USAU: TFG CHIEF OF STAFF ON SUPPORT REQUIREMENTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ADDIS ABABA 002165 SIPDIS STATE FOR AF/FO, AF/RSA, AND AF/E E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/04/2019 TAGS: MASS MCAP MOPS SO ET DJ SUBJECT: USAU: TFG CHIEF OF STAFF ON SUPPORT REQUIREMENTS AND SECURITY COOPERATION Classified By: CDA Roger Meece, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary: Joint Chief of Staff of the Somali National Armed Forces Major General Yusuf H. Osman (aka Dommal), accompanied by the Somali Ambassador to Ethiopia and interpreter/intelligence officer Hussein Sheikh Ali, spoke broadly about the Transitional Federal Government's (TFG) fledgling military, its organization, shortcomings, and security partners. Among the most urgent requirements, General Dommal told USAU Military Advisor, are uniforms and protective gear, training, and communications. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Asked about the size of the Somali National Armed Forces (SNAF),Dommal claimed to have 4,574 troops &in action8 in Somalia. Of those, he characterized 1,350 as Alliance for the Re-liberation of Somalia (ARS),primarily comprised of soldiers of the former regime who are over the age of forty. Additionally, there are 700 young ARS fighters with no previous military experience. There are also two groups of &former TFG8 (Transitional Federal Government) fighters, one comprised of 1,350 troops who received training in Ethiopia and elsewhere, and the other comprised of 574 personnel trained in Uganda. Finally, Dommal has a 600-man element of what he called the &Darawish Militia.8 (Note: Dommal admitted that identification and registration of SSF personnel is still problematic. Separately, AMISOM sources tell us that only 1,284 SNAF have been properly registered.) ¶3. (C) Regarding those in training abroad, Dommal reported that he has 700 troops who are currently being transported to Uganda for a six-month training course by the Ugandan People,s Defence Force (UPDF). He also has troops undergoing three months of training in Djibouti, 160 of whom are being trained by French forces and 360 who are being trained by the Djiboutian Army. Dommal mentioned that he intends to send more trainees to Djibouti for training, but did not elaborate. Dommal said that while three months of training is not optimal, exigencies demand an abbreviated program which he will follow up with additional training in theater. ¶4. (C) Dommal indicated that the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) has also committed to training a total of 7,500 Somali troops, in three tranches of 1,000, 3,000, and 3,500 personnel for three months each. Training for the first group could begin within two weeks, Dommal said. He suggested, however, that transportation challenges might delay the training. Dommal requested USG financial support to move the Somali recruits from various assembly points along the Somalia-Ethiopia border to training bases at Balate and Hurso. ¶5. (C) In addition to basic training for recruits, Dommal reported that he urgently needs training for leaders, namely company grade officers. Dommal claimed to know about the AMISOM Force Commander,s initiative to establish a forty-man AMISOM training cadre in Mogadishu to provide small unit leader training to the SNAF. Asked about the SNAF leadership, Dommal stated that he has only 92 officers with the rank of captain or above. Per Dommal, junior leaders in the SNAF consist of 112 &inspectors and sergeants.8 ¶6. (C) Dommal indicated that both Rwanda and Burundi are providing limited officer training, and that Tanzania, Sudan, and Egypt have all offered to provide similar training in their respective countries. Another shortcoming is the lack of administrators and paymasters, said Dommal. He asked for USG assistance with these kinds of technical training, for both the army and the Ministry of Defense. He lamented, however, that decades of civil war made it hard to find personnel in the SNAF ranks who have the educational levels and aptitude to perform such jobs. Dommal also mentioned the need for training on heavy weapons, which Force Commander MG Nathan Mugisha is also planning to provide. ¶7. (C) Dommal reported a critical need for uniforms. He indicated that there is an operational imperative to procure uniforms immediately, saying that MG Mugisha plans imminently to launch a combined AMISOM-SNAF offensive but will not include SNAF units unless they are outfitted with a standard uniform. Dommal revealed that the TFG placed an order with the Ethiopian Government for 6,000 uniform sets, including boots and headgear, with a price tag of $60,000 USD. Dommal noted that the ENDF, however, can only supply 4,700 for the time being. He also stated that the TFG cannot pay this bill, and requested that the USG pay the Ethiopian Government for the uniforms and shipping. ¶8. (C) In terms of equipment, Dommal expressed critical needs for body armor for at least 200-300 personnel. He also asked ADDIS ABAB 00002165 002 OF 002 for VHF handheld radios, base stations, antennae, and a spare parts package, as well as training for communications technicians. Dommal also pointedly asked for an update on Secretary Clinton,s promise to President Sheikh Sharif of armored vehicles for the TFG. ¶9. (C) Asked about the composition of his army, Dommal explained that he still has not created a brigade structure. Currently, the SNAF is comprised of five functional &commands,8 including operations, logistics, administration, intelligence, and training and foreign relations. The SNAF also has seven operational battalions, four &infantry8 battalions comprised of 500 men each, and three &militia8 battalions, each with between 300 and 350 fighters. ¶10. (C) Comment: Dommal came across as amiable, mild-mannered, and thoughtful. Despite his police background, where he claims to have served as a deputy police commissioner, he appears to have a fair grasp of military issues. Dommal claims to command only the TFG military, but indicated that TFG police could come under his command if they were participating in joint operations with the TFG military. End Comment. MEECE