SLOVAK PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL CRISIS OPERATIONS

C O N F I D E N T I A L BRATISLAVA 000291 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 1/17/2012 TAGS: PGOV PREL MOPS AF LO SUBJECT: SLOVAK PARTICIPATION IN INTERNATIONAL CRISIS OPERATIONS CLASSIFIED BY: Keith A. Eddins, Charge d Affaires, EXEC, DOS. REASON: 1.4 (b),(d) ¶1. (U) Summary. On June 19, Slovakia's parliament, by a vote of 134-0, approved a measure enabling Slovak Armed Forces to deploy 16 additional troops in support of NATO's International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. Deputies from all parliamentary parties supported the measure. The total mandate for Slovak soldiers in Afghanistan thus increased from 246 to ¶262. Sixteen additional troops will depart this summer, including 11 who will reinforce the Slovak guard unit at the Kandahar air base, and a five-person medical unit that will serve in Uruzgan province through the August presidential elections. Slovakia currently has a total of 609 soldiers deployed worldwide, including 371 in NATO missions, 40 in EU missions, and 198 with the UN. In addition 21 Slovak civilians (19 police officers, one military expert and one Customs officer) serve in four different EU missions in the Balkans, Goergia and Ukraine/Moldova. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) During a joint MFA-MoD briefing for the diplomatic corps on June 18, MFA Political Director Igor Slobodnik reiterated that Slovakia's priority mission is ISAF. 231 Slovak soldiers currently serve in ISAF, meaning 15 unfilled positions will remain in the Slovak mandate after the 16 additional soldiers deploy this summer. The new mandate approved by Parliament on June 19 enables those 15 positions to be filled without geographic caveats by soldiers working in an Operational Mentoring and Liason Team (OMLT). Slovakia has previously expressed interest in leading a garrsion OMLT in Uruzgan or Kandahar, possibly in conjunction with its State partner, the Indiana National Guard. (Comment. The Adjutant General of the Indiana National Guard, Major General Umbarger, told Emboffs on June 21 that he needs at least 12 months notice in order to support an OMLT mission with the Slovaks. Umbarger gave that timeline to Slovak interlocutors during a visit to Slovakia the week of June 14. End comment.) ¶3. (C) In response to a question from the UK Ambassador, Slobodnik said that money for military operations is fenced, and will not be affected by Slovakia's current budget shortfalls. He allowed, however, that funds are limited and money spent on foreign operations diminishes money available for transformation and modernization. ¶4. (C) Colonel Peter Slovak, the Director of the Security and Defense Policy division at MoD, said that Slovakia's current deployments are near the limits of what can be sustained in the current budget situation. He said Slovakia is planning to reduce its forces in Kosovo in consultation with NATO partners, but that it is premature to speculate on whether that would enable more Slovak deployments to Afghanistan. ¶5. (U) According to an evaluation of the Slovak army's international operations approved by the government on June 17, Slovakia spent 30.17 million euro on overseas military operations in 2008. Slovak soldiers participated in seven missions in five countries in 2008. Of those deployed in 2008, 57 percent came under NATO, 36 percent under the UN, and 7 percent under the EU. The report highlighted that the troops focused on reconstruction and stabilization of conflict areas including, for example, de-mining, explosive ordinance disposal, construction work, the defense and protection of buildings and people, observation, monitoring and patrols. No Slovak soldiers engaged in direct combat operations in 2008. EDDINS