SLOVENIA: MOUNTAIN SCHOOL LOOKING FOR WAYS TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L LJUBLJANA 000052

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

EUR/NCE FOR SADLE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/26/2017
TAGS: MARR MCAP PREL NATO SI
SUBJECT: SLOVENIA: MOUNTAIN SCHOOL LOOKING FOR WAYS TO
CONTRIBUTE

Classified By: COM for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY. At a January 24 meeting with Lt. Miha Kuhar,
the director of the Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) Mountain
Warfare School, Kuhar eagerly embraced suggestions that the
school partner with the U.S. Military's Joint Multinational
Readiness Center (JMRC) in Hohenfels, Germany and expressed
interest in the possibility of Slovenia participating in
mobile training teams in Afghanistan. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) On January 24 PolMilOff and the Office of Defense
Cooperation (ODC) Bilateral Affairs Officer (BAO) visited the
Slovenian Armed Forces (SAF) Mountain Warfare School in the
idyllic alpine town of Bohinjska Bela to meet with Slovenian
mountaineer and school director Lt. Miha Kuhar and several
instructors to discuss exchange, cooperation, and how the
school can maximize its international training opportunities
and contributions. Kuhar had previously briefed the U.S.
delegation on the school during Pol-Mil talks in Ljubljana in
April 2006. At that meeting the U.S. delegation suggested --
because of the school's small size and lack of resources --
that he seek out a strategic partner rather than dedicate
significant resources to an effort to develop a NATO Center
of Excellence.


3. (C) The BAO briefed on ODC activities in Slovenia and then
moved to ways that the Mountain Warfare School could enhance
its efforts through cooperation with the Joint Multinational
Readiness Center (JMRC) in Hohenfels, Germany. The JMRC is
the final training point for soldiers and units on their way
to KFOR in Kosovo, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation
Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan. Kuhar was interested to see
that JMRC has already established relationships with "lily
pad" training centers (which offer off-site programs that
pair with training done at JMRC) in several other new NATO
countries including Poland, Romania, and Bulgaria. BAO told
Kuhar that SAF mid-level leadership is planning to pay a
courtesy call on JMRC in March to discuss potential
collaboration, starting with a plan to send a SAF contingent
to JMRC this fall to participate as combatants in simulation
exercises for troops headed to KFOR. Kuhar said that he
would try to join the planned visit to present the Mountain
Warfare School and what it has to offer.


4. (C) Kuhar said that he is seeing increasing interest in
the school from top SAF officials with the most visible
outcome being a commitment to increase staffing from under 10
to around 30 personnel (including dedicated individuals for
training, logistics, organization, and development at the
school) in 2007. Despite its small size and lack of a live
shooting range, Kuhar thought the school could be an
excellent fit for training troops headed to ISAF and also
stated interest in the possibility of Slovenian mountain
warfare experts going to Afghanistan as mobile training teams
for coalition troops. Ultimately, he said, the Mountain
Warfare School is looking for partners with strategic vision
to bring it up to speed on the most pressing challenges in
mountain warfare and to give Slovenia a role in meeting those
challenges.


5. (C) COMMENT. Though there was much talk of Slovenia's
mountain warfare capabilities at the time of its NATO
accession in 2004, Slovenian mountain fighters have not been
deployed abroad, and training at the school does not seem to
have significantly increased. Progress is further stymied by
the SAF's focus on its showcase 10th motorized battalion, and
its myopic habit of tackling important transformation issues
one at a time. However, when presented with ideas, Kuhar was
energized about moving forward and finding a way for the
school to be a partner in preparing Alliance members for
battle. The GoS has repeatedly heard and responded to USG
calls for more international contributions, particularly to
Afghanistan, often producing in numbers that far outpace
other coalition members given Slovenia's small size.
However, repeating a "one size fits all" demarche asking for
further troop contributions is likely to yield fewer and
fewer results. A more tailored and creative approach to seek
out specific contributions in niche areas ) like the
Mountain Warfare School ) that the GoS is well suited to
provide, could yield further and enthusiastic participation
by the SAF. END COMMENT.


6. (U) BACKGROUND. The SAF's Mountain Warfare School is
often hailed as a jewel in Slovenia's crown and one of the
key niche areas where Slovenia can contribute
internationally, and in particular, to NATO. It has been one
of the SAF's most prolific hosts for international training
events, with dozens of bilateral, PfP, and NATO training
programs under its belt including a 2004 visit by US Navy
SEAL team eight for mountain warfare training and a May 2006
visit by members of the Colorado National Guard for mountain
reconnaissance in combat operations exercises. In addition
to serving as the home of the Mountain Warfare School the
location is also the headquarters for the SAF's storied 132nd
Mountain Battalion whose members are known as "gamsi" (in
English the chamois) after the goat-like animal that makes
its home in Slovenia's Julian Alps. END BACKGROUND.
ROBERTSON