German Out-Of-Area Deployment Update

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BERLIN 001539 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MOPS PREL MARR NATO EUN GM AF SU KV BK LE GG ET SUBJECT: German Out-Of-Area Deployment Update REF: A) Berlin 2634, B) Berlin 1428 ¶1. (SBU) As of early August, Germany had 7,597 military personnel (compared to 7,438 in mid-May) in out-of-area deployments. All military out-of-area (OOA) deployments, with the exception of those in support of UN observer missions, require parliamentary approval. A law regulates the parliamentary process, allowing expedited procedures only for non-controversial deployments. What follows is a brief run-down on Germany's current OOA deployments. (Note: OOA deployments are defined as deployments outside the territory of the NATO member states. End Note) -------------- - International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) -------------- - ¶2. (SBU) The Bundeswehr currently has 3,414 military personnel operating under ISAF in Afghanistan, based on two separate parliamentary mandates. One is the general mandate covering Germany's ISAF deployment, with a ceiling of 3,000 troops. The other is a supplementary mandate that covers the deployment of six Tornado reconnaissance aircraft, with a ceiling of 500 troops. Germany has been active in ISAF since the operation's creation in January 2002. The deployment of the Tornados is a relatively new German contribution to ISAF, approved by the parliament in March. The current ISAF and Tornado mandates both expire October 13. ¶3. (SBU) While the general ISAF mandate is expected to be renewed this fall for another year with little difficulty, extension of the Tornado mandate could be prove to be more controversial. Some German politicians oppose the Tornado deployment for fear the aircraft could be associated with offensive operations in the south of Afghanistan that lead to civilian casualties. It is not yet clear whether the government will seek to renew the Tornado mandate for a full year or just another six months. It is also not clear whether the government will keep the ISAF and Tornado mandates separate or seek to integrate them into one, single ISAF mandate. ¶4. (SBU) Germany currently commands ISAF's northern region (RC-North),where it leads two of the five Provincial Reconstruction Teams (Kunduz and Feyzabad) as well as the Forward Support Base in Mazar-E-Sharif. The ISAF mandate limits normal Bundeswehr operations to Kabul and RC-North, but allows temporary deployments to other parts of the country on a case-by-case basis. In early �A;May, at the request of ISAF, Defense Minister Jung approved the temporary deployment (three to four weeks) of a three-man psychological operations team to southern Afghanistan. German radio operators have also been deployed temporarily to provide communication support to Regional Command South in Kandahar. Meanwhile, the Tornado mandate allows the reconnaissance aircraft to operate throughout Afghanistan. -------------- Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The parliamentary mandate for OEF allows the deployment of up to 1,800 personnel. Currently, there are 244 sailors (247 in May) operating in the Horn of Africa under OEF. In Afghanistan, the mandate provides for the deployment of up to 100 German Special Forces (KSK). Reportedly, no KSK have been deployed to Afghanistan under OEF in more than two years, leading some politicians to question the utility of maintaining this part of the mandate. Because of wide-spread misperceptions of OEF as a strictly combat operation that is responsible for civilian casualties, the renewal of the Afghanistan portion of the OEF mandate could prove difficult. The current one-year OEF mandate expires November 15, a month after the ISAF and Tornado mandates. However, current government plans call for a single parliamentary debate on all three Afghanistan mandates (ISAF, Tornados, OEF) in September. A parliamentary vote on all three is expected on the same day in early October. -------------- Kosovo Force (KFOR) -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Germany currently has 2,282 military personnel (compared to 2,308 in May) in KFOR, far below that allowed under the parliamentary mandate (8,500). The mandate is extended automatically unless there is a change to the UNSC Resolution framework for the Kosovo Force. In the context of a debate of the Kosovo status, the parliament extended the KFOR mandate on June 21 without any amendments. -------------- European Union Force (EUFOR) Bosnia -------------- BERLIN 00001539 002 OF 002 ¶7. (SBU) Germany currently has 526 soldiers (compared to 810 in May) in Bosnia as part of the EU's Operation ALTHEA. The mandate, last amended December 1, allows up to 2,400 military personnel. This operation extends automatically unless there is a change to its underlying UNSC resolution. Security conditions permitting, the German government has announced it intends to reduce its military presence in coordination with its allies during 2007. -------------- --- United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) -------------- --- ¶8. (SBU) Germany leads UNIFIL's naval component and has 1,034 military personnel deployed (compared to 791 in May). The parliamentary mandate, which has a ceiling of 2,400 personnel, expires August 31, at the same time as the UN mandate. The German government has already informally signaled its readiness, subject to parliamentary approval, to lead the naval component for a further six months, until March 2008. -------------- Sudan (UNMIS and AMIS) -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Germany currently has 41 military observers (compared to 39 in May) in the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS),monitoring the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. The parliament imposed a caveat barring military observers from going to Darfur without prior consultation with the Bundestag Foreign Relations Committee's chairman and ranking members. The mandate allows the participation of up to 75 military observers. The current UNMIS mandate expires November 15. ¶10. (SBU) While there is parliamentary mandate for the Bundeswehr to deploy transport aircraft and up to 200 troops in support of the African (Union) Mission in Sudan (AMIS),this mandate has gone practically unused in the last year, with the AU requesting only sporadic assistance from Germany. The current six-month AMIS mandate expires December 14. ¶11. (SBU) While welcoming passage of UNSCR 1769, the government has ruled out additional troops or assets for the new hybrid UN/AU force, beyond the limits in the existing UNMIS and AMIS mandates. The government is likely to resist taking on any additional military commitments in Dafur or elsewhere until after the Afghanistan (ISAF, Tornado and OEF) mandates are safely renewed in October. -------------- Georgia (UNOMIG) -------------- ¶12. (SBU) Germany has been part of the UN Observer Mission in Georgia (UNOMIG) since 1998 and currently has 11 personnel stationed there, most of whom are medical personnel and military observers. To the meet a UN request for additional medical personnel, the German cabinet decided August 8 to raise the personnel ceiling for this mission from 13 to 20. -------------- Other minor deployments -------------- ¶13. (SBU) Two military observers serve in Ethiopia and Eritrea for the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE). One German military observer is seconded to the United Nation Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). The Bundeswehr has seconded 41 military personnel to Strategic Medical Evacuation (STRATAIRMEDEVAC),for which no parliamentary mandate is required, as it is not defined as an armed deployment and the aircraft are on stand-by in Germany. TIMKEN, JR