C O N F I D E N T I A L USNATO 000151

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/06/17
TAGS: NATO PREL RU
SUBJECT: RFG ON MISSILE DEFENSE: NATO SCHEDULES
NAC-REINFORCED AND NRC-REINFORCED MEETINGS ON APRIL 19

REF: USNATO 0133

Classified By: Ambassador Victoria Nuland, reasons 1.4 (b and d)


1. (C) At the NATO PermReps March 6 luncheon, PermReps agreed
to a U.S. proposal to hold two meetings on April 19 on
Missile Defense, reinforced by experts from capitals. The
first meeting would be in NAC/Reinforced (NAC/R) format and a
second in NATO-Russia Council/Reinforced (NRC/R) format to
explain U.S. missile defense (MD) plans and benefits to NATO
Allies, Russia, and Partners. (Ambassador Nuland and Missile
Defense Agency (MDA) Director Lt. General Obering had
previously discussed the April 19 date on March 1.) In
addition, Mission will work with the Private Office to see if
a separate briefing can be scheduled the same day for
non-NATO Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC) Ambassadors
(with experts) since multiple EAPC missions have approached
USNATO to ask for such a briefing. The EAPC includes, among
others, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan, the
Central Asia nations, the EU neutrals, and south central
European nations.


2. (C) Recent advances in U.S. Missile Defense plans along
with Lt. General Obering's March 1 presentation at NATO have
changed the NATO MD landscape. In the long run, the
Alliance's current, too-deliberative MD process is both
cumbersome and unlikely to result in an Alliance-agreed,
long-range MD system; and with an established U.S. MD system,
separate NATO long-range coverage of Allied territory is
unnecessary. Consequently, Mission recommends that our
presentations to Allies include:

a) a concrete proposal regarding the benefits of the U.S. MD
system which we and the other MD Framework nations (UK, DK
and IT), along with other supportive nations, would agree to
share with all Allies (real time radar picture, etc.);

b) discussion of how NATO ACCS and/or other NATO common
capabilities could contribute to that; and

c) a proposal regarding how to adjust the discussion in the
Alliance to focus on helping Allies fill remaining holes in
their coverage against the medium and short-range threats.

Ideally this kind of presentation would be pre-agreed by all
MD Framework Allies and then presented together. In
addition, Mission proposes that computer simulation models be
available for attendees, providing supplemental, visual
information that experts can use to better understand the
planned capabilities of the U.S. system, and their
implications for coverage of their national territories.


3. (C) With the Russians, we should focus on implications of
the system for Russia and possible areas of cooperation with
Moscow, both in the bilateral and NATO-Russia contexts. It
would be useful to present some models of how this might work
as well, to demonstrate our seriousness.


4. (SBU) Concurrent with the NAC/R and the NRC/R, Mission
will help NATO's Public Diplomacy division to organize a
multi-media briefing targeting the European market. Under
NATO Tour auspices, we will propose that Embassies Moscow,
Warsaw, and Prague bring in leading opinion makers to take
part in all available media activities. Post will work with
MDA to develop augmented briefing materials -- including
video -- and work with the Brussels media hub to set up
broadcast interviews.

NULAND