CROATIA'S COAST GUARD: A WORK IN PROGRESS

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000724 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SCE, NP/RA:SONTAG, NP/ECC:MAGOULAS, INL/AAE:HARTSHORN, L/OES:ROACH DEFENSE FOR OSD/ISP/EURASIA:WINTERNITZ HOMELAND SECURITY FOR COAST GUARD AND FOR CBP:LAWRENCE E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/06/2015 TAGS: MARR PREL MOPS ETTC HR NATO SUBJECT: CROATIA'S COAST GUARD: A WORK IN PROGRESS Classified By: POLMIL Off. Justin Friedman, reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) Summary and Comment -------------- ¶1. (C) Formation of a Croatian Coast Guard remains a work in progress. Although the Ministry of Sea, Tourism, Transport and Development is nominally the first among equals in the interagency committee created to coordinate Coast Guard (CG) activities, the Ministries of Interior and Defense are aggressively protecting their turf. No ministry appears willing to surrender part of its Coast-Guard-relevant resources to improve the GoC's overall CG effort. ¶2. (C) The interagency Coast Guard model the GoC is pursuing was first proposed by a U.S. Coast Guard assessment in 1996. The nine years it has taken to get from proposal to implementation is indicative of the challenges the GoC faces in making this model work, particularly given ongoing resource constraints. The U.S.G. initiative to conclude a bilateral shipboarding agreement under the Proliferation Security Initiative has helped push the GoC to make key decisions about operational control. The Croatian Navy is best positioned to take on the lead role ) at least in rapid-response interdiction incidents. ¶3. (C) We can continue to have a positive impact on the formation of the Croatian Coast Guard through wise use of our State Dept. EXBS and DS/ATA programs and Defense Department DTRA and JCTP programs. The planned assessment visit this summer by Export Control experts and this fall by U.S. Coast Guard come at the right time both for the GoC and for planning our future program foci. EU accession-related programs continue to avoid working on the Coast Guard challenge. Thus, we are well positioned to have maximum impact through critical equipment donations and assistance to develop and exercise operational plans for the new Croatian CG that will help develop appropriate and effective interagency coordination and cooperation. Coast Guard on Paper -------------- ¶4. (SBU) The Croatian Coast Guard was created by government decree on August 27, 2004. Under the decree, the Ministry of Sea, Tourism, Transport, and Development (MMTPR) chairs an interagency commission charged with coordinating all Coast Guard activities in Croatia. The Ministries of Interior (MUP),Defense (MORH),Agriculture (includes fisheries),and Environment have seats on the commission and contribute personnel and assets to the Coast Guard. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) also maintains a seat at the table. According to data provided to us by the MMTPR and MORH, the Croatian Coast Guard has the following assets at its disposal: MMTPR MUP MORH Agr. Env. -------------- Personnel 303 248 580 12 3 Ships >12m 5 5 6 - - Ships