UGANDA MOVES FORWARD WITH ACOTA PROGRAM FOR SOMALIA-BOUND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KAMPALA 000581

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: MARR MOPS KPKO PREL UG
SUBJECT: UGANDA MOVES FORWARD WITH ACOTA PROGRAM FOR SOMALIA-BOUND
PEACEKEEPERS


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Senior Ugandan military leaders and African
Contingency Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) Program
officials met in Kampala from March 29-30 2007, to plan peace
support operations (PSO) training for Uganda's Somalia-bound
peacekeepers. The ACOTA team also began laying the foundation for
Uganda's long-term ACOTA partnership. Senior Ugandan military
officials including Lieutenant General Katumba Wamala, Commander
Land Forces, reaffirmed the Ugandan military's desire for more
training and commitment to the ACOTA partnership. He emphasized the
need for immediate training and limited equipment support for the
rotation of Uganda's next contingent of peacekeepers to Somalia
between August and October 2007. Wamala also asked for immediate
commencement of ACOTA's train-the-trainer program to support
Uganda's achievement of full self-sufficiency in PSO training. END
SUMMARY.

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UPDF ACOTA Planning
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2. (SBU) On 29 March 2007, a Department of State sponsored ACOTA
Program team led by Chip Beck, ACOTA Program and Policy Coordinator,
met in Kampala with Lieutenant General Katumba Wamala, UPDF Land
Forces Commander, and Brigadier General S.W. Kayemba, UPDF Director
of Training and Operations, to collaborate on the future of the
ACOTA program in Uganda. Wamala requested ACOTA PSO training for
the next UPDF contingent that would deploy to Somalia, including a
Battle Group Headquarters (PSO Force Headquarters) and two
battalions that would serve as maneuver elements for the Battle
Group. Wamala noted that the decision about when to deploy the next
Battle Group to Somalia was not yet definitive, but that it would
generally be six to eight months after the first group's arrival in
Mogadishu. Since the first group was starting its second month in
Somalia, all parties agreed that ACOTA training and equipment
support should commence expeditiously. As a result, several
decisions were made during the ACOTA-UPDF meeting to accomplish that
goal.

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SPECIFIC AGREED UPON POINTS
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3. (SBU) During this meeting, General Wamala and ACOTA agreed to the
following:

-- The ACOTA Training Strategy Conference (TSC) will take place
23-27 April at Jinja, Uganda.

-- The UPDF will provide trainers to receive ACOTA
"train-the-trainer" PSO training from the beginning of the training,
despite the heavy troop demands of Somalia. This would be a major
step forward for long-term PSO capacity building and sustainment for
Uganda as an ACOTA partner.

-- ACOTA will commence training of the UPDF Battle Group as early as
16 May 2007. The training would begin with simultaneous training
for the Ugandan instructors and the Force HQ Staff training. This
training would be immediately followed by concurrent soldier and
unit level PSO training for the two Battle Group battalions.

-- The total training time from the commencement of the Force HQ to
the end of the battalion/HQ field exercise will be 13 weeks. This
will allow the Battle Group to receive the full slate of ACOTA
training in time for deployment, but with enough leeway to allow the
Force time to conduct all necessary pre-deployment preparations,
including administration and leave activities.

-- The Training Strategy Conference will also look forward to the
training and deployment of the third Battle Group six months
following the deployment of this group, and the eventual training of
the first Battle Group that was not afforded the ACOTA training
prior to its initial deployment.
-- The UPDF would likely rotate its Somalia Battle Groups every six
months for "morale and effectiveness" according to Lt. Gen. Wamala.
Thus within one year, ACOTA expects to train the three major Battle
Groups (Three Force Staffs and six battalions, each including
artillery batteries, tank companies, engineers, and medical teams).

-- By the time the year-long cycle of training is complete, ACOTA
anticipates the Uganda instructors would be proficient in ACOTA
instruction and able to conduct training with minimal U.S. trainer
presence.

-- ACOTA and the UPDF would immediately commence collaboration on
tailoring the ACOTA training support equipment package to meet the
UPDF's unique PSO training needs and then expeditiously commence
requisitioning and delivering the equipment.

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Singo Military Training Area

KAMPALA 00000581 002 OF 002


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4. (SBU) On 30 March 2007, the ACOTA team and Deputy Defense Attach
accompanied Brigadier General Kayemba to the Singo Military Training
Area approximately 90 kilometers outside Kampala. While the roads
approaching Singo were primitive, the training area itself was large
enough to accommodate the training of two battalions and staff, with
existing infrastructure fully capable of supporting the ACOTA
training with minimal improvements. Kayemba noted that the UPDF
budget was already paying for the upgrades and new construction that
the team observed in progress. Uganda plans to make Singo its
national Peackeeper Support Operations Training Center and appears
well on the way to implementing its plan.

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COMMENT
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5. (SBU) The ACOTA team and the UPDF achieved significant progress
including agreement for immediate ACOTA PSO training of the next
UPDF Battle Group for deployment to Somalia; laying the framework
for long-term PSO capacity enhancement in Uganda, including the
UPDF's immediate commitment to train its own PSO training cadre; and
determining the adequacy of the UPDF Singo training area for PSO
training.
BROWNING