ESTABLISHING A NORTHERN GROUND LINE OF

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 STATE 153352

SIPDIS

SIPDIS
CONFIDENTIAL REL NATO

SIPDIS
EMBASSIES ALSO FOR AID
COMMERCE AND ECON SECTIONS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/04/2017
TAGS: MARR MOPS AMGT AFIN BCXP ECON PGOV ZK
SUBJECT: ESTABLISHING A NORTHERN GROUND LINE OF
COMMUNICATION TO SUPPLY OEF

Classified By: John Gastright, reasons 1.4.(g)


1. (U) This is an information cable for addressee posts
and offers a basis for internal embassy discussion
before a Request for Information (RFI) is released to
the private sector.


2. (C//REL NATO) SUMMARY: US forces in Afghanistan are
eighty-five percent dependent on supplies moved through
Pakistan. As the Distribution Process Owner, responsible
for moving supplies from factory to foxhole, DOD's US
Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) is beginning an effort
to reestablish northern ground routes into Afghanistan to
provide alternative additional capacity. Today, all
supplies are moved by commercial vendors under contracts
let by the US Army,s Surface Deployment and Distribution
Command (SDDC),the Army Component of USTRANSCOM.
Department of Defense advises that the traffic and transit
face for shipments will be commercial, with no/no
anticipated U.S. military presence.

The Acquisition Process is as follows: In early
November 2007, USTRANSCOM plans to issue a Request
for Information (RFI) to the worldwide commercial
transportation industry to challenge it to develop
alternative routing proposals and cost estimates.
USTRANSCOM Staff will review RFI responses, select
proposals that have merit, and then move to the Request
for Proposal (RFP) stage, offering contracts for
commercial vendors. RFI and RFP proposals will be
advertised in the US Commerce Daily. As the RFI
process goes forward, USTRANSCOM welcomes comments
from embassies in the region, including Commercial
Attaches and USAID Business Development sections.
Points of Contact are listed in paragraph 7.
This cable is an effort to better coordinate with
embassies in the region; no outreach to
local vendors is desired at this time.
END SUMMARY.


3. (C//REL NATO) BACKGROUND: The USTRANSCOM RFI will
cover all types of supply except arms/ammunition, which
are moved by air into Afghanistan, and fuel products, which
are procured by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) under
separate contracts. DLA has set the standard for the
current USTRANSCOM effort by reducing the amount of fuel
procured in Pakistan from close to one hundred percent to
around 70% over the past two years, with alternative
procurement taking place in Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan by
commercial vendors, who then move fuel through
Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, into Afghanistan
by road and rail. Note: until 2005 USTRANSCOM moved
various types of supplies including food and construction
materials using rail-links out of US depots in Europe into
Afghanistan over routes that moved through Uzbekistan,
Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine, and Poland.

USTRANSCOM recognizes that any ground route will cross
multiple borders through areas with limited
infrastructure. USTRANSCOM's desired end state is a
commercially run line of communication from northern
Europe to Bahgram Airbase, Afghanistan (near Kabul) to
transport all types of supplies, with the exception of

STATE 00153352 002.2 OF 003


arms, ammunition and fuel. END BACKGROUND.


4. (C//REL NATO) COMMERCIAL SHIPPING NEEDS:
Department of Defense wishes to emphasize that the transit
face will be commercial, with no/no anticipated U.S. military
presence. Maximum use of local commercial firms is desired.
Once the RFI has been released, post may encourage local
firms
to compete for this contract or to team with larger
commercial
firms, if they lack sufficient capacity. USTRANSCOM intent
is
to ship a constant amount of cargo over such a route.
Firms that can procure materials locally are desirable
considering transportation costs. Trans-loading
operations are understood to be required in any route.
This will provide additional capacity and alternatives in
the event of a disruption of existing routes. Both the UK
and German militaries have shown interest in shipping
supplies along such a route once it is established.



5. (C//REL NATO) Department encourages posts to discuss
this future RFI within embassy sections (including
Commercial and Economic, USAID Business Development,
Office of Defense Cooperation, Management and Political
sections) in order to consider potential challenges of
implementing the Northern GLOC and in order to consider
potential in-country or regional capabilities to handle
such commercial shipments. If post is aware of local or
regional companies which might want to respond to the RFI,
talking points below are provided and can be shared
after/after the RFI is released in early November. While
USTRANSCOM and the Department will try to notify posts of
the date of release, Department suggests post check the
www.fedbizopps.gov website over the next few weeks.


6. (U) Below are points relevant to upcoming RFI. Post
may wish to share these points, as needed, with host
governments and/or potential local vendors after the
formal RFI has been released to the USG website.

- The United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM)
is conducting a market survey on industry capabilities and
potential sources for intertheater surface transportation
of military cargo to/from Northern Europe to/from various
destinations in Afghanistan via Central Asia.
- This market research is to solicit ideas and opinions
from experts in the field pertaining to the potential
follow-on competition and to determine the level of
interested.
- This is not/not a call for offers.
- This is only a request for expression of interest which
will provide information on industry capabilities and
potential sources.
- Vendor will need to be able to provide time definite
delivery, security, in-transit visibility and end-to-end
management of containerized and break-bulk cargo.
- Cargo could include dry containers and refrigerated
(reefers).
- Interested Vendors are encouraged to completely answer
all questions as outlined in the RFI.
- If asked, USTRANSCOM is looking for end-to-end
capability, not a vendor who is only interested in one leg
of a possible route. Teaming or prime/sub-contractor
arrangements are acceptable.
- Complete text of RFI will be posted on
www.fedbizopps.gov. To locate the RFI, look under vendor

STATE 00153352 003 OF 003


for DOD, then go to ODA, then to USTRANSCOM.



7. Requests for additional information about USTRANSCOM and
northern supply routes for OEF should be directed to the
following points of contact.
-- USTRANSCOM Acquisitions - Charles Burton: Unclassified
Email Charles.Burton-at-ustranscom.mil
-- USTRANSCOM - Kathy Johnson-Casares (FSO on detail to DOD):
Unclassified Email Kathy.Johnson-Casares-at-ustranscom.mil;

SIPDIS
TEL 618-550-6189
-- State/PM Bureau - Tim Sears: Unclassified Email
SearsTA-at-@state.gov; TEL 202-736-7742
-- State/SCA/RA - Anne Cummings: Unclassified Email
CummingsAC-at-state.gov; TEL 202-647-1136


8. As always, Department appreciates the effort our posts do
to support Operation Enduring Freedom.
RICE