LOGISTICAL SUPPORT REQUESTED FOR CIVILIAN UPLIFT AND THE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 002522 DEPARTMENT FOR SRAP, SCA/FO, SCA/A, EUR/RPM STATE PASS TO AID FOR ASIA/SCAA USFOR-A FOR POLAD, USDA FAS FOR MICHENER SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: AMGT PGOV AF SUBJECT: LOGISTICAL SUPPORT REQUESTED FOR CIVILIAN UPLIFT AND THE NEW INTERAGENCY PROVINCIAL AFFAIRS OFFICE ¶1. This is an action request. See sections 5,8,9,10 and 11. ¶2. As Embassy Kabul prepares to quintuple the number of U.S. civilians working in the field with the military at the cutting edge of our stabilization, governance and development efforts, we would like to streamline and synchronize our management processes in Washington and Kabul. We want to ensure that our new colleagues - many of whom are coming from outside the U.S. government - are trained and processed through the system in the most efficient and customer-service oriented way, so they arrive ready to contribute. ¶3. In order to deploy the required number of personnel in the limited time available, Embassy Kabul will need interagency support from Washington. Currently, there appear to be four pre-deployment systems in place: 1) State FSOs; 2) the State Department Orientation and In-Processing (OIP) office in-processing of the State Department's 3161, TDY, and LNA personnel destined for field positions; 3) USAID ; and 4)USDA. This cable outlines our request to integrate the process in Washington and in Kabul. Required services for in-processing -------------- ¶4. There are a number of key required services that need to be completed in Washington before new civilian employees depart for Kabul to allow them to function quickly without administrative delays: -- Complete training, consultation and travel schedule prior to departure from Washington -- One-year Afghan visas for all civilians -- Establish uGov.gov email account -- An on-line time and attendance reporting system for 3161s, similar to what exists for State FSOs -- Issuance and completion of Embassy Kabul in-processing forms prior to departure --Transfer of OpenNet and (if needed) ClassNet accounts from previous post and verification of Cyber Security Awareness course completion -- Military Common Access Cards (CAC) to all personnel deploying to the field outside Kabul -- Diplomatic Security clearance verification letter for USG civilians (Note: USAID will send security verification electronically through their security office) -- DOD's Information Awareness (IA) test and print the IA certificates for civilians. ¶5. We understand that currently OIP processes only State department employees and new hires. Given the common needs and high priority of getting civilians to the field quickly and efficiently, we ask Washington to consider having the OIP office provide interagency in-processing services to all USAID and USDA incoming personnel as well as State employees, to unify the process and make sure all employees receive the right information and complete the requirements before arriving in Afghanistan. Action requested: we ask that OIP work with USAID and USDA to ensure they direct their employees to complete in-processing through OIP before arriving at Post or to assign additional staff in Embassy Kabul's IPA office to assist with in-processing here. ¶6. In Kabul, we have already completed an analysis of our in-processing procedures and have initiated a reorganization of our dedicated management office to streamline the process and integrate the support for all civilian personnel in the field, including officers from State, USAID and USDA. We have subdivided the management section into: 1) a Personnel / Information Unit that tracks the in-flow of personnel headed to the field and their progress through pre-deployment in-processing, 2) a Logistics Unit responsible for equipment and transportation support, and 3) a Forward Support Unit that works with the military units to ensure they are ready to receive the assigned civilian personnel. Staffing needs -------------- ¶7. We also analyzed the workload the IPA Management Division will face while supporting 365 civilian personnel in the field. This is a greater number of personnel than are currently working in the majority of U.S. embassies around the world, and these employees will be living and working in remote locations scattered throughout Afghanistan. As just one example of the workload, the management division will need to coordinate more than 3650 flights each year to support air transport between Kabul and field locations. The increased workload will not be short-term. In fact, next year we will again face a near doubling of the workload, as the 365 officers deployed this summer rotate out of Afghanistan while another 365 replacements arrive and deploy. Further, we plan to add another 52 field positions through summer 2011, bringing the total number in the field to 417. KABUL 00002522 002 OF 002 ¶8. In Kabul, we currently have an IPA management section of three State FSOs, two EFM, and two local staff. A USAID FSO will be joining the team shortly. USAID does not currently have any additional administrative staff to second to the management section. USAID has requested two (2) EFM and two (2) LES positions to support the increased workload caused by the up-lift. These positions would join the IPA management team and are critical to our ability to support the mission in the field. Action request: we request Washington's support in authorizing and filling these four positions as soon as possible. ¶9. To enable Post to meet our critical manpower shortages, we have also requested from the Department the authority to bring in LES from other posts for long-term TDY. Action request: we urge the Department to expedite the approval process for the establishment of this LES TDY authority for Embassy Kabul. The integrated IPA Management Section will need at least 5 LES/EFM positions to manage the increased workload through the State Department, even if all the requested measures in para 3 are implemented. ¶10. Action request: we also request the Department's assistance in establishing a consolidated web-based database that will track a wide range of work-related data about personnel, including arrival and departure dates, position, location, experience, skills, training, and educational background. This information will assist Embassy IPA in planning for staff training and placement. We have identified approximately forty-five (45)fields of information we would like to include in the database and can provide this information to Washington. New arrival procedures -------------- ¶11. To increase efficiency, IPA Management will begin in-processing personnel in groups of up to 15. Action request: we request that all field personnel arrive in Kabul on Fridays, Sundays, and Tuesdays, rather than individually and randomly, and we ask that Washington tailor their training schedules (to the extent possible) and travel plans to ensure personnel arrive as requested by Post. Upon arrival in Kabul, IPA will: -- Complete internal embassy administrative in-processing (HR, FMO, Medical unit, RSO) -- Conduct orientation on field work and responsibilities, best practices, and arrange consultations with relevant agencies -- Issue equipment necessary for the field -- Arrange in country travel to assignment sites -- Communicate staffing and personnel decisions back to Washington in a timely fashion to keep the personnel pipeline flowing. ¶12. Embassy Kabul recognizes that greatly increasing the number of civilians in the field will create strain on Washington as well as the Embassy. We would like to thank Washington in advance for securing the necessary resources to minimize this stress and enable us to achieve our civilian uplift targets in partnership with the Afghan government. Getting talented civilians to the field as quickly as possible will help us meet the key U.S. foreign policy objective of building a successful civilian-military counterinsurgency effort. EIKENBERRY