SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES REPORT-ODC ARMENIA-April 2007

UNCLAS YEREVAN 000566 SIPDIS SIPDIS SECSTATE FOR PM AND ISP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MCAP KCFE XG AM SUBJECT: SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES REPORT-ODC ARMENIA-April 2007 ¶1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: ODC Armenia conducted visit of Defense Reutilization Management Office and Excess Defense Article stockyard in Kaiserslautern; FY08 Counter Terrorism Fellowship Program plan developed at TPMR; Letter of Request for equipping Nuclear Biological and Chemical defense platoon sent; $200K in Humanitarian Assistance funding provided; COLA for DOD personnel in Armenia approved for increase. ¶2. SIGNIFICANT EVENTS ¶A. ODC Armenia conducted a familiarization visit of the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office in Kaiserslautern, Germany, and a brief stop by a USASAC Excess Defense Article storage facility. The Armenian 12th Peacekeeping Battalion Commander, a representative from the Logistics Department, and a Security Cooperation Division representative attended the visit. The event generated an FMF Letter of Request for the USASAC EDA program and was used to familiarize the Armenians with the DRMO web site (an FMF case for this program is being processed: AM-R-FFF) so they could order excess articles from this facility for the PK forces of Armenia. The visit was extremely useful in demonstrating the utility of both the DRMO and USASAC EDA programs to the key Armenian recipients of excess articles. ¶B. During the recent Training Program Management Review (TPMR) conference in Germany, an appropriately sized Counter Terrorism Fellowship Program plan for FY08 was established for Armenia. Armenia ODC submitted a two event plan that had been coordinated with the EXBS Program Coordinator at the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan. One event that requested $50K was approved. That event will focus on disaster planning related to responding to potential positive readings from the various recently installed WMD portal monitors in Armenia. ¶C. STATUS OF FOREIGN MILITARY FINANCING (FMF): ¶1. The Letter of Request (LOR) for the FMF case AM-B-UBC: NBC equipment, totaling $757K in equipment, was immediately forwarded to USASAC and DSCA on 1 Apr 07. This equipment will outfit the Chemical platoon of the 12th Peacekeeping Bn and provide chemical defensive gear to the entire 12th PK Bn. ¶2. The LOR for an EMEDS equipment case and for a blanket training case are still being developed by the MOD and are expected to be forwarded to SAF/IA by early May 07. ¶3. The LOR for the Excess Defense Articles FMF case is being developed to support the Armenian Peacekeeping Brigade and EMEDS. Three heavy equipment trucks and a spare parts package will be requested to support the deployment of EMEDS. ¶4. Equipment ordered for the 12th Peacekeeping Battalion in the FMF AM-B-BAA, A1 case requested in Sep 06 began arriving with three major shipments in Apr. Shipments are expected to continue to arrive through May 07. ¶5. ODC is awaiting the LOA for the FMF blanket personnel equipment case for excess equipment coordinated by the Defense Reutilization and Marketing Office (DRMO) sent out on 2 Feb 07 (AM-R-FFF). It is currently being processed by DSCA. ¶D. Joint Contact Team Program (JCTP). Two JCTP events were conducted in April. One officer and one enlisted airman from United States Air Forces Europe (USAFE) presented Personnel Management Systems (TCT) to 25 personnel officers from various Armenian military organizations. The event focused on officer and enlisted personnel issues in brigade and smaller sized elements. During the event, the personnel director from the Ministry of Defense announced that the Ministry had approved formation of an NCO Academy. He also announced that reforms were being undertaken to ensure all conscripts are assigned at random to their duty locations. Three Armenian officers visited DRMO and EDA in Kaiserslautern, Germany for an out-of-cycle event. The event focused on vehicles that may be available, especially those that could be used with the recently purchased EMEDS. Two events are scheduled for MAY. The annual TAG visit will include the Kansas Secretary of State. The first of a series of EMEDS events is also scheduled. This event will focus on assembling and disassembling the EMEDS. ¶E. State Partnership Program (SPP). No SPP events were conducted in April. Kansas proposed two Mil-to-Civ and one Civ-to-Civ SPP events for FY 08 during the BCPC. One event will focus on helping the Armenian Rescue Service (ARS) develop its emergency response capabilities. A second event will focus on public health issues within Armenia. The final event will be a follow-on to an event held in FY 06 and focus on developing vocational-technical schools within Armenia. Coordination continued between Kansas and the Armenian Rescue Service (ARS) on developing follow-on events to the Crisis First Responder event held in October. Funding has been received to conduct a Crisis Communications TCT. The event is currently scheduled for 4th Quarter. ¶F. Humanitarian Assistance (HA). ODC was notified that the water refurbishment HA project would be funded for FY 07 and a total of $200K would be provided to support EUCOM approved HA projects in FY07-08. The stand-alone HA event proposes to reconstruct existing water wells in two rural villages in Armenia where the current water system has deteriorated to a degree that potable water is seldom available. This proposal was coordinated with USAID and a local NGO. The second event is for medical supplies and support during an HA related Mil-to-Mil event. This event will bring a dentist and optometrist from the Kansas National Guard to Armenia to work with two Armenian Military doctors to provide services to rural areas in Armenia. Additionally the ODC submitted two EP requests. One request is to supply furniture and school equipment to two affiliated orphanages for disabled children. The second request is to supply the same items for a boarding school for children with disabilities. Approval of these two requests is pending. ¶G. International Military Education and Training (IMET): English Language testing and number of IMET students in US. ¶1. Training Snapshot Students at DLI: 16 Students at Specialty Training: 7 E-IMET: 1 ¶2. English Comprehension Level (ECL) Testing Students tested: 1 Score - 39 ¶3. PERSONNEL/RESOURCES/LOGISTICS ¶A. GAINS: None. ¶B. LOSSES: None. ¶C. ATTACHED PERSONNEL (TDY): Ms Laura MacKenzie from the Defense Language Institute English Language Center (DLIELC) will be in Yerevan from 9 May-10 Jun 07 conducting assessment and providing recommendations for establishing an intensive English Language program in the Armenian MOD. ¶D. APPROVED LEAVES NEXT 30 DAYS: None ¶E. TDY NEXT 30 DAYS: LTC Moyer, Site reconnaissance for upcoming JCTP event in Goris, Armenia; 28-30 Mar ¶F. RATING SCHEME CHANGES: None. ¶G. EXTENSIONS/CURTAILMENTS: None. ¶5. ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES: ¶A. EFFICIENCY REPORT SUSPENSES: a. LTC Peterson: COR in Jun 07 b. LTC Moyer: COR in Jun 07 ¶B. AWARD SUSPENSES: None. ¶C. PERSONNEL ACTIONS: None. ¶6. ODC CHIEF'S COMMENTS: COLA index for Armenia will be raised by DOD in May 07. The DOD COLA rate index for Armenia increased from 108 to 124 and will become effective on 16 May 07. ¶7. POC for this message is LTC Doug Peterson. 37410-49-46-65 37410-46-47-36(fax) petersond@state.gov GODFREY