BULGARIA: VIEWS ON MARITIME SECURITY IN WAKE OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 SOFIA 000268 SIPDIS SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (ADDED ADDRESSES) DEPT FOR EUR (DAS BRYZA, NCE, RPM) AND PM E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/28/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV NATO MARR MOPS TU BU SUBJECT: BULGARIA: VIEWS ON MARITIME SECURITY IN WAKE OF CINCUSNAVEUR VISIT REF: SOFIA 224 SOFIA 00000268 001.4 OF 002 Classified By: Amb. John Beyrle, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Admiral Harry Ulrich (Commander of US Naval Forces Europe and Allied Joint Forces Command Naples) visited Bulgaria 21-23 February 2007, meeting with President Georgi Parvanov, Defense Minister Veselin Bliznakov, Deputy PM and Minister for Foreign Affairs Ivaylo Kalfin, as well as the military leadership in Sofia and Varna. ADM Ulrich expressed gratitude for Bulgaria's military contributions to NATO and the coalition in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Western Balkans as well as for GOB and popular support for U.S facilities. He made a strong case for cooperation on maritime security and safety in the Black Sea, focusing primarily on unclassified information sharing via networked Automatic Identification System (AIS),coastal radar, and associated shipping information as a way forward toward Bulgarian participation in Operation Black Sea Harmony (OBSH). Although GOB acquiescence to OBSH is still unlikely in the near term, Bulgarian flexibility and willingness to move toward a workable Black Sea security solution is evident. We should leverage this positive momentum within the US, NATO, and the EU without delay. END SUMMARY. MEETING SUMMARY ) THE PITCH FOR COOPERATION -------------- ¶2. (C) During his meeting with Minister of Defense Bliznakov, ADM Ulrich listened to Minister's Bliznakov's entreaty for a "global approach" to maritime security in the Black Sea where nations could participate on an "equal basis" and that would evolve into a "NATO strategy" for the Black Sea. ADM Ulrich described how Bulgaria could contribute to regional and global maritime security through participation in a Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) network that is jointly run by NATO Component Command Maritime Naples and U.S. Naval Forces Europe. This network is called the Maritime Security and Safety Information System (MSSIS). Using paper representations of tactical displays, he showed Bliznakov, Deputy Minister Sonya Yankulova and their staff what was being provided by other countries on the Black Sea, in the Mediterranean, and in Africa, and that these nations were �00A;participating on an equal basis. He offered assistance at negligible cost to network the information Bulgaria currently possesses with this system into a filtering arrangement designed to isolate suspicious merchant vessels. He used the analogy of the world's air traffic control system to illustrate the MDA vision. The presentation was well-received and MoD's International Cooperation Directorate requested follow-up meetings to discuss the details. ¶3. (C) During his meetings with the General Staff leadership both at dinner on the 21st and in Chief of the General Staff Zlatan Stoykov's office on the 22nd, ADM Ulrich laid the groundwork for the maritime security discussion, but he saved the most technical and persuasive discussion for the political leadership. ¶4. (C) At a meeting with President Parvanov, with CHOD GEN Stoykov and Navy Chief RADM Minko Kavaldzhiev present, ADM Ulrich informed the President that he planned to discuss Black Sea maritime security issues with the country's military and civilian leadership and that they would back brief him afterward. President Parvanov briefed the ADM on his February 21 meetings in Belgrade with Serbian leadership over Kosovo (reported separately). A WAY FORWARD NOT A WAY OUT -------------- ¶5. (C) At lunch at the Chief of Mission residence on the 22nd, ADM Ulrich was able to expand his audience to include the President's military advisors, retired GEN Nikola Kolev and retired RADM Petar Stranchevski, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Todor Churov, and the Chairman of the Defense Council Mr. Angel Naidenov (MP BSP, and a navy veteran). GEN Stoykov, his First Deputy Chief VADM Emil Lyutskanov, and Navy Chief RADM Kavaldzhiev were also present at the lunch. ADM Ulrich proposed expanding officer exchanges between USNAVEUR and the Bulgarian Navy reciprocally, with US officers training on the ship simulators in Varna (Bulgarian SOFIA 00000268 002.5 OF 002 Naval Academy),and Bulgarian sailors riding US ships on patrol in the NAVEUR area of responsibility. This option proQdes a low-cost reciprocity opportunity which would permit Bulgaria to accept the invitation without having to ante up a Bulgarian ship ride in exchange which has been impracticable for them to date. ¶6. (C) Well into the discussion, VADM Lyutskanov, the most vocal opponent of Bulgaria's participation in OBSH to date, stated that he thought the networked AIS approach was "a way out" of the current log jam of Bulgarian non-participation in a Turkish national operation (OBSH). AMB Beyrle made the distinction that it was not "a way out" but "a way forward" to greater cooperation in the Black Sea region, a practical opportunity that could build confidence and eventually include greater engagement on OBSH. Note: The Automatic Identification System (AIS) is a shipboard broadcast system that acts like an aircraft transponder, operating in the VHF maritime band, which is capable of handling well over 4,500 reports per minute and updates as often as every two seconds. More information on this system can be found on the web at www.navcen.uscg.gov/enav/ais/. ENVIRONMENT MUST BE COOPERATIVE THEN MOVE TOWARD HARMONY -------------- -------------- ¶7. (C) In the end, VADM Lyutskanov was still skeptical. However, RADM Kavaldzhiev, RADM (Ret) Stranchevski, and Deputy Ministry of Foreign Affairs Churov were all bullish on the idea of networking Bulgaria's unclassified information. ADM Ulrich's brief meeting with Deputy PM and Minister of Foreign Affairs Kalfin provided another opportunity to express gratitude for Bulgaria's contributions as a net producer of security, and highlight the need for greater cooperation and coordination among the Black Sea NATO members. Deputy Minister Churov had briefed the Minister about the lunch discussion and will have the opportunity to follow-up with a more detailed briefing later. COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) Two things emerged clearly from ADM Ulrich's discussions in Sofia: first, political and military readiness to engage without delay on the substance and technical modalities of getting Bulgaria plugged into the MSSIS network; and second, strong reluctance to the idea of taking part in OBSH by the Bulgarian Navy, as evidenced by the strongly-stated views of the Vice CHOD VADM Lyutskanov. The desired end-state is clear: creating an environment of greater trust and cooperation between the Bulgarians and the Turks such that they will freely share information and work toward maritime security in the region, despite historical prejudices and mistrust. ADM Ulrich's visit afforded an opportunity to explore an alternative path to this end-state, that of first encouraging greater information exchange among Black Sea NATO nations in hopes that this will acclimatize them to more substantive collaboration on regional maritime security. As presented, participation in a MDA network that reaches beyond the Black Sea (and the interagency, interservice cooperation required to get it networked) is a concrete step toward that goal, and we look forward to working with USNAVEUR to get the process started. Beyond the obvious advantages in broadening the info exchange, our initiative on this (and the proposed reciprocal officer exchange) will give us a stronger base as we work to blunt the reflexive opposition to expanded maritime cooperation with the Turks and Romanians through OBSH, which seems most strongly manifested in the person of the Vice CHOD. ¶9. (U) Admiral Ulrich has cleared this message. BEYRLE