Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06WARSAW207
2006-02-09 12:54:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Warsaw
Cable title:  

POLAND: 2005/2006 ALLIED CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE

Tags:  PREL MCAP PM KS KU QA SA US PL TC NATO 
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 WARSAW 000207 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR PM/SNA AND EUR/RPM
DOD FOR OSD/PA&E, OASD/ISA/EUR, OASD/ISA/NP, OASD/ISA/AP,
OASD/ISA/NESA, OASD/ISA/BTF

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL MCAP PM KS KU QA SA US PL TC NATO
SUBJECT: POLAND: 2005/2006 ALLIED CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE
COMMON DEFENSE

REF: A. 2005 SECSTATE 223383


B. 2001 WARSAW 03661

C. 2001 WARSAW 03734

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 WARSAW 000207

SIPDIS

STATE FOR PM/SNA AND EUR/RPM
DOD FOR OSD/PA&E, OASD/ISA/EUR, OASD/ISA/NP, OASD/ISA/AP,
OASD/ISA/NESA, OASD/ISA/BTF

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL MCAP PM KS KU QA SA US PL TC NATO
SUBJECT: POLAND: 2005/2006 ALLIED CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE
COMMON DEFENSE

REF: A. 2005 SECSTATE 223383


B. 2001 WARSAW 03661

C. 2001 WARSAW 03734


1. (U) SUMMARY: Over the last two years, Poland has been a
staunch ally of the United States. According to the General
Staff of the Polish Armed Forces, Poland spent about
1,213,151,800 Zloty ($370,994,434) and committed 4,122 troops
to Iraq-coalition and NATO operations in 2005. In 2004,
Poland spent about 1,075,707,300 Zloty ($328,962,477) and
committed 5,883 troops. According to the Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Poland also contributed to the common defense
through Tsunami relief, by preventing bloodshed during
Ukraine's Orange Revolution and via building
counterproliferation competence through the Proliferation
Security Initiative. Finally, Poland's defense
transformation process, underway since October 2004,
continues to enhance common defense by stressing development
of expeditionary capabilities within the Polish Armed Forces.
END SUMMARY.

--------------
Critical Notes on Sources and Methods
--------------


2. (U) The General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces provided
all cost figures not attributed to another source. As per
ref A paragraph 9, costs appear in local currency, Polish
Zloty (PLN). On December 31, 2005 the exchange rate for PLN
to U.S. Dollars was 3.27 to 1 according to the Polish
National Bank. The General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces
cautioned that data from 2005 is preliminary. Final figures
will appear in March 2006. The Polish fiscal year runs from
January 1 to December 31 and serves as the timeframe for all
cost calculations. As per ref A, the report for a given
year is composed of data from the preceding year. Hence, the
2005 report contains data from 2004, while the 2006 report
includes 2005 data.

--------------
General Assessment on December 31, 2005
--------------


3. (U) Poland shoulders significant NATO and Iraq-Coalition
responsibilities. In Iraq, Poland leads the Multinational

Division Center South (MND-CS) with 1,450 troops. Since
2004, the MND-CS has focused on Military Transition Teams
(MiTT) to support training the Iraqi Army at the division,
brigade and battalion level. MND-CS covers two provinces, Al
Quadisyah and Wasit. In Afghanistan, 120 Polish troops
support Operation Enduring Freedom and the International
Security Assistance Force (ISAF) as Poland prepares to take
over command of ISAF for 6 months in 2007. Poland provides
270 troops to NATO's KFOR mission in Kosovo. About 138
Polish troops are now supporting NATO relief operations in
Pakistan. Poland will patrol NATO airspace over the Baltic
States from January 1 to March 31, 2006.


4. (U) In September 2005, Poland elected a new government
(refs B and C) which decided to remain in Iraq through 2006
but reduce the number of Polish troops there from 1,450 to
900 by March 2006 and change mission posture from
training-and-security to training-and-advisory. Poland
started a Strategic Defense Review (SDR) in October 2004
which should finish in March 2006. This is part of an
ongoing defense transformation effort in Poland that will
include the delivery of 48 F-16s starting in November 2006.

-------------- --------------
Contributions to NATO and Iraq-Coalition Operations
-------------- --------------


5. (U) In this portion of the report, troop counts include
the total number of troops rotated through an operation in a
given year. Thus, the total troop strength at any given
point in time was probably less than the "total" reported
here.


