Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09ADDISABABA2165
2009-09-08 04:45:00
SECRET//NOFORN
Embassy Addis Ababa
Cable title:  

USAU: TFG CHIEF OF STAFF ON SUPPORT REQUIREMENTS

Tags:  MASS MCAP MOPS SO ET DJ 
pdf how-to read a cable
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FM AMEMBASSY ADDIS ABABA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6123
INFO RUEHZO/AFRICAN UNION COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEPADJ/CJTF HOA PRIORITY
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RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUZEFAA/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE PRIORITY
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).

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