THE JOINT COMMISSION ON CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

S E C R E T RIYADH 001453 SIPDIS WHITE HOUSE FOR OVP CENTCOM FOR POLAD, NAVCENT, J5 DOE FOR WBRYAN DEPARTMENT FOR P, S/CT, NEA/ARP, NEA/EX E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/21/2028 TAGS: ECON ENRG EPET MARR MCAP MOPS OVP PGOV PREL PTER, SA SUBJECT: THE JOINT COMMISSION ON CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE PROTECTION IS BORN REF: A. RIYADH 01408 ¶B. RIYADH 01298 Classified By: Ambassador Ford M. Fraker for Reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) ¶1. (S) On September 18, 2008, the Joint Commission on Critical Infrastructure Protection (JCCIP) was born with the first transfer of funds from the Government of Saudi Arabia to a U.S. Treasury account established to fund the program. This transfer established the program envisioned by Secretary Rice and Saudi Interior Minister Nayif bin 'abd al-'Aziz when they signed a Technical Cooperation Agreement in May 2008. 2 (S) JCCIP (pronounced JaySIP) is modeled closely on JECOR (the U.S.-Saudi Joint Economic Commission, Riyadh) which operated from 1974-2000. JCCIP's structure reflects the SAG's desire for a "single-point of contact" with various USG agencies and a "single-point of payment" for U.S. cooperation on infrastructure protection. While JECOR helped to build Saudi Arabia's civilian bureaucracy, JCCIP will help to protect Saudi Arabia's critical energy infrastructure and borders. This new, multi-agency organization will increase USG presence in the Saudi energy sector. It will also provide training for the Ministry of Interior (MOI) similar to that already provided to the Saudi Ministry of Defense and National Guard through the U.S. Military Training Mission (USMTM) and the Office of the Project Manager for the Saudi Arabian National Guard (OPM-SANG). As such, JCCIP has the potential to produce the most significant increase in U.S. influence in Saudi Arabia in a generation. ¶3. (S) The first allotment of USD 500,000 is intended to reimburse the Department of Energy for the August 9-19 vulnerability assessment of Saudi Aramco's massive crude processing facility at Abqaiq. This was the first piece of field work performed under JCCIP auspices. DOE personnel, DOE's primary contractor Sandia Labs, and CENTCOM personnel participated in the assessment. The assessment report will be presented at the first meeting of the JCCIP Co-Chairmen, Under-Secretary Burns and Assistant Minister of Interior Mohammed bin Nayif, tentatively scheduled for late October. FRAKER