UPDATE ON EVE OF CZECH PRT DEPLOYMENT TO LOGAR,

C O N F I D E N T I A L PRAGUE 000084

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/08/2013
TAGS: PREL PGOV NATO AF MARR MASS EZ EUN
SUBJECT: UPDATE ON EVE OF CZECH PRT DEPLOYMENT TO LOGAR,
AFGHANISTAN

REF: PRAGUE 17

Classified By: POLEC Counselor Michael Dodman for reasons 1.4 (b) and (
d).


1. (SBU) Summary: On February 11, the Czechs will send the
first of their troops to establish a Provincial
Reconstruction Team (PRT) in Logar, Afghanistan. With the
exception of a few remaining issues (see paragraph 4),the
Czech PRT continues to be on track for a successful
deployment by mid-March. End Summary.

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Deployment Commences February 11
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2. (C) The first contingent of the Czech Provincial
Reconstruction Team (PRT) is set to deploy to Bagram airbase
on February 11, 2008, aboard a Czech Air Force Airbus. The
Czech soldiers (39 in all) will then travel onward to the
newly constructed home of the Czech PRT on a U.S.-Czech
Forward Operating Base (FOB SHANK) located in the Logar
Province's capital of Pol-e Alam. The flight on February 11
is the first of four that will transport the Czech PRT's 190
military, and 10 civilian personnel with subsequent flights
February 19, March 6 and March 14. The Czech PRT's equipment
is set to be transported aboard six U.S. contracted AN-124
airplanes arriving at Kabul International Airport between
February 24 and March 5. Additionally, two C-17 flights will
transport the Czech PRT's ammunition. This plan should allow
the Czech PRT to successfully be in place with all its
equipment by the planned Initial Operational Capability (IOC)
date of March 21, 2008.

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Preparations on Track
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3. (C) In advance of the PRT's deployment on February 11,
Czech advance teams, working in close cooperation with
Regional Command-East (RC-E),have been in Afghanistan
preparing for the PRT troops' arrival. Following the
establishment of the four person National Support Element
(NSE) co-located with the Czech Military Field Hospital at
Kabul International Airport (KIAI) in December, the Czechs
sent a ten person communication team in mid-January to
establish communications at the Czech PRT's new Tactical
Operations Center (TOC). In late January several of the
civilian team members met to discuss reconstruction
opportunities with USDA official Ramiro Rojas, who came to
Prague at the invitation of the Czech government and Embassy
Prague following his just completed tour at PRT Gardez. A
Czech civilian reconstruction team recently visited RC-E, FOB
SHANK, and various organizations in Kabul to set the stage
for the PRT's assumption of ongoing projects in the Logar
region. Additionally, a Czech ordinance team has been
working along side RC-E and Army Material Command (AMC)
experts at Bagram airbase to prepare twenty newly arrived
(and U.S. provided) M1114 Up-armored humvees for issue to the
Czech troops. This work has included the modification of the
humvee turrets to permit the Czech crews to mount machine
guns and grenade launchers as well as install U.S.-provided
IED-jammers. These humvees should be ready for delivery on
schedule to FOB SHANK. Also in the works: select personnel
will attend ISAF PRT training in Oberammergau, Germany and by
the end of February, the Czech MFA plans to offer a course
specifically for the civilian team covering project
management, and media training.
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Minor Outstanding Issues
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4. (C) Only a few relatively minor issues remain unresolved -
such as an open Czech request for tactical radios and the
need to decide who will pay for FOB SHANK construction costs.
All-in-all though, the Czech troops deployment to PRT Logar
looks set for a successful start on March 21, 2008.


5. (C) Comment: Czech press has started to run an increasing
number of stories referencing the PRT, thus far mostly of an
informational nature and containing little negative
commentary. This could change, however, given the increased
debate across Europe over NATO's performance leading ISAF.
Nonetheless, the GOCR attention to detail in preparation for
this deployment to Logar, as well as the experienced
leadership on both the civilian and military sides of the PRT
command, should serve them well once they take command of
this PRT.

Graber