SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES REPORT-ODC ARMENIA-MAY 2008

UNCLAS YEREVAN 000451 SIPDIS SECSTATE FOR PM AND ISP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: MCAP KCFE XG AM SUBJECT: SIGNIFICANT ACTIVITIES REPORT-ODC ARMENIA-MAY 2008 ¶1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: Civil-Military Emergency Preparedness (CMEP) conducted Final Planning Meeting; FMF equipment for Peacekeeping Brigade arrives; Orphanage in Gyumri provided with furniture from EUCOM Humanitarian Assistance Program; FMF updates; Humanitarian Assistance updates. ¶2. SIGNIFICANT EVENTS ¶A. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineer's Civil-Military Emergency Preparedness (CMEP) office conducted a final planning meeting in Yerevan on 7-8 May for the Table Top Exercise (TTX) scheduled to be held in Armenia from 14-18 Jul 08. The TTX will implement the Armenian Presidential approved crisis response plan to the Metzamor Nuclear Power Station located just west of Yerevan, Armenia. U.S. attendees included representatives from CMEP and from Kansas' Homeland Security & Emergency Management office. On the Armenian side representatives from the Armenian Rescue Service, the Ministries of Defense, Energy, Health, Natural Protection; the Nuclear Regulatory Authority, National Police, and the Metzamor Power Plant all attended. Foreign organizations or NGOs attending the planning meeting included OSCE, UNDP, IRC, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. The final planning meeting developed the exercise scenario, identified additional Armenian agencies and foreign organizations that would attend the Jul TTX, and finalized cost requirements for CMEP. The TTX will support IPAP Goal 1.4.1: Enhance Armenia's overall crisis management capabilities and inter-agency coordination. ¶B. Throughout May 08 a number of FMF equipment shipments arrived for equipping the Armenian 1st and 2nd Peacekeeping Battalions, and the Peacekeeping Brigade Staff. Equipment which arrived completed the equipping of the 1st PK Bn and Brigade Staff, and provided all the necessary equipment for OIF deployments to the 2nd PK Bn, which is still in the process of manning companies, and will continue to do so until the end of CY08. The arrival of the equipment makes the 1st PK Bn and the PK Brigade Staff fully equipment interoperable with US and NATO forces. The PK Brigade is now awaiting the FMF deliveries of chemical detection equipment and Harris radios for the 2nd PK Bn, which should arrive by the end of CY08. 1st PK Bn received its Harris radios in Feb of this year. Equipping the Armenian Peacekeeping Brigade supports NATO IPAP Goal 2.3.2: Establish a Peacekeeping Brigade. 
 ¶C. The ODC received an Excess Property delivery from the EUCOM Humanitarian Assistance Program, which was provided to the Fridtjof Nansen Orphanage in Gyumri, Armenia. On 12 May 08, the U.S. Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Robert Frazier conducted a ribbon cutting ceremony with the Director of the orphanage: Mr Ruben Markosian; in Gyumri. The event recognized the delivery of over $33,000 dollars worth of household furniture, bedding, cabinets and medical supplies to the orphanage. Upcoming deliveries of Excess Property will also be made by the ODC Armenia to an orphanage in Echmiadzin (nearby Yerevan) and to the Armenian Rescue Service. ¶D. STATUS OF FOREIGN MILITARY FINANCING (FMF): ¶1. The Armenian MOD plans to submit a Letter of Request in the coming weeks to acquire Harris Radio maintenance equipment and to establish a Harris radio maintenance facility in the Signal Department in order to permit the MOD to service FMF provided Harris radios within Armenia. This FMF case would support IPAP Goal 2.3.2; Establish a Peacekeeping Brigade. ¶2. US Army Security Assistance Command (USASAC) is coordinating the Armenian Letter of Request for approximately $2.5M worth of Harris Radios and ancillary equipment for outfitting the Armenian 2nd Peacekeeping Battalion with US and NATO interoperable communications equipment. This amendment to the existing AM-B-UAB FMF case would support IPAP Goal 2.3.2; Establish a Peacekeeping Brigade. ¶E. Joint Contact Team Program (JCTP). No JCTP events were conducted during the month of May. ¶F. State Partnership Program (SPP). No SPP events were conducted during the month of May. ¶G. Defense Institution Building (DIB). No DIB events were conducted during May. ¶H. Humanitarian Assistance (HA). ¶1. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (CoE) is currently coordinating the implementation of the HA-Other stand-alone project that will reconstruct existing water wells in three rural villages in Armenia where the current water system has deteriorated to a degree that potable water is seldom available. HA funding for this project must be obligated by the end of this fiscal year. ¶2. A second Excess Property shipment for an orphanage in Echmiadzin, Armenia arrived in May 08 and is currently clearing Armenian customs. A third EP project that will provide fire-fighting equipment to support the Armenian Rescue Service (ARS) is currently being coordinated by the BAO and EUCOM-J4-ID-HA. ¶H. International Military Education and Training (IMET): English Language testing and number of IMET students in US. ¶1. Training Snapshot Students at DLI: 6 Students at Specialty Training: 6 E-IMET: 0 ¶2. English Comprehension Level (ECL) Testing Students tested in May: 1 ¶3. PERSONNEL/RESOURCES/LOGISTICS ¶A. GAINS: None. ¶B. LOSSES: None ¶C. ATTACHED PERSONNEL (TDY): None. ¶D. APPROVED LEAVES NEXT 30 DAYS: LTC Peterson: COT leave from 20 Jun - 6 Jul 08 ¶E. TDY NEXT 30 DAYS: LTC Peterson: PDSS with five Armenian officers to OIF - 14-16 Jun 08 ¶F. RATING SCHEME CHANGES: None ¶G. EXTENSIONS/CURTAILMENTS: None. ¶5. ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES: ¶A. EFFICIENCY REPORT SUSPENSES: ODC Chief and BAO submission of OER - Complete ¶B. AWARD SUSPENSES: LTC Peterson: ODC Chief PCS Award submission - Complete ¶C. PERSONNEL ACTIONS: None ¶6. ODC CHIEF'S COMMENTS: In-country JCTP events and Defense Institution Building events that were not conducted as planned from Mar-Jun 08 are currently being rescheduled for Jul-Sep 08. Final approval of execution will be coordinated by OSD-ISA and DoS. ¶7. POC for this message is LTC Doug Peterson. 37410-49-46-65 37410-46-47-36(fax) petersond@state.gov PHILLIPS