DEMARCHE REQUEST TO NATO ALLIES AND PARTNERS FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L STATE 099701 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/2018 TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS NATO IZ SUBJECT: DEMARCHE REQUEST TO NATO ALLIES AND PARTNERS FOR ADDITIONAL SUPPORT TO NATO TRAINING MISSION-IRAQ REF: A. SECSTATE 73794 ¶B. SECSTATE 96122 ¶C. USNATO 00144 Classified By: EUR Nerissa Cook, Acting DAS for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (U) This is an action request to alert NATO Allies and select NATO Partners -- particularly those that are departing the Iraq Coalition -- that Prime Minister Maliki has asked the Alliance to maintain the NATO Training Mission-Iraq (NTM-I) through at least 2009. We would urge Allies and Partners to provide additional resources to support the new training tasks in response to Maliki's request for an expanded mission and to fill gaps in the current force structure in preparation for a September 26 NTM-I Manpower Coordination conference. Please see action requests in paragraph 5. -------------- BACKGROUND -------------- ¶2. (C) Fourteen NATO Allies and one Partner - Ukraine - currently contribute to NTM-I. In response to ref A, six contributors report that they plan to increase their contributions to NTM-I: Italy, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Ukraine, and the UK. ¶3. (C) Recently, Posts demarched capitals on the drawdown of the Iraq Coalition from twenty-three partners to five as a result of improved security throughout Iraq and the Government of Iraq's (GOI) desire for a reduced coalition presence after 2008 (see ref B). Initial responses to ref B indicate that Macedonia, a non-contributing NATO partner, and the Czech Republic, which initially responded with no increase, are now interested in contributing or increasing their support to NTM-I. For most of the seventeen partners departing Iraq this fall, the drawdown of the coalition should allow Partners to recalibrate their troop contributions for other missions, to include NTM-I. Posts should highlight the drawdown and the increased level of security in Iraq when demarching Allied and Partner capitals to contribute or increase their contribution to NTM-I. -------------- -------------- MANPOWER COORDINATION CONFERENCE AND NEW PARTNERS -------------- -------------- ¶4. (C) On September 26, SHAPE will host a manpower conference where Allies and Ukraine are invited to announce contributions to the new staffing requirements list, called Crisis Establishment 6.0 (see ref A for NTM-I background). Other NATO Partner nations such as Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, and Macedonia should be encouraged to have their national representatives at SHAPE directly contact the International Coordination Center, which falls under the SHAPE J3, to join this meeting and announce their own contributions to NTM-I. In addition to these CE 6.0 slots, NATO also is looking for Allies to lead new training programs in areas such as advanced forensics, border security, and Iraqi air force and navy leadership training. These specific training requests are in direct response to PM Maliki's Jan 29 letter to NATO's Secretary General. They were highlighted in the NATO Bucharest Summit Declaration and then stressed again by PM Maliki at an April meeting with the North Atlantic Council in Brussels (see ref C). Allies agreed in July 2008 to expand NTM-I into these areas. Some new training tasks, such as border security and advanced forensics, could be performed by non-military personnel. This could potentially enable Allies and Partners to exceed current limits to their military support to NTM-I by using Interior Ministry training teams to conduct these non-military functions. -------------- ACTION REQUEST -------------- ¶5. (C/REL NATO Allies and Ukraine) In light of the drawdown of the Coalition in Iraq, improved security throughout Iraq, and PM Maliki's request to continue and expand the NTM-I mission, Posts are requested to deliver the following points to senior MFA and MOD officials in advance of the September 26 NTM-I manpower conference: For London: -- Thank the United Kingdom for its leadership in NTM-I and for its continued contributions. We understand the United Kingdom is considering acting as the Principal Coordinating Nation within NTM-I for a significantly expanded Iraqi officer training program, and the United States strongly supports this initiative. -- Building on the success of your forensics program in Iraq, we ask that you consider supporting NTM-I with an advanced forensics training program in response to PM Maliki's direct request to NATO. For Bucharest, Kyiv, Ljubljana, Prague, Rome, and Warsaw: -- Thank Allies and Ukraine for their continued contributions to NTM-I and confirm how they plan to increase their contributions to NTM-I. (Note for Poland: Congratulate Poland for its critical Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) role, especially Poland's five-year leadership of the Multinational Division (Central South),which at one point included 8,000 troops from a multitude of nations. This experience shows that Poland has the skill and credibility to continue providing leadership and forces in NTM-I. Poland's withdrawal of its 780 troops from the Iraq Coalition may provide an opportunity to give additional consideration to increasing its NTM-I contingent by 60-100 personnel, which Polish embassy officials in Baghdad previously suggested to the NTM-I POLAD. Poland is building two expeditionary Military Police battalions, and NTM-I is an ideal location for them to be employed.) (Note for Romania: Encourage Romania to utilize its NATO Center of Excellence on Human Intelligence (HUMINT) to provide a HUMINT training augmentation team to NTM-I to train Iraqi security forces.) (Note for Ukraine: As Ukraine completes its OIF mission, encourage it to increase its contribution to NTM-I.) For Tallinn: -- Thank Estonia for its continued contribution to NTM-I and acknowledge that Estonia is contributing to KFOR and ISAF, and has been asked to stay in the Iraq Coalition past 2008. -- We are looking to expand NTM-I in the area of border security training. Ask Estonia to consider how it might contribute training personnel in support of such a new effort. For Budapest, Copenhagen, the Hague, Lisbon, and Vilnius: -- Thank Allies for their continued contributions to NTM-I and encourage them to review the staffing requirements from the recently released CE 6.0 in order to contribute to the mission with more trainers and advisors. (Note: SHAPE distributed a new manning