ASSISTANCE REQUEST FOR DEPLOYMENT ORDER

S E C R E T ROME 000009 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/01/2013 TAGS: MOPS MARR PREL IT FORCES IN ITALY SUBJECT: ASSISTANCE REQUEST FOR DEPLOYMENT ORDER REF: A. A) MSG CJCS/311840Z DEC 02 SECRET PAGE 02 ROME 00009 030119Z ¶B. B) ROME 6167 CLASSIFIED BY: POLITICAL MINISTER COUNSELOR THOMAS COUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 1.5(B)(D) ¶1. (S) THIS IS AN ACTION REQUEST. REFTEL A CONVEYS ORDERS FOR DEPLOYMENT OF FORCES TO SIGONELLA, SICILY IN SUPPORT OF OEF O/A JANUARY 9-14, AND REQUESTS ASSISTANCE, INCLUDING FROM THE STATE DEPARTMENT, IN OBTAINING APPROVALS FROM HOST NATIONS. THE DEPLOYMENT IS CLASSIFIED "SECRET/ORCON, RELEASABLE TO THE MILITARY COALITION FOR OPERATIONS IN IRAQ (MCFI)." NO DETAILS ARE PROVIDED REGARDING THE DEFINITION OF THE MCFI. WE PRESUME, HOWEVER, THAT ITALY IS A MEMBER. ¶2. (S) POST FULLY SUPPORTS OPERATIONAL SECURITY CONCERNS AND WANTS TO KEEP THE LOWEST POSSIBLE PROFILE FOR AN OPERATION THAT APPEARS LIKELY TO INVOLVE A NOTICEABLE INCREASE IN MILITARY ACTIVITY AT AN ALREADY BUSY ITALIAN PORT (AUGUSTA BAY). TO ACCOMPLISH THIS, AND TO ENSURE THE MOST EFFICIENT AND EFFECTIVE COOPERATION FROM THE GOI, A LIMITED NUMBER OF ITALIAN OFFICIALS WILL NEED TO BE INFORMED OF RELEVANT DETAILS, SUCH AS THE LIKELY NUMBER OF PERSONNEL AND ASSETS TRANSITING ITALY AND OTHER LOGISTICAL INFORMATION. ¶3. (S) ACTION REQUEST. POST REQUESTS A TEAR-LINE VERSION OF THE DEPLOYMENT ORDER WITH SPECIFIC DETAILS THAT CAN BE RELEASED TO SENIOR ITALIAN OFFICIALS INVOLVED IN CLEARING DEPLOYMENT-RELATED ACTIVITIES OCCURRING IN ITALIAN TERRITORY. "SPECIFIC DETAILS" INCLUDE HOW MANY U.S. FORCES AND HOW MUCH ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT WILL TEMPORARILY BE PRESENT ON ITALIAN SOIL. THE GOI WILL BE IN A BETTER POSITION TO ASSIST THE USG SECRET PAGE 03 ROME 00009 030119Z WITH THIS OPERATION IF WE CAN PROVIDE THEM WITH THE INFORMATION THEY NEED TO SUPPORT OUR ACTIVITIES. ON PREVIOUS OCCASIONS, THE GOI HAS RESPONDED POSITIVELY TO USG REQUESTS FOR SUPPORT WHEN WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO BRIEF THE DETAILS IN ADVANCE (REFTEL B). POST UNDERSTANDS THE SENSITIVE NATURE OF THIS DEPLOYMENT. IF SECURITY CONCERNS WARRANT, PLEASE SPECIFY WHETHER THE BRIEFING SHOULD BE MADE ONLY/ONLY AT THE APPROPRIATELY HIGH LEVELS OF THE GOI. PLEASE CLARIFY ALSO WHETHER DEPLOYMENT SHOULD BE CHARACTERIZED TO THE GOI AS OEF-RELATED (WHICH THE GOI UNDERSTANDS AS PERTAINING TO AFGHANISTAN AND AL-QAEDA) OR AS AN IRAQ-RELATED CONTINGENCY. ¶4. (U) DAO ROME AND ODC ROME FULLY SUPPORT THIS ACTION REQUEST. SEMBLER SECRET > 2003ROME00009 - Classification: SECRET