CROATIA DOUBLES TROOP LEVELS IN AFGHANISTAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000813 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SCE, EUR/RPM, SCA/A E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/04/2016 TAGS: NATO MARR PREL HR DEFENSE REFORM SUBJECT: CROATIA DOUBLES TROOP LEVELS IN AFGHANISTAN REF: ZAGREB 604 Classified By: Political Officer Tom Selinger for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) ¶1. (U) Seventy-five Croatian soldiers deployed to Afghanistan on three U.S. military flights between June 23 and July 2. The deployment expanded this NATO aspirant's troop contribution to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from 69 to 144. It also marked the Croatian Armed Forces' first use of an Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA) to secure logistical support from the U.S. military. ¶2. (U) The newly deployed soldiers will serve with the German-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Mazar-E Sharif. Nineteen will establish an Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT) to train members of the Afghan National Army. The remainder will serve as a force-protection task force. Croatia's other forces in Afghanistan serve in a military police task force and a combined medical unit in Kabul and support the Lithuanian-run PRT in Chaghcharan. Croatia's total troop contribution will reach 150 in early fall. ¶3. (C) COMMENT: In addition to demonstrating Zagreb's political commitment to increased engagement in NATO military operations, this deployment offered a valuable opportunity to dust off the ACSA, signed in 2002 but never exercised. The ACSA will likely be a critical tool if the GoC is ever to realize its ambition of leading its own PRT (reftel). END COMMENT. DELAWIE