ODC SLOVENIA SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES REPORT,

UNCLAS LJUBLJANA 000786 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MARR SI SUBJECT: ODC SLOVENIA SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES REPORT, OCTOBER 2005 ¶1. SUMMARY: SLOVENIA IS SHOWING INTEREST IN PURCHASING EITHER THE C-27 OR CASA FOR LOGISTICS SUPPORT OF THEIR DEPLOYED TROOPS. RAYTHEON WILL BE PITCHING A JAVELIN, STINGER AND TOW MISSILE CAPABILITY FOR SLOVENIA'S 152 ARMORED INFANTRY FIGHTING VEHICLE PROCUREMENT. WE ARE WORKING TO STREAMLINE OUR FMS PROGRAM MANAGEMENT AND ULTIMATELY TRANSITIONING MUCH OF THE DAY-TO-DAY MANAGEMENT TO SLOVENIAN CASE MANAGERS. WE ARE COORDINATING A ONE WEEK DISAM MET FOR THESE NEW SLOVENIAN CASE MANAGERS. WE HAVE AN ISSUE AND NEED ASSISTANCE WITH REGARDS TO GPS PPS CODES FOR THE SLOVENIANS FRENCH-MADE HELICOPTERS. WE ARE CONTINUING TO WORK ESTABLISHING A DCA PROGRAM HERE IN SLOVENIA. ODC IS WORKING WITH THE SLOVENE MOD TO OUTLINE SLOVENE BACKGROUND CHECKING PROCEDURES IN TERMS OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, CRIMINAL OR OTHER ILLICIT ACTIVITIES IN ORDER TO ELIMINATE ALL VETTING REQUIREMENTS OTHER THAN THE NEW ACES REQUIREMENT. THE SLOVENE MINISTER OF INTERIOR WILL BE A GUEST SPEAKER AT ONE OF THE SPRING 06 MARSHALL CENTER RESIDENT SEMINARS. COORDINATION FOR 8 MIL-MIL EVENTS AND A SMALL UNIT EVENT FOR FY 2006 IS ON GOING WITH THE FOCUS BEING NATO FORCE GOALS. ¶2. KEY ISSUES AND SIGNIFICANT EVENTS: ¶A. FMS: 1) THE SLOVENIANS HAVE STATED THEY ARE INTERESTED IN PURCHASING EITHER THE C-27 OR CASA TO FILL THE ROLE OF LOGISTICS SUPPORT FOR THEIR DEPLOYED TROOPS. THESE AIRCRAFT WILL NOT BE USED FOR STRATEGIC AIRLIFT AS THEY PLAN TO USE THEIR EXISTING AGREEMENTS WITH THEIR PARTNERS FOR SUCH SUPPORT. WE HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH DSCA TO DETERMINE WHETHER THESE AIRCRAFT QUALIFY AS US EQUIPMENT UNDER THE 51% RULE AS WELL AS SEEKING ADVICE ON THE BEST WAY AHEAD. 2) RAYTHEON IS PLANNING ON PITCHING A MODULAR JAVELIN, TOW AND/OR STINGER SYSTEM TO THE SLOVENIANS AS A FOLLOW-ON TO AN UPCOMING 152 ARMORED INFANTRY FIGHTING VEHICLE TENDER FROM THE SLOVENIAN MOD. A SLOVENIAN FIRM, SYSTEMSKA TEHNIKA (20% OWNED BY A GENERAL DYNAMIC SUBSIDIARY, STEYR-DAIMLER- PUCH) MAY RECEIVE THE CONTRACT FOR THEIR 8X8 VEHICLES. IN ORDER TO MANAGE EXPECTATIONS WE ARE WORKING WITH DSCA TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE SLOVENIANS ARE APPROVED OR COULD BE APPROVED FOR THE PURCHASE OF THESE MISSILE SYSTEMS. SINCE THIS IS JUST A CONTRACTOR LOOKING FOR BUSINESS AT THIS TIME WE HAVE NOT DISCUSSED IT WITHIN THE COUNTRY TEAM. 3) WE HAVE LOST OUR SLOVENIAN FMS PROGRAM MANAGER FOR PREGNANCY LEAVE AND WE ARE WORKING WITH HER REPLACEMENT WHO IS QUICKLY COMING UP TO SPEED. 