(C//NF) NSDD 38 - U.S. DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

C O N F I D E N T I A L FREETOWN 000330

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/W AND NSC AFRICA DIRECTORATE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07-08-2018
TAGS: KMRS AODE PINR AMGT SL
SUBJECT: (C//NF) NSDD 38 - U.S. DEFENSE INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
STAFFING IN FREETOWN, SIERRA LEONE

REF: SECSTATE 68307

Classified By: AMBASSADOR JUNE CARTER PERRY REASON: 1.4(C)


1. (C) As Chief of Mission, American Embassy Freetown, I
concur with the Defense Intelligence Agency's request to
establish an additional position, that of a Operations
Non-Commissioned Officer (Ops NCO) in the Defense Attache
Office at post and consent to the NSDD 38 agreement. Please
see responses to specific questions in reftel.


2. (C) Is the need for the proposed staffing change
reflected in the most recent MSP? If not, what circumstances
have changed to justify the NSDD 38 proposal?

(U) In 2001, the Defense Intelligence Agency was approved to
establish an office of three personnel to include a Defense
and Air Attache in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel (O-5),an
Operations Coordinator in the rank of Master Sergeant (E-7),
and an Operations Non-Commissioned Officer in the rank of
Staff Sergeant (E-6). In 2005, the Defense Intelligence
Agency was approved to add a position for a Defense Liaison
Officer in the rank of a GS-11/12. During the period of 1999
to 2003, the Defense Intelligence Agency was standing up 20
offices throughout Africa and lacked the manpower to support
all positions being filled. Since 2001, due to staffing
shortages at the Defense Intelligence Agency and poor
conditions in country, which many times were less than ideal
for married personnel, the Defense Intelligence Agency simply
chose to not staff the position. However, in the past year,
both the Defense AttachQ and the Defense Liaison Officer have
opted for tours of three and four years each due to much
improved conditions which have led the Defense Intelligence
Agency and the Chief of Mission to desire and support filling
all positions of the Defense AttachQ Office-Freetown, Sierra
Leone.

Some of the circumstances that support increased staffing of
the position include:

a. (C) Intelligence Reporting Increase of 200%. In 2008,
with the arrival of two extremely, experienced collectors,
intelligence reporting increased 100% within the first four
months. As of today, reporting is 200% (163 reports) over
reporting in 2007 (82 reports) and 300% over reporting in
2006 (40 reports). Having experienced collectors versus
first time collectors means the quality and placement of
contacts has greatly improved but also resulted in more
reporting and more administration and care of contacts. An
OPS NCO is desperately needed to assist with the
administration of Operating Directives, preparation and
management of intelligence reports and contact memorandums.

b. (C) Official Entertaining Increase of 200%. In 2008,
with the experienced collectors, official entertaining has
increased by 200%. This has improved the Defense Attache
Office's ability to assess and access well placed contacts,
building a portfolio of reliable, ever vigilant sources. The
result has been an increase in reporting from 40 reports a
year to what we anticipate will be 175 reports in 2008. Each
contact requires constant interaction and the production of
contact memoranda and intelligence reports. An OPS NCO is
desperately needed to assist with managing the contact
databank, the recruitment reports, the validation reports,
contact memoranda and production of intelligence reports
associated with contacts.

c. (C) Security Assistance Duties Increasing. In 2008, the
Defense AttachQ Office dual-hatted as a Security Assistance
Office, is sending host nation military to the United States
for the first time after a five year self imposed suspension
of International Military Education and Training (IMET). The
suspension occurred in 2003 as a result of four host country
military students failing to return from training in the
United States. The Defense Attache Office plans to send two
host country students in 2008 and 15 students in 2009. While
sending host country military to the United States has the
advantage of building United States influence, it also
requires enormous administration: from selection of
candidates to pre course screening requirements to fitness
training to preparation of military orders and finances to
monitoring of students while they are in school. An OPS NCO
is therefore needed to assist with managing the processes and
paperwork associated with host nation students attending
International Military Education and Training courses in the
U.S.

d. (C) Host Nation Entry into EUCOM/AFRICOM Counter-Narcotic
Program. Sierra Leone is a major transshipment zone for

illegal drugs moving from Latin America to Europe. In 2008,
illegal drugs transiting Sierra Leone's airport and coastal
waters have increased substantially so much so that the
Maritime Wing, Republic of Sierra Leone, and Ministry of
Defense have requested assistance with capacity building in
counter narcotics. In 2008, the United States Embassy
requested the Maritime Wing, Republic of Sierra Leone Armed
Forces enter the AFRICOM Counter-Narcotics Program. While
entry into the AFRICOM Counter-Narcotics program will be
helpful to the Maritime Wing, it means addtional work for the
Defense AttachQ Office. The Defense Attache Office
anticipates having to write yearly counter narcotics plans
for training and technical assistance; planning and managing
five to ten week long seminars building law
enforcement/security capacity; design and manage renovations
and work projects like a new wharf, a maintenance bay and
oversee purchases of equipment and tools. An OPS NCO is
desperately needed to assist with the overall management of
training activities, oversight of work projects and logistics
purchases.