6. (U) 2005 Report (data from 2004)

Operation Troops Funds(PLN)
-------------- -------------- --------------
International Security Assist. Force 22 200,000
Prague Capabilities Commitment 0 191,664,000
NATO Response Force 52 190,000,000
NATO "Distinguished Games" Greece 52 300,300,000
NATO "Joint Guardian" KFOR 298 27,600,000
NATO SFOR 286 20,500,000
NATO training mission Iraq 6 600,000
Coalition "Iraqi Freedom" Kuwait 146 700,000
Coalition "Iraqi Freedom" Iraq 4,853 306,300,000
Coalition "Enduring Freedom" 168 10,300,000
Cost sharing in KFOR 0 27,543,300

TOTALS 5,883 1,075,707,300


Note, in addition to the totals above, the NATO Response
Force had 132 Polish troops on standby while the NATO
training mission in Iraq had 36 Polish troops on standby in
2004



7. (U) 2006 Report (data from 2005)

Operation Troops Funds(PLN)
-------------- -------------- --------------
International Security Assist. Force 4 300,000
Prague Capabilities Commitment 0 678,716,000
NATO Response Force 138 190,000,000
NATO "Joint Guardian" KFOR 520 40,700,000
NATO "Active Endeavor" 2005 27 700,000
NATO training mission Iraq 8 800,000
NATO Pakistan earthquake relief 138 32,000,000
Coalition "Iraqi Freedom" Iraq 3,081 216,900,000
Coalition "Enduring Freedom" 206 17,000,000
Cost sharing in KFOR 0 21,537,400
Cost sharing in Pak. earthquake 0 14,498,400

TOTALS 4,122 1,213,151,800


In addition to the total above, the NATO response force also
had 400 Polish troops on standby in 2005.

--------------
Contributions to Humanitarian Operations
--------------


8. (U) According to the Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
(MFA),Poland funded various humanitarian operations. In
2004, the Polish government gave 1,000,000 PLN to South Asian
countries for Tsunami relief. This covered the purchase,
transportation and distribution of humanitarian assistance.
Poland also sent two experts to the region to help identify
remains. In 2005, Poland's MFA gave another 2,000,000 PLN to
Tsunami affected regions. In Afghanistan, the government of

SIPDIS
Poland provided NGOs with 500,000 PLN in 2004 and 750,000 in

2005. Poland donated 150,000 Zloty to UNICEF, to help
Pakistan recover from the October 2005 quake.

--------------
Contributions to Capacity Building
--------------


9. (U) MFA also provided data describing Polish contributions
to governance capacity in Ukraine, Iraq and Albania. During
Ukraine's Orange Revolution of 2004, Polish diplomats lobbied
hard for military restraint and civil control of the military
in that country. Poland also provided about 170,000 Zloty
worth of transportation for NATO delegates who visited Kiev,
Ukraine in October 2005. To support law enforcement in Iraq,
the Poles provided 10 instructors to the Jordan International
Police Training Center throughout 2004. In 2004 and 2005,
Poland served as the NATO point of contact in Albania at a
cost of 65,000 Zloty per year.

--------------
Contributions to Counterproliferation
--------------


10. (U) Poland provides skilled professionals to allied
counterproliferation efforts. In support of the
Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI),Poland played a
critical role in planning and executing "Bohemian Guard," an
arms interdiction exercise along the Czech border in June of

2005. In September 2005, Poland advanced the
counterproliferation agenda by launching the Polish-U.S.
nonproliferation working group. This forum for information
sharing has since inspired a Ukraine-U.S. nonproliferation
working group to start in February 2006.

--------------
Defense Transformation: More Teeth Less Tail
--------------


11. (U) In October 2004, the Polish Ministry of National
Defense (MOD) commenced its Strategic Defense Review (SDR),a
comprehensive assessment of the structures and capabilities
that the Polish Armed Forces will require to meet projected
challenges to 2020, focusing on critical links required with
partners and allies toward Poland's effective participation
in joint multinational operations. The SDR, which will
submit its final report in mid-March 06, has sought to ensure
that its recommendations are cost effective and financially
viable, based on projected MOD budgets for the next 15 years.
Interim SDR findings have emphasized: acquisition and
integration of NATO-interoperable C4ISR capabilities;
responsive logistics systems; and air/ground transport
platforms to enhance self-deployability and sustainability
for Polish forces. In the interim, the Polish MOD continues
to actively develop expeditionary capabilities by dedicating
almost 20% of the defense budget to procurement of modern
military equipment, ranging from wheeled armored personnel
carriers and medium transport aircraft to communications gear
and unmanned aerial vehicles. A considerable part of the
investment is directed toward expanding the capabilities of
Polish Special Operations Forces, which participated in NATO
Response Force rotations in 2005.


12. (U) For further follow-up or clarification, please
contact Pol-Mil officer John Gorkowski at
GorkowskiJ@state.gov. Tel: (48) (22) 504-2671.
HILLAS