Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08ROME398
2008-04-01 14:09:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Rome
Cable title:
GLOBAL HAWK: ITALY APPROVES BASING AT SIGONELLA:
how-toVZCZCXRO0137 OO RUEHFL RUEHNP DE RUEHRO #0398 0921409 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 011409Z APR 08 FM AMEMBASSY ROME TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0062 INFO RUEHZG/NATO EU COLLECTIVE IMMEDIATE RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC IMMEDIATE RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL IMMEDIATE RHMFISS/HQ USAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE IMMEDIATE RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE IMMEDIATE RHMFISS/NAS SIGONELLA IT IMMEDIATE RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO IMMEDIATE 2931 RHMFISS/31FW AVIANO AB IT IMMEDIATE RHMFISS/COMUSNAVEUR NAPLES IT IMMEDIATE RUEHMIL/AMCONSUL MILAN PRIORITY 9321 RUEHFL/AMCONSUL FLORENCE PRIORITY 2979 RUEHNP/AMCONSUL NAPLES PRIORITY 3127
C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000398
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/29/2018
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS NATO IT
SUBJECT: GLOBAL HAWK: ITALY APPROVES BASING AT SIGONELLA:
RECOMMEND THANKING ITALY AT BUCHAREST NATO SUMMIT
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Anna Borg for Reasons 1.4 (B) an
d (D)
C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 000398
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/29/2018
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS NATO IT
SUBJECT: GLOBAL HAWK: ITALY APPROVES BASING AT SIGONELLA:
RECOMMEND THANKING ITALY AT BUCHAREST NATO SUMMIT
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Anna Borg for Reasons 1.4 (B) an
d (D)
1. (U) This message contains an urgent action request at
para 2.
2. (C) The Italian Defense General Staff (IDGS) notified the
Embassy in writing on April 1 that Italy approved the
deployment of the Global Hawk UAV to Sigonella Naval AIR
Station in Sicily (text of approval note at para 4). The
IDGS requested that we not/not announce the approval publicly
until after the upcoming Italian elections on April 13-14.
ACTION REQUEST: We recommend that the U.S. Delegation to the
NATO Summit at the highest level possible privately thank the
Italian Government at Bucharest for this decision.
3. (C) Global Hawk will replace the U2 in 2010 as our primary
overhead reconnaisance asset in the Mediterranean, the Middle
East and North Africa. Securing basing for Global Hawk at
Sigonella has been a top priority for Embassy Rome for the
last year and a half, including via the Ambassador's personal
engagement of the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Minister
of Defense, Chief of Defense and National Security Advisor.
The approval is testament to the continuing strength of the
U.S.-Italy security relationship.
4. (SBU) Informal Embassy Translation of the notice of
approval:
"NATO RESTRICTED
Defense General Staff
Division III -- Office of International Relations
Rome, 1 April 2008
SUBJECT: Deployment of a U.S. RQ-4 "Global Hawk" Unit at the
Sigonella Base (Province of Catania, Sicily)
To: U.S. Embassy, Office of Defense Cooperation
Reference: Letter from the U.S. Embassy Office of Defence
Cooperation dated 10 January 2007.
1. With regard to the request made in the aforementioned
letter, it is communicated that the Ministry of Defense has
expressed its favorable opinion regarding the permanent
deployment of a U.S. UAV RQ-4 "Global Hawk" Unit at the
Sigonella Base.
2. The deployment should take place according to the
modalities and time frame laid out by the Italian AIR FORCE
General Staff, in the context of the technical activities
currently underway in cooperation with the Office of Defense
Cooperation.
Signed,
Major General Pasquale Preziosa
Chief, Division III
NATO RESTRICTED"
End text of approval note.
Note: IDGS marked this notification "Restricted," which is
the same as NATO Restricted, and should be treated by the
State Department as SBU. IDGS specified that this marking
was used because they do not want to have the U.S. make
public release until after Italian elections on 13-14 April
2008; thereafter it is Unclassfied. End Note.
SPOGLI
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2/29/2018
TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS NATO IT
SUBJECT: GLOBAL HAWK: ITALY APPROVES BASING AT SIGONELLA:
RECOMMEND THANKING ITALY AT BUCHAREST NATO SUMMIT
Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Anna Borg for Reasons 1.4 (B) an
d (D)
1. (U) This message contains an urgent action request at
para 2.
2. (C) The Italian Defense General Staff (IDGS) notified the
Embassy in writing on April 1 that Italy approved the
deployment of the Global Hawk UAV to Sigonella Naval AIR
Station in Sicily (text of approval note at para 4). The
IDGS requested that we not/not announce the approval publicly
until after the upcoming Italian elections on April 13-14.
ACTION REQUEST: We recommend that the U.S. Delegation to the
NATO Summit at the highest level possible privately thank the
Italian Government at Bucharest for this decision.
3. (C) Global Hawk will replace the U2 in 2010 as our primary
overhead reconnaisance asset in the Mediterranean, the Middle
East and North Africa. Securing basing for Global Hawk at
Sigonella has been a top priority for Embassy Rome for the
last year and a half, including via the Ambassador's personal
engagement of the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Minister
of Defense, Chief of Defense and National Security Advisor.
The approval is testament to the continuing strength of the
U.S.-Italy security relationship.
4. (SBU) Informal Embassy Translation of the notice of
approval:
"NATO RESTRICTED
Defense General Staff
Division III -- Office of International Relations
Rome, 1 April 2008
SUBJECT: Deployment of a U.S. RQ-4 "Global Hawk" Unit at the
Sigonella Base (Province of Catania, Sicily)
To: U.S. Embassy, Office of Defense Cooperation
Reference: Letter from the U.S. Embassy Office of Defence
Cooperation dated 10 January 2007.
1. With regard to the request made in the aforementioned
letter, it is communicated that the Ministry of Defense has
expressed its favorable opinion regarding the permanent
deployment of a U.S. UAV RQ-4 "Global Hawk" Unit at the
Sigonella Base.
2. The deployment should take place according to the
modalities and time frame laid out by the Italian AIR FORCE
General Staff, in the context of the technical activities
currently underway in cooperation with the Office of Defense
Cooperation.
Signed,
Major General Pasquale Preziosa
Chief, Division III
NATO RESTRICTED"
End text of approval note.
Note: IDGS marked this notification "Restricted," which is
the same as NATO Restricted, and should be treated by the
State Department as SBU. IDGS specified that this marking
was used because they do not want to have the U.S. make
public release until after Italian elections on 13-14 April
2008; thereafter it is Unclassfied. End Note.
SPOGLI