UAE MEETING WITH LT GEN HOSTAGE AND MAJOR GENERAL MOHAMMAD

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001043 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 11//2019 TAGS: MASS MOPS MARR PREL TC AE SUBJECT: UAE MEETING WITH LT GEN HOSTAGE AND MAJOR GENERAL MOHAMMAD SOWAIDAN REF: STATE 107987 ¶1. (S/NF) SUMMARY: Progress was made on a variety of CENTCOM-related issues during AFCENT (U.S. Air Forces Central) Commander Lt Gen Mike Hostage's meeting with UAE Air Force and Air Defense Chief Mohamad Sowaidon al-Gemzy on October 28. Although he proposed no dates, Sowaidan agreed to facilitate a site survey team to Liwa Air Base in order to consider it for possible future U.S. use in the drawdown of forces from Iraq and potential build-up of forces in Afghanistan (Refs A and B). MG Sowaidon said the UAE's plans to deploy a Mirage-2000 and an F-16 squadron to Liwa could be adjusted if necessary to accommodate the U.S.' needs. They agreed to visit Liwa together after the site survey team had completed its mission and then consider the possibilities together. Both agreed it was important to shape the public message on the upcoming F-22 deployment to Exercise Iron Falcon as a positive story and as a message to the region. MG Sowaidon broadly agreed (with no level of detail or mention of follow-up plans) to participate in U.S.-led Regional Integrated Air and Missile Defense (RIAMD) efforts and to host the RIAMD Center of Excellence (CoE). Sowaidon accepted Lt Gen Hostage's invitation to visit the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) at Al Udeid Air Base (AUAB) in Qatar after the Dubai Air Show to see the kind of Common Operating Picture (COP) on offer under RIAMD. Lt Gen Hostage broached the idea of having an alternate CAOC at Al Dhafra AB(ADAB),and MG Sowaidon told him to make a proposal for the UAE to consider. MG Sowaidon asked for help with Link-16 releasability issues, and Lt Gen Hostage agreed to help. Lt Gen Hostage thanked him for the UAE military's outstanding performance in Afghanistan. End Summary. F-22s At Iron Falcon: Send Important Message to Region ¶2. (S) Air Vice Marshall (Maj Gen) Mohamed Sowaidon welcomed Lt Gen Hostage to the UAE while expressing his delight with the Emirati Air Force's recent participation in the Red Flag Exercise at Nellis AB in Nevada. He said they wished to do it again, and Lt Gen Hostage said he would try to help, although many countries want to participate. MG Sowaidon thanked the U.S. for progress being made at the Air Warfare Center (AWC). Lt Gen Hostage said he looked forward to the F-22s participating in the next Iron Falcon exercise at the AWC at the end of November. Our public affairs officials would need to work together, but he wanted other regional countries to see the F-22 participating at both the Iron Falcon Exercise and the Dubai Air Show and draw the right conclusions. Both wanted to see a positive message come out, stressing our partnership. Liwa AB: Let's Take a Look; UAE Could Adjust its Plans ¶3. (S) MG Sowaidon acknowledged U.S. interest in surveying Liwa AB and expressed his willingness to help. He said that perhaps once the site survey was completed, he and Gen Hostage could visit the site. Lt Gen Hostage offered to use his aircraft for the two to visit Liwa. MG Sowaidon stated that there was very little infrastructure there now, but he noted they had plans to put first a Mirage squadron and later an F-16 squadron there. He said that UAE plans could be adjusted. Lt Gen Hostage suggested that a U.S. presence could complement the Emiratis' efforts in many ways. MG Sowaidon said he could see us operating together from there. Lt Gen Hostage assured him there was no large force poised to move in. The survey was just to get a sense of what might be possible at Liwa, and then those possibilities could be discussed. Offer to Host RIAMD COE, Not Sure Others Will Come ¶4. (S) Lt Gen Hostage explained that GEN Petraeus had tasked him to work on regionalizing IAMD. He asked about the UAE's willingness to host the RIAMD CoE, and MG Sowaidon said he welcomed the idea to team on this: "We'll do it; no problem. We have the facilities." Lt Gen Hostage praised him on the success of the AWC and said he felt the RIAMD COE could be equally beneficial, with resident experts always at hand to help train the UAE and GCC in building a regional IAMD system in a trust-building environment. While acknowledging that doing this was physically possible, MG Sowaidon stressed that politically it would be much more difficult. ¶5. (S) Lt Gen Hostage asked about the UAE's use of the GCC HAT system (GCC multilateral C2 system),which led to an Air and Missile Defense discussion. Lt Gen Hostage offered to be able to share a common picture on a HAT-like system and that perhaps the HAT backbone could facilitate a COP he could share with all the GCC nations. MG Sowaidon was interested, stating, "We can commit easily to that," but he had his doubts about the other GCC nations' willingness to participate. Lt Gen Hostage assured him it would be each nation's decision to determine whether and what to share. But at least all of them could see the same picture from U.S. satellites, radars and ships in a connected network, helping everyone to better protect ABU DHABI 00001043 002 OF 002 themselves. ¶6. (S) MG Sowaidon briefly remarked that the UAE was "planning a new air and missile defense system," mentioning a new radar and the need for the UAE and U.S. to talk to each other on the Air Defense side and about F-16s. (NOTE: It was unclear if the "system" he referred to was with equipment or in organization. About two weeks ago, in a meeting with MG Anderson and USLO Col Sprague, the UAE Air Force Deputy mentioned that they were going to break out the AD from the AF. Perhaps the two comments are related.) Visit to AUAB to See Common Air Picture ¶7. (S/NF) Lt Gen Hostage asked whether MG Sowaidon was building a new Air Operations Center (AOC). MG Sowaidon said yes. Lt Gen Hostage offered him a visit to the CAOC at Al Udeid AB, after the Dubai Air Show (DAS),and MG Sowaidon accepted the offer. Lt Gen Hostage springboarded from that to his need to find an alternate / contingency location for the CAOC at Al Udeid, and MG Sowaidon said the UAE would see what it could do to be helpful. There was brief talk of facilities on Al Dhafra AB (ADAB) as a possibility as the US already had significant communications capabilities there. This led to brief mention of the "vacant" test facility on the ADAB flight line. MG Sowaidon stated that an element from Al Bateen has set up there but believed it was a small unit. MG Sowaidon said, "Give us a proposal for how you would use ADAB and we can consider." ¶8. (C) MG Sowaidon asked Lt Gen Hostage for his views on Afghanistan. Lt Gen Hostage turned question back to him, and MG Sowaidon stated it was an issue of keeping Afghan forces paid and overcoming a culture of corruption. MG Sowaidon stated that dealing with India, Pakistan and Iran was crucial to resolving Afghanistan's problems. UAE Wants Help with Link-16 Releasability ¶9. (S) In reply to Lt Gen Hostage's offer for any help needed, MG Sowaidon asked him for help with Link 16 (NOTE: after F-16 munitions requests, the Emiratis' second key strategic talking point). Lt Gen Hostage said he would provide him a Link-16 update. Lt Gen Hostage thanked him for the UAE's excellent performance in Afghanistan, and MG Sowaidon merely replied that we are fighting a common enemy. ¶10. (U) BG Abdullah Al Neydi, Chief of UAE AF Ops and Training, also attended but made no inputs. OLSON