SECURITY ENVIRONMENT PROFILE QUESTIONNAIRE -

UNCLAS STATE 013023 FOR RSO E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC PTER SUBJECT: SECURITY ENVIRONMENT PROFILE QUESTIONNAIRE - SPRING 2009 REF: 08 STATE 33533 ¶1. (U) The following Security Environment Profile Questionnaire (SEPQ) will be used by Diplomatic Security,s Office of Intelligence and Threat Analysis (ITA) to help ascertain Posts, threat levels for political violence and terrorism. ITA requests that Post complete the SEPQ by Friday, February 27. SEPQ responses should be sent open channel and slugged for DS/TIA/ITA, with the FBI, CIA, and DIA as info addressees. ¶2. (U) General guidance for completing the questionnaires: A formal response is required even if there are no identifiable changes from the last rating cycle. Posts are reminded they are ultimately responsible for ensuring SEPQs are submitted for constituent Posts as well. Posts are encouraged to provide substantive responses to applicable questions rather than a simple yes or no. Thorough responses will better support the analysis required to determine threat ratings. Please ensure the SEPQ responses are numbered and properly coordinated with the appropriate sections of the questionnaire. Although this cable is unclassified, the responses should not be limited to this classification. ¶3. (U) By way of background, the Bureau of Diplomatic Security is responsible for evaluating the threat environment for personnel and facilities that fall under Chief of Mission authority. The official ratings for these facilities are published semi-annually in the SETL (REF A),and the responses to the questions posed below will facilitate the rating process for the SETL. ¶4. (U) When published, the SETL is considered an evolving document, reflective of the general threat environment as opposed to a depiction of the fluctuating real-time threat situation. The SETL is designed to provide a long-term picture for planning purposes. In instances when threat information is considered sufficiently credible to warrant an immediate response, the dispatch of TDY security personnel and security resources will be committed as necessary, regardless of the assigned SETL threat level for the Post. -------------- Security Environment Profile Questionnaire -------------- -------------- ¶5. (U) Political Violence -------------- ¶I. (U) Demonstrations ¶A. Are there any ethnic or religious communities in-country prone to carrying out significant anti-American demonstrations? If yes, please describe. i. Have there been anti-American demonstrations in the country within the last 12 months? If yes, please describe. ii. Have anti-American demonstrations taken place near or in front of U.S. diplomatic facilities? If yes, please describe. iii. What is the average size of an anti-American demonstration? iv. Are anti-American demonstrations usually triggered by U.S. foreign policy initiatives, military actions, or by domestic issues? ¶B. Are demonstrations generally violent or peaceful? i. Have violent demonstrations resulted in damage to USG property or injuries to USG employees? If yes, please describe. ii. Have violent demonstrators ever penetrated our perimeter security line? If yes, please describe. ¶C. Have any anti-government demonstrations taken place in the country within the last 12 months? i. Have any anti-government demonstrations taken place near or in front of U.S. diplomatic facilities? If yes, please describe. ii. What is the average size of an anti-government demonstration? iii. Are demonstrations generally violent or peaceful? iv. Have any demonstrations resulted in damage to USG property? If yes, please describe. II. (U) Macro Conflict Conditions ¶A. Is the host country engaged in an interstate or intrastate conflict? (This may include battles between organized and violent drug cartels.) If yes, please provide a brief synopsis. ¶B. If an intrastate conflict, is it an insurgency limited to a specific region or is it a countrywide civil war? ¶C. If limited to a specific region, are any U.S. diplomatic facilities located in this region? If so, where? ¶D. Have any of the factions involved in intrastate conflicts signaled or demonstrated an anti-American orientation? If yes, please provide a brief synopsis. III. (U) Host Country Capabilities ¶A. Are law enforcement agencies professional and well-trained? Please describe. ¶B. Have they been trained by U.S. agencies? If so, please elaborate on effectiveness of training. ¶C. Are law enforcement agencies confronted with serious, widespread corruption inside their agencies? Please describe. ¶D. Are the intelligence services professional and capable of deterring terrorist actions? Please provide examples. ¶E. Have the intelligence services been cooperative with U.S. Embassy requests for information and support? ¶F. Assuming there have been significant terrorist threats in recent years, have host country security services been able to score any major anti-terrorism successes? If yes, please describe. ¶G. Has host country been responsive (re: timeliness and allocation of resources) to U.S. Embassy requests for protective security? If no, please elaborate. ¶H. How does the Embassy assess the overall security at major airports in the country? (excellent; very good; good/average; poor) If poor, please elaborate. ¶I. How effective are customs and immigration controls agencies? (effective; average; ineffective) If ineffective, please elaborate. ¶J. How effective are border patrol forces? (effective; average; ineffective) If ineffective, please elaborate. -------------- ¶6. (U) Indigenous Terrorism -------------- ¶I. (U) Anti-American Terrorist Groups ¶A. Are there indigenous, anti-American terrorist groups in-country? If yes, how many? Please name groups. ¶B. Have groups carried out lethal anti-American attacks within the last 12 months? If yes, please describe. ¶C. Were there any other anti-American attacks? If yes, please describe. ¶D. Have groups attacked U.S. diplomatic targets? If yes, please describe. ¶E. Have groups attacked U.S. business, U.S. military, or U.S. related targets? If yes, please describe. ¶F. Have groups limited their attacks to specific regions or do they operate country-wide? ¶G. If attacks are limited to regions, are there any U.S. diplomatic facilities located in these regions? If so, where? II. (U) Other Indigenous Terrorist Groups ¶A. Are there other indigenous terrorist groups (not anti-American) in-country? If yes, how many? Please name groups. ¶B. Have groups carried out attacks in the capital or in areas where U.S. diplomatic facilities are located? If so, how close? ¶C. Were attacks lethal and/or indiscriminate? Please elaborate. ¶D. Have any Americans been killed or injured in these attacks? -------------- ¶7. (U) Transnational Terrorism -------------- ¶I. (U) Transnational Terrorist Indicators ¶A. Are there any foreign terrorist groups that have a presence in-country? Please provide names. ¶B. How does Post assess this presence? Is it an operational cell? Financial cell? Support cell? Propaganda cell? ¶C. Is the host government sympathetic to these groups? ¶D. Are there suspect non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the country that have a relationship with any of these groups? ¶E. Are there any ethnic or religious communities in-country that are sympathetic to these groups? ¶F. How does Post assess the level, intent, and scope of hostile intelligence services (Iran, Iraq, Syria, Serbia, Sudan, etc.) .in-country relative to potential anti-American terrorist acts? ¶G. How does Post assess the availability of weapons and explosives in-country or from nearby countries for hostile terrorist elements? CLINTON