(C) INFORMING REGIONAL PARTNERS OF UPCOMING

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 043113 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/22/2018 TAGS: PREL MOPS SA AE BA KU QA MU JO EG IR IZ XF SUBJECT: (C) INFORMING REGIONAL PARTNERS OF UPCOMING CENTCOM DEPLOYMENTS Classified By: NEA DAS Gordon Gray for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (C) Summary and Action Request: Action addresee posts are requested to approach host governments to advise them of three overlapping U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) deployments in April and May 2008. (NOTE: This message is info only for Baghdad, Amman, and Cairo.) ¶2. (C) Objective: To underscore our commitment to the spirit of regional cooperation with key security partners by briefing them on three planned overlapping exercises and deployments. ¶3. (C/REL GCC MEMBERS) Background: The United States military expects to have two Carrier Battle Groups inside the Gulf in late April, as one CBG deploys for duty and the other departs. With our partners in Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and the UAE, we will also conduct EAGLE RESOLVE, an exercise of Theater Air and Missile Defense capabilities in late April and early May. Finally, in early May, we expect to test our own ability to deploy a small number of personnel to our forward headquarters in Qatar. The purpose of this exercise is to ensure that we can effectively operate our forward headquarters on short notice. These three efforts demonstrate our continued commitment to our regional partners and our ability to project U.S. military power globally. (IF RAISED ONLY) If specific questions are raised about Iran, posts should draw from the following: We have no reason to expect there to be any significant Iranian reaction to this confluence of activity, nor do we intend to send any particular signal to Iran--beyond steadfast commitment to our partners. We do want our partners to have the information necessary to develop their own public information posture and diplomatic approach. RICE