4) WE ARE MOVING FORWARD IN ESTABLISHING SLOVENIAN FMS CASE MANAGERS WHO WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE DAY-TO-DAY CASE MANAGEMENT TASKS. THESE CASE MANAGERS WILL BE IN DIRECT CONTACT WITH THEIR US COUNTERPARTS BACK AT THE MILITARY DEPARTMENTS ON ALL CASE EXECUTION DETAILS. OUR ULTIMATE GOAL IS TO TRANSITION ALL FMS PROGRAM MANAGEMENT TO THE SLOVENIANS. 5) WE'VE HAD ONGOING PROBLEMS WHERE THE FIRST TIME THE SLOVENIANS OR THE ODC HAVE VISIBILITY OVER FMS SHIPMENTS IS WHEN THE ITEMS SHOW UP IN COUNTRY. AT THE RECENT TSCWG THE ODC CHIEF FOUND THE RIGHT USASAC FOLKS TO SIPDIS RESOLVE THIS ISSUE.SPECIAL THANKS TO MS LISA RICCHIAZZI FOR QUICKLY STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE TO HELP. 6) WE NEED ASSISTANCE UNDERSTANDING WHERE A REQUIREMENT FOR GPS PPS CODES IS COMING FROM. SLOVENIA BELIEVES THAT THERE IS A REQUIREMENT FOR THEM TO HAVE ACCESS TO GPS PPS CODES FOR THEIR HELICOPTERS. THIS REQUIRES THEM TO HAVE SPECIAL COMSEC EQUIPMENT INSTALLED IN THEIR FRENCH MADE/MAINTAINED (AS532) COUGAR HELICOPTERS WHICH CREATES A POTENTIAL EUM ISSUE. ¶B. DCA: WE ARE CONTINUING OUR EFFORTS TO SEE WHAT DCA OPPORTUNITIES EXIST IN SLOVENIA. WE PLAN ON BRINGING THE EDISON HOUSE EXPERTS IN THIS SPRING TO MEET WITH PROMISING SLOVENIAN COMPANIES, SCIENTISTS AND MOD PERSONNEL. FROM THERE WE WILL DETERMINE OUR WAY AHEAD. ¶C. IMET: 1) 4 NCOS WERE OUTPROCESSED FOR VARIOUS TECHNICAL AND PME TRAINING. THERE ARE ONLY 2 MORE STUDENTS LEFT IN FY ¶05. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF STUDENTS TRAINED IN FY 05 WILL BE 67. 2) ODC IS COORDINATING WITH DISAM FOR A ONE-WEEK MET IN JANUARAY 2006 FOR OUR NEWLY ESTABLISHED SLOVENE FMS CASE MANAGERS WITH THE INTENT OF ULTIMATELY BRINGING THEM TO THE POINT WHERE THEY WILL INDEPENDENTLY MANAGE THEIR APPLICABLE ACTIVE FMS CASES. THIS MET WILL ALSO CONDUCT A ONE-DAY EXECUTIVE FMS SEMINAR WITH THE MOD'S NEW ACTING DIRECTOR OF LOGISTICS (MR DOLINAR) AND HIS IMMEDIATE STAFF. WE THANK DISAM FOR THEIR GREAT SUPPORT AND FLEXIBILITY TO RESPOND TO THE IMMEDIATE TRAINING NEED OF OUR OFFICE. 