AUSTRALIA TO NEARLY DOUBLE MILITARY FORCES IN

S E C R E T CANBERRA 000539 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP, SA, PM AND T E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/05/2017 TAGS: MOPS MARR PREL PTER AS SUBJECT: AUSTRALIA TO NEARLY DOUBLE MILITARY FORCES IN AFGHANISTAN Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Daniel A. Clune for reasons 1.4 (b)(d). ¶1. (S/NF) Stephanie Foster, First Assistant Secretary for International Policy, Australian Department of Defense, advised DCM April 5 that the Government of Australia had approved a planned deployment of Australian Defence Force (ADF) personnel to Oruzgan Province in Afghanistan that would nearly double ADF strength, from the current level of about 500 to almost 1,000. The GOA does not plan to publicly announce the new deployment until April 10, and Foster asked that we not publicly mention the decision. ¶2. (S/NF) The plans call for the redeployment within the next two weeks of a Special Operations Task Group comprising Special Air Service Regiment and other commandos that will operate under ISAF command in Oruzgan Province, the deployment early next year of two Chinook C-47 helicopters with 95 support personnel, and the likely deployment of a Mobile Control and Reporting Unit (MCRU) in July to take over from a U.S. radar installation. (The deployment of the MCRU is pending further confirmation.) The ADF numbers in these three units, totalling about 600, would be in addition to a company of 120 personnel sent to augment the Australian Reconstruction Task Force component of the Dutch-led Provincial Reconstruction Team in Oruzgan. MCCALLUM