Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06ATHENS825
2006-03-27 13:06:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Athens
Cable title:
GREECE UPGRADING C-130S IN PREPARATION FOR
how-toVZCZCXYZ0000 OO RUEHWEB DE RUEHTH #0825 0861306 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 271306Z MAR 06 FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 4918 RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE INFO RUEHXP/ALL NATO POST COLLECTIVE PRIORITY RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL PRIORITY 0185 RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY RUEKJCS/JCS WASHDC PRIORITY RUCAACC/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L ATHENS 000825
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/SE AND EUR/RPM, DOD FOR OSD/ISA - ELLEHUUS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/27/2016
TAGS: GR MARR NATO PREL NATOAFGHAN
SUBJECT: GREECE UPGRADING C-130S IN PREPARATION FOR
POSSIBLE ISAF ROLE
REF: 3/23 ELLEHUUS-RANK E-MAIL
Classified By: Political Counselor Karen Decker for Reasons 1.4 (b/d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L ATHENS 000825
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/SE AND EUR/RPM, DOD FOR OSD/ISA - ELLEHUUS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/27/2016
TAGS: GR MARR NATO PREL NATOAFGHAN
SUBJECT: GREECE UPGRADING C-130S IN PREPARATION FOR
POSSIBLE ISAF ROLE
REF: 3/23 ELLEHUUS-RANK E-MAIL
Classified By: Political Counselor Karen Decker for Reasons 1.4 (b/d)
1. (C) Greece is in the process of upgrading the
self-protection systems on 2 of its C-130s and, once complete
and providing national security conditions allow, will make
one of them available to ISAF, MFA NATO Affairs Division
official Andreas Kintis told poloff March 27. Based on a
March 24 conversation with Defense Ministry officials
responsible for operations, however, Kintis predicted that
Greece would not meet the September deployment target cited
by Greek Ambassador to the U.S. Mallias in his March 21
meeting with Deputy Defense Secretary Englund. Kintis said
his understanding was that the costs of stationing and
operating the aircraft would fall on Greece, and not NATO
common funding.
2. (C) Kintis emphasized that there had not been a final
decision on the deployment, but agreed that Ambassador
Mallias's comments suggested that the government was leaning
strongly towards approval. As the government had not yet
made a formal decision on the matter, he said, NATO had not
been informed. Kintis agreed that, if the deployment took
place, while the C-130 would most likely be based at the
Kabul airport, the need to use it in-country would
effectively end the Greek caveat on operations outside of the
capital.
3. (C) Comment. Greece has steadily and without fanfare
expanded its participation in Afghanistan, a trend we expect
to continue. The C-130 will join Greek combat engineers and
medics, along with personnel assigned to the SEEBRIG unit now
at the ISAF HQ in filling very real NATO needs. We will
continue to push the government here to identify additional
assets to deploy, to give those now in country greater
flexibility to operate, and to work harder to build public
support for the good work Greece and NATO are doing in
Afghanistan. The next steps are clear. In the short run, we
will urge the Minister of Defense to use a possible April
visit to Kabul to highlight to ordinary Greeks the good news
coming from NATO's involvement in the country. Longer term,
we will work to finalize a Greek commitment to deploy the
NDC-GR to lead the Kabul multinational brigade in 2008 and
push for the more politically fraught decision to take part
in, or lead, a PRT. Meanwhile, Greece deserves credit for
overcoming its considerable risk aversion to expand its
contribution to the ISAF mission.
Ries
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR EUR/SE AND EUR/RPM, DOD FOR OSD/ISA - ELLEHUUS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/27/2016
TAGS: GR MARR NATO PREL NATOAFGHAN
SUBJECT: GREECE UPGRADING C-130S IN PREPARATION FOR
POSSIBLE ISAF ROLE
REF: 3/23 ELLEHUUS-RANK E-MAIL
Classified By: Political Counselor Karen Decker for Reasons 1.4 (b/d)
1. (C) Greece is in the process of upgrading the
self-protection systems on 2 of its C-130s and, once complete
and providing national security conditions allow, will make
one of them available to ISAF, MFA NATO Affairs Division
official Andreas Kintis told poloff March 27. Based on a
March 24 conversation with Defense Ministry officials
responsible for operations, however, Kintis predicted that
Greece would not meet the September deployment target cited
by Greek Ambassador to the U.S. Mallias in his March 21
meeting with Deputy Defense Secretary Englund. Kintis said
his understanding was that the costs of stationing and
operating the aircraft would fall on Greece, and not NATO
common funding.
2. (C) Kintis emphasized that there had not been a final
decision on the deployment, but agreed that Ambassador
Mallias's comments suggested that the government was leaning
strongly towards approval. As the government had not yet
made a formal decision on the matter, he said, NATO had not
been informed. Kintis agreed that, if the deployment took
place, while the C-130 would most likely be based at the
Kabul airport, the need to use it in-country would
effectively end the Greek caveat on operations outside of the
capital.
3. (C) Comment. Greece has steadily and without fanfare
expanded its participation in Afghanistan, a trend we expect
to continue. The C-130 will join Greek combat engineers and
medics, along with personnel assigned to the SEEBRIG unit now
at the ISAF HQ in filling very real NATO needs. We will
continue to push the government here to identify additional
assets to deploy, to give those now in country greater
flexibility to operate, and to work harder to build public
support for the good work Greece and NATO are doing in
Afghanistan. The next steps are clear. In the short run, we
will urge the Minister of Defense to use a possible April
visit to Kabul to highlight to ordinary Greeks the good news
coming from NATO's involvement in the country. Longer term,
we will work to finalize a Greek commitment to deploy the
NDC-GR to lead the Kabul multinational brigade in 2008 and
push for the more politically fraught decision to take part
in, or lead, a PRT. Meanwhile, Greece deserves credit for
overcoming its considerable risk aversion to expand its
contribution to the ISAF mission.
Ries