request - Crisis Establishment 6.0 - in mid August.) -- Acknowledge that all are contributing to multiple NATO operations and note that contributions to NTM-I also include training augmentation teams (TATs) that are small teams deployed to Iraq for short intervals of less than six months. Some new training tasks, such as border security and advanced forensics, could be performed by non-military personnel. Ask Allies to consider additional support using civilian training teams. (Note for Hungary: Encourage Hungary to utilize its NATO Center of Excellence on Medical Support (MED) to provide a paramedics TAT to NTM-I to train Iraqi security forces.) (Note for Netherlands: Encourage the Netherlands to utilize its NATO Centers of Excellence on Command and Control (C2) and Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) to provide C2 and CIMIC training augmentation teams to NTM-I to train Iraqi security forces.) For Ankara: -- Thank Turkey for its continued support of NTM-I, and determine whether, in addition to providing assistance on any other training requirements, it would be willing to become the lead nation for a border security training program along the lines of the Carabinieri model. -- The United States recognizes that Turkey is better positioned than any other Ally to perform this significant, new role which would send a strong signal of NATO,s support to the Iraqi government. We strongly support such a Turkish role if Turkey is prepared to do so. -- As the lead nation for a new border security training initiative within NTM-I, Turkey would determine the size and scope of the new training effort. Such a program could encompass 20-30 Turkish trainers at a location in Iraq, under NTM-I authority, with a commitment of at least one year. (Note to Post: The Turkish delegation at NATO has been approached with this proposal and has readily agreed to ask for guidance from Ankara. In August, a Turkish military representative from JFC-Naples traveled to Iraq with a NATO assessment team to help develop a border security training program for NTM-I.) For all NATO Allies and Ukraine: -- Stress to government officials that Allied leaders committed at the Bucharest Summit to "favorably consider the Government of Iraq's request to enhance the NATO Training Mission-Iraq (NTM-I) mission in areas such as navy and air force leadership training, police, and border security" among other areas that are specifically stated in the Summit Declaration. -- Note that contributions to NTM-I also include training augmentation teams (TATs) that are small teams deployed to Iraq for short intervals of less than six months. Some new training tasks, such as border security and advanced forensics, could be performed by non-military personnel. Ask Allies to consider additional support using civilian training teams. -- Urge Allies to contribute to the NTM-I Trust fund. -- Note that we hope Allies respond favorably to SHAPE's requests for more trainers and advisors in order to continue and expand the successful NTM-I mission. -- Explain to government officials, if necessary, that anything less than full support for PM Maliki's direct request for additional training not only sends a negative political message to the PM and the Iraqi people, but also falls short of the Alliance's agreed-to objective of ensuring the establishment of fully functioning and self-sustaining Iraqi security structures responsible to the democratically formed Iraqi Government. (Note for Bulgaria: We understand that Bulgaria intends to contribute five military personnel to NTM-I and hope this is announced at the September 26 manpower conference at SHAPE. Thank Bulgaria for this commitment and encourage Bulgaria to look into the possibility of contributing additional support as the mission expands through Training Augmentation Teams in the future.) (Note for Italy: Thank Italy for its highly successful Carabinieri training program. We hope to see this effort, recently expanded to increase training output, to continue. We would be interested in learning whether Italy would consider contributing additional personnel to a new border security effort.) (Note for Spain: Encourage Spain to utilize its NATO Center of Excellence on Counter Improvised Explosive Devices (CIED) to provide a training augmentation team to NTM-I to help train Iraqi security forces in CIED.) -- (If raised) As the Chapter VII mandate relating to status protections for the MNF-I likely will not be renewed in December, we encourage NATO to engage the GOI as soon as possible in a full and frank discussion on the means by which they can preserve the status protections currently afforded to NATO personnel pursuant to the existing Exchange of Letters (EOLs) with the GOI to ensure that NTM-I's critical mission proceeds seamlessly. -- (If raised) We are willing to help as NATO works to secure an EOL or other appropriate arrangements between NATO and the GOI. -- (If raised) We would encourage new EOLs rather than a full NATO-GOI SOFA. -------------- SELECT PARTNER REQUESTS -------------- ¶6. (C / REL Albania, Australia, Azerbaijan, Macedonia) In light of the drawdown of the Coalition in Iraq, PM Maliki's request to continue and expand the NTM-I mission, and NATO's willingness to include more NATO Partners, Posts are requested to deliver the following points to senior MFA and MOD officials: For Tallinn, Canberra, Baku, and Skopje: -- Thank you for your country's contributions in Iraq over the last several years. -- As an international security provider, your country's military capabilities would be of great value in providing trainers and mentors to the NATO Training Mission in Iraq. -- On September 26, SHAPE is hosting a manpower conference for NTM-I and is looking for Allies and Partners to fill the staffing requirements. -- We encourage your national representatives at SHAPE to directly contact the International Coordination Center, which falls under the SHAPE J3 (Operations),to join this meeting and to announce your contributions or interest in contributing to NTM-I. -- We hope Partners respond favorably to SHAPE,s requests for more trainers and advisors in order to continue and expand the successful NTM-I mission. -------------- REPORTING AND POINT OF CONTACT -------------- ¶7. (U) Department requests Posts demarche as soon as possible and report responses via front channel message by September 24 in anticipation of the September 26 NTM-I manpower conference, to be followed by a NATO Global Force Generation conference in November. Please contact EUR/RPM Chris Davy at DavyRC@state.sgov.gov or 202-647-2127 for additional information. RICE