3) ODC IS WORKING WITH THE SLOVENE MOD TO OUTLINE SLOVENE BACKGROUND CHECKING PROCEDURES IN TERMS OF HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS, CRIMINAL OR OTHER ILLICIT ACTIVITIES. BASED ON THIS, THE COUNTRY TEAM WILL DETERMINE IF THE SLOVENE MOD HAS A SCREENING PROGRAM WHICH IS SUFFICIENT TO GUARANTEE COMPLIANCE WITH US SCREENING REQUIREMENTS AND THUS ELIMINATE THE REQUIREMENT FOR ALL BACKGROUND CHECKS OTHER THAN THE NEW ACES SYSTEM. 4) ODC HAS DEVELOPED A NEW DEBRIEFING QUESTIONNAIRE TO CAPTURE FEED BACK AFTER COMPLETION OF IMET TRAINIG. THE QUESTIONNAIRE IS IN SLOVENE LANGUAGE AND URGES STUDENTS TO CRITICALLY ASSES THEIR TRAINING EXPERIENCE IN THE US. THIS IS PART OF OUR CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PROCESS. ¶D. MARSHALL CENTER: 5) ODC IS COORDINATING A 2-DAY VISIT TO THE MARSHALL CENTER BY THE SLOVENE MOD REPRESENTATIVES. THE PURPOSE OF THIS VISIT IS TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE COOPERATION BETWEEN THE MOD TRAINING CENTER AND THE MARSHALL CENTER IN ORGANIZING VARIOUS SEMINARS AS WELL GAINING AN OVERVIEW OF ALL MARSHALL CENTER PROGRAMS. 6) THE SLOVENE MINISTER OF INTERIOR HAS RESPONDED TO THE MARSHALL CENTER INVITATION TO BE A GUEST SPEAKER AT ONE OF THE SPRING 06 RESIDENT SEMINARS. ¶E. MIL-TO-MIL: 1) COORDINATION FOR 8 MIL-MIL EVENTS AND A SMALL UNIT EVENT FOR FY 2006 IS ON GOING. EVENTS CONTINUE TO FOCUS ON NATO FORCE GOALS. 2) THE NEXT JCTP EVENT WILL BE CONDUCTED ON 27 NOV - 2 DEC WHEN 4 SLOVENES FROM THE NBC BATTALION TRAVEL TO THE NBC SCHOOL AT FT LEONARD WOOD AND THEN TO THE 2ND CHEM BN AT FT HOOD. THEIR FOCUS IS ON FAMILIARIZATION WITH U.S. CBRN ARTEPS AND HOW A BATTALION EVALUATES PLATOON AND COMPANY READINESS. ¶3. PERSONNEL/RESOURCES/LOGISTICS: ¶A. PERSONNEL: 1) PERSPECTIVE GAINS: NONE 2) PERSPECTIVE LOSSES: NONE 3) ATTACHED PERSONNEL: NONE 4) ODC CHIEF APPROVED TDY/LEAVE: NONE 5) RATING SCHEME CHANGES: NONE 6) EXTENSIONS/CURTAILMENTS: NONE ¶B. RESOURCES. VEHICLES AND ADP EQUIPMENT ARE 100% OPERATIONAL. ¶4. WAY AHEAD (UPCOMING EVENTS): 12-13 DEC SOUTHEASTERN EUROPEAN CLEARING HOUSE. ¶5. CHIEF COMMENTS: THIS IS A BUSY TIME OF YEAR WITH THE TSCWG, IMET/FMF BUDGET SUBMISSIONS, CCP DEVELOPMENT AND SIPDIS OTHER ADMINISTRATIVE REQUIREMENTS. WE ARE DILIGENTLY WORKING TO WRAP THESE THINGS UP AS WE ARE IMPROVING OUR OPERATIONS. AT THIS TIME OUR TOP PRIORITY IS OUR FMS PROCESS WHERE WE ARE CONTINUING TO IDENTIFY SLOVENIA'S ACQUISITION PRIORITIES, ESTABLISHING AN ODC-MOD SOP, AND WORKING TO TRANSITION MUCH OF THE DAY-TO-DAY PROGRAM MANAGEMENT TO SLOVENIAN CASE MANAGERS. ¶6. POC: LT COL GENE MOTY ?1-471-2873 EMOTY@SAN.OSD.MIL - OR - MAJ SCOTT FREDERICKSEN ?1-471-2165 SCOTT.FREDERICKSEN@US.ARMY.MIL NNNN