e. (C) International Military Advisory Training Team to
Sierra Leone Downsizing Footprint. As the British military
footprint in Sierra Leone decreases, the Defense Attache
Office expects to lose access to large quantities of military
order of battle, troop strengths, and troop capabilities that
will create conditions for the unit's two collectors having
to travel up country more to verify information. At the same
time, the British, in downsizing, are reaching out the
Defense Attache Office for increased U.S. commitments to
engagement and capacity building with the Republic of Sierra
Leone Armed Forces. Some of the engagement/capacity
activities include sending 8 Staff Judge Advocates to IMET
training over the next two years; sending 8-12 NCOs to
enlisted NCO development; and assistance with training of the
Standby Force, Economic Community of West Africa States
(ECOWAS). Again, while great initiatives, they come with
additional work and the need for an OPS NCO to assist with
production of intelligence reports designing and managing
seminars, selecting and preparing host nation military for
schools in the U.S. and managing and caring for increased
deployed U.S. personnel.

f. (C) EUCOM/AFRICOM Engagement. EUCOM engagement in Sierra
Leone has been non existent over the past eight years. With
creation of an Africa focused command, increased stability in
Sierra Leone and British requests for more U.S. engagement,
there is great potential for AFRICOM to host five to ten
engagement activities a year in Sierra Leone. Some of the
planned engagement activities include military-to-military
exchanges in base security, maritime law, military justice,
military chaplains to name a few. Each of these military
exchanges is months in the planning and takes dedicated
military personnel to execute. Again, while great
initiatives, they come with the need for manpower that only
an OPS NCO can provide.


3. (C) If the agency proposes to add staffing based on
workload, are there other resources already present at post
that are performing or could perform, the functions?

(C) While the two collectors' positions are declared
intelligence positions, the names of contacts and much of the
information provided by contacts which goes into intelligence
reporting is classified at the CONFIDENTIAL to TOP SECRET
level. Much of the work in gathering information, meeting
and maintaining contacts is based on classified training that
requires trained, experienced collectors with a TOP SECRET
security classification. Unfortunately, there is no way that
we can train foreign service nationals to maintain contact
databanks, prepare recruitment forms, conduct assessment
exercises, write validation reports, contact and meet with
contacts and then produce contact memorandums ultimately
resulting in intelligence reporting. Many U.S. spouses also
do not have the security clearance, background or experience
to perform the function.


4. (C) Could the function be accomplished through the use of
TDY, Foreign National, contract, or other local hire
personnel?

(C) No, the mission requires trained experienced
intelligence collectors with a security clearance of TOP
SECRET. Much of the information being gathered is
subsequently put into intelligence reports as actionable
intelligence again requiring sensitive handling and trained
intelligence officers to act on the information. How we
collect and gather intelligence especially as to persons
recruited, methods and tactics are classified actions

requiring a top secret security classification and lengthy
courses in collection and preparation of intelligence
information. While TDY intelligence personnel could perform
the function, the cost of their hotels and per diem month
after month are more costly then establishment of a permanent
position.


5. (C) Identify the specific administrative support, space
and funding arrangements that have been made for the increase
in staffing.

(C) The Defense Attache Office already possesses dedicated
space for a Non Commissioned Officer in the Defense AttachQ
Office. The space would require installment of a classified
Defense Intelligence Agency computer and a classified
Department of State computer. The Defense Intelligence
Agency would provide the U.S. Embassy the start up costs for
a new billet, money to rent a house or apartment and would
seek to buy into the furniture pool. The Defense
Intelligence Agency would like to have a person in place by
30 September 2008.


6. (C) Do the benefits of increasing the staff outweigh the
inherent security risks associated with additional personnel?

(C) The Defense Intelligence Agency would like to provide an
experienced Non-Commissioned Officer in the grade of Staff
Sergeant who is well trained in intelligence collection and
has received training in force protection,
counterintelligence targeting, counter terrorism training and
familization with how to remain free of becoming a target
for criminal activity or a target for terrorists. The
individual would be well-versed in handling weapons in the
event the country were to become unstable and the Defense
Attache Office were asked to assist with an evacuation. The
country's rankings as to terrorist threat and criminal
activity make it highly unlikely the person would become a
victim of a terrorist attack or a criminal act.

PERRY