UK TO INCREASE RESOURCES FOR AFGHANISTAN

C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 000905 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/RPM AND EUR/WE E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/16/2019 TAGS: PREL NATO MOPS MARR AF SUBJECT: UK TO INCREASE RESOURCES FOR AFGHANISTAN REF: STATE 31102 Classified By: Political Counselor Richard M. Mills, Jr. for reasons 1. 4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) HMG concurs with reftel view that additional civilian and military resources are needed to implement a strategy to stabilize Afghanistan, and appreciates USG efforts, as reflected in the comprehensive target audience for reftel demarche, to broaden burdensharing. MOD Joint Commitments Director Greg Lupton and FCO Afghanistan Team Leader Matthew Lodge said that the UK intends to follow up on commitments it made at the NATO Summit and bilaterally during President Obama's London visit. Lodge said that the UK will continue to encourage other allies to enhance contributions, and noted that MOD Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Peter Wall and PM Foreign Policy Advisor Simon McDonald would visit Poland, Portugal and possibly other countries sometime in the next few weeks as part of that process. Lodge also confided that the Prime Minister will visit Afghanistan soon, then address Parliament to lay out details of the UK's enhanced presence and resource commitments. ¶2. (C) Lupton said that the UK would provide an additional battalion in the run-up to the August elections, bringing the UK total to approximately 9,000 troops. The level would drop back to the current 8,300 troops in the period after the election, assuming conditions are secure enough to do so. Details on the composition of the additional forces are under discussion, but HMG recognizes the need to enhance the Operational Mentoring and Liaison Teams and Police Mentoring Teams. HMG is also considering increasing its contributions to the ANA trust fund. Details of the amount should be included in the PM's address to Parliament, but Lodge cautioned that it is unlikely to be on the scale requested in reftel, underlining that the amount of USD 100 million per year represents over half of the total worldwide FCO conflict prevention budget. ¶3. (C) Both Lodge and Lupton welcomed reftel's focus on civilian assistance, and noted that the Department for International Development had recently increased its commitment in that regard to UK 510 million (approximately USD 800 million) over the next four years. The funds allocated will focus on poverty reduction, including job creation, and rural enterprise development and counter-narcotics. Visit London's Classified Website: http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Unit ed_Kingdom LEBARON