUCH AS IRAN
AND NORTH KOREA. NOTING THE POSITIVE EFFECT OF SHARING
THREAT ASSESSMENT INFORMATION, ARAGONA OFFERED TO ARRANGE A
BRIEFING FOR US AND NATO OFFICIALS ON ITALY'S THREAT
ASSESSMENTS OF COUNTRIES OF CONCERN.


7. (C) BRZEZINSKI AGREED THAT THE NAC-D'S RECOGNITION OF THE
THREAT POSED BY WMD TO POPULATIONS IS AN IMPORTANT STARTING
POINT. THE NEXT STEPS ARE TO IDENTIFY A GROUP AT NATO TO
DRIVE THE MD DISCUSSION FORWARD, EXTEND THE TMD STUDY TO
INCLUDE POPULATION AREAS, AND INCLUDE MD AS A NATO CAPABILITY
INITIATIVE, HE SAID. ARAGONA NOTED THAT A CLEAR NATO
STATEMENT RECOGNIZING THE NEED FOR MD WOULD BE USEFUL, AND
SUGGESTED WORKING TOWARD SUCH A STATEMENT AT THE WARSAW
INFORMAL DEFENSE MINISTER'S MEETING. TRUPIANO URGED THE USG
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TO ENGAGE RUSSIA, CHINA AND, WHERE POSSIBLE, NORTH KOREA IN
MD AND NON-PROLIFERATION DISCUSSIONS SO THAT PROGRESS ON MD
WILL NOT HAVE A DESTABILIZING EFFECT, PARTICULARLY ON
NONPROLIFERATION EFFORTS. IF THE US WANTS A SOLID NATO
POSITION AND WIDE SUPPORT FOR MD, IT IS VITAL TO KEEP RUSSIAN
CONCERNS IN MIND, ACCORDING TO ARAGONA. BRZEZINSKI
ACKNOWLEDGED THAT RELATIONS WITH CHINA HAVE BEEN IMPROVING
BUT NOTED CONTINUING CONCERNS ABOUT CHINA'S RELATIONSHIPS
WITH PROLIFERATORS. ENGAGEMENT WITH RUSSIA IS PROGRESSING IN
MODEST STEPS, HE SAID. BRZEZINSKI CAUTIONED, HOWEVER, THAT
IT WAS NOT YET TIME TO BRING RUSSIA IN TO ALL ASPECTS OF NATO
MD CONSIDERATIONS.


8. (U) DAS BRZEZINSKI HAS CLEARED THIS CABLE.
SKODON

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2002ROME04303 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL