RFG: SOURCE OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE CHAIR

C O N F I D E N T I A L USNATO 000121 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EUR-RPM (MONAHAN) DEFENSE FOR OASD/ISA (EURO-NATO); USDAT&L/DUSD-IE (VAUGHT); OASD/NII (HANSEN); EUCOM J4-EN ENGINEER DIV (MC) (CAPT JACKSON); CENTCOM-J4-E (COL GREY); JOINT STAFF J-4 (MR MACKIE),J-5 (LTC SEAMON) E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/01/2011 TAGS: AORC MARR NATO SUBJECT: RFG: SOURCE OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE COMMITTEE CHAIR REF: A. C-M(2007)0010 ¶B. SG(2006)0515 ¶C. SG(2006)0655 Classified By: DEFAD EVAN GALBRAITH. REASON 1.4.(B/D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY AND REQUEST FOR GUIDANCE. When agreeing the establishment of the NATO Office of Resources (NOR),the NAC tasked the Senior Resource Board (SRB) to review the source of the Infrastructure Committee (IC) chairman. Mission recommends agreement to a national chair, in lieu of the current International Staff (IS) chair, on the condition that the resource committee's secretariat support is reduced. The SRB held informal discussions on this matter on February 22, prior to further consideration at the March 5 preparatory session. Mission requests guidance NLT COB March 2. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (U) On February 14, the NAC agreed to the establishment of the NOR, the revised terms of reference (TOR) for the three resource committees, and tasked the SRB to review the source of the IC Chair (Ref A). All nations, except the U.S. and Portugal, favor a national chair. MISSION NOTE: The Deputy Assistant Secretary General (DASG) for Defense Investment, currently Ken Peltier (U.S.),chairs the IC. END MISSION NOTE. Our efforts to maintain the International Staff (IS) chair no doubt delayed agreement to the NOR by several months. The language in the approved IC TOR reads, "... upon approval of the TOR, as a temporary arrangement, the Director NOR will also chair the IC. Within three months following the approval of the TOR, the SRB will review this temporary arrangement, seeking IC advice, and will then recommend to the NAC the source of the future Chairman, as agreed by the nations. Thereafter, the TOR will be amended appropriately." ¶3. (C) Now that the NOR is agreed, Mission has no further objection to a national IC chair, since a national IC chair is compatible with other resource committees, eg. SRB, Military Budget Committee (MBC),Civil Budget Committee (CBC),and because the U.S. retains the I.S. position as the Director of the NOR, thus ensuring continued U.S. influence and support. Agreement to a national IC Chair also enables the U.S. to now compete for three chairman positions (SRB, IC, MBC/CBC) in the future, although there is no reason to do so at this time. ¶4. (C) Mission does not support the proposed secretariat support for each of the resource committee chairmen, one staff officer and one secretary, since these personnel will absorb resources from the NOR. Mission recommends instead, that our agreement to a national IC Chair be with the understanding that the resource committee Chairmen,s staff support be limited to one secretary each. NULAND