NATO VISITS LAY GROUNDWORK FOR EXPANDED

C O N F I D E N T I A L KUWAIT 000870 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/ARP, EV/RPM E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/04/2017 TAGS: PREL MARR NATO KU SUBJECT: NATO VISITS LAY GROUNDWORK FOR EXPANDED COOPERATION WITH KUWAIT Classified By: Ambassador Richard LeBaron for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) On June 2, the Polish Embassy, the NATO Contact Point Embassy in Kuwait, briefed resident NATO member embassies on recent NATO visits to Kuwait. From May 6-7, NATO officials conducted a workshop on Civil Emergency Planning and Crisis Management in Kuwait. The team emphasized radiological threats and evaluated Kuwait's crisis management system. Kuwait has skilled personnel, up-to-date technical equipment, and good cooperation with the IAEA in implementing standards and procedures, but convoluted chains of command undermine the GOK's ability to respond to a high intensity crisis. NATO offered to assist Kuwait in organizing a crisis exercise to improve response capability. ¶2. (C) From May 11-14, a NATO training assessment team presented a briefing on the NATO Training Cooperation Initiative (NTCI) to representatives of the Kuwaiti government involved in training, planning and execution. Kuwait faces a number of challenges in benefiting fully from NTCI: lack of language proficiency among field commanders; incongruence between the GOK's and NATO's budget and planning cycle; and limits on numbers of participants from Kuwait and other Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) countries. Kuwait is also reluctant to participate in any NATO security cooperation initiatives with Mediterranean Dialogue countries which would necessarily include Israel. On May 17, General Lance Smith, the NATO Supreme Allied Commander for Transformation and Commander of U.S. Joint Forces Command, visited Kuwait to secure support for NTCI. Kuwait expressed preliminary interest in sending a Liaison Officer to SHAPE HQ in Mons, Belgium. ¶3. (C) On upcoming NATO activities in the region, the Polish Embassy reported that the NATO Public Diplomacy Division will hold a seminar in Bahrain June 5-6. ********************************************* * For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ ********************************************* * LeBaron