ITALY SPEEDS PLANS FOR INTERNATIONAL GENDARME

UNCLAS ROME 002692

SIPDIS


DAO, DCM, ECON, ODC, PM, POL

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KPKO MARR MOPS PGOV PREL IT NATO FORCES IN ITALY
SUBJECT: ITALY SPEEDS PLANS FOR INTERNATIONAL GENDARME
TRAINING CENTER

REF: STATE 143267

Summary
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1. The Italian government is moving quickly with plans for
an international gendarme/constabulary training center and is looking
for immediate US input on details such as project objectives,
standards, and the numerical scope of the future training program.
MFA and Carabinieri officials have confirmed that the
existing Carabinieri training facility at Vicenza is ready to house
the training center with minimal structural modification. Italy
also has on hand an ample number of experienced trainers,
according to our contacts. With USG input and approval, the Italians
hope to have their program plan ready to circulate
among G-8 members in September, with the aim of beginning
training courses in 2005.

The upcoming visit by a team led by PM (Reftel) will be a
good opportunity for presenting concrete US ideas -- and possibilities
for financial support -- in regard to getting the training
center up and running. End Summary.

MFA Pushing to Show Project Proposal in September
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2. The Italians are wasting no time in moving ahead on the
proposed international gendarme/constabulary Center for Excellence
at Vicenza. In a July 8 meeting with MFA
G-8 Office Director Giampaolo Cantini, Pol-Mil Officer
learned that the Italian government has already tasked the Carabinieri
with drafting a project plan on an urgent basis. Noting that
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's office has taken pointed
interest in this project, Cantini stated that the Italians wish to
complete the project proposal -- with US input and approval --
by early September. They then hope to circulate the proposal
among G-8 members for input and as an initial solicitation for
financial support. Italy's goal is to begin training in late 2005.
Cantini stressed that Italy would like more USG input on the
aim and scope of the project, particularly in regard to target numbers
of trainees and the modalities of US financial assistance.
Italy would require financial assistance from US and other donors,
Cantini said, for sustaining the basic operating costs of the training
center.

Carabinieri Have Facility and Personnel
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3. The Carabinieri official charged with preparing the
project proposal, Colonel Domenico
Libertini, told Embassy officers on July 9 that the existing
Carabinieri training facility at
Vicenza is capable of housing the Center for Excellence with
only minor physical
modifications. The current facility is already used for
pre-deployment training for Italian
(and some foreign) units going into the SFOR Multinational
Specialized Units (MSU) in
Bosnia. The Carabinieri have an ample number of experienced
trainers on hand, though
few of them speak English at the necessary level. According
to Libertini, the Vicenza facility
could handle up to 250 trainees at a time, allowing for
perhaps four six-week courses per year.
The "train the trainer" proposal being developed will
envision two programs to be delivered
simultaneously: one for command-level officers and one for
lower level officers and non-coms.

Needed: Objectives, Standards, and Target Numbers
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4. Both Cantini and Libertini said that, while Italy can
readily supply facilities, personnel, and
a deep background in gendarme/constabulary expertise, the
project itself still lacks definitive
shape. The Italians are looking to the USG for concrete ideas
concerning training objectives
and training standards. Most importantly, in light of the
expressed USG willingness to provide
funding assistance, the Italians would like USG guidelines
about target numbers of trainees. A
target of 600 trainees over five years, for example, would


present a completely different set of
challenges than would a target number approaching the maximum
training capacity of the
proposed Center for Excellence, which would be approximately
5,000 trainees over five years.

Comment
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5. The MFA and Carabinieri have taken on this project with
enthusiasm. They are prepared to
work with the US in planning and implementation and are
looking for immediate concrete
USG input on objectives, target numbers, and the coordination
process among G-8 partners.
The Italians are drawing on their own highly developed
expertise for defining and implementing
the training program itself but are seeking political
guidance to ensure that they are on track
with US/G-8 objectives. The upcoming visit by State and
Pentagon representatives offers
an excellent opportunity for bilateral coordination on this
initiative.

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2004ROME02692 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED