Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
10ATHENS85
2010-02-08 09:09:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Athens
Cable title:  

THE CASE FOR INCREASING GREECE'S FY2012 IMET FUNDING

Tags:  PREL MASS GR 
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OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTH #0085/01 0390909
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 080909Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY ATHENS
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 1495
INFO RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS
C O N F I D E N T I A L ATHENS 000085 

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/08
TAGS: PREL MASS GR
SUBJECT: THE CASE FOR INCREASING GREECE'S FY2012 IMET FUNDING

REF: ATHENS 73

CLASSIFIED BY: Daniel V. Speckhard, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(B),(D)

C O N F I D E N T I A L ATHENS 000085

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 2020/02/08
TAGS: PREL MASS GR
SUBJECT: THE CASE FOR INCREASING GREECE'S FY2012 IMET FUNDING

REF: ATHENS 73

CLASSIFIED BY: Daniel V. Speckhard, Ambassador; REASON: 1.4(B),(D)


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Embassy Athens strongly supports EUCOM's
request for $500,000 IMET funding for Greece in FY2012. Returning
IMET funding in Greece to 2000-2008 norms will help advance
American goals by:



- Fostering strong bilateral mil-mil relations with the
U.S.;

- Strengthening Greece's commitment to NATO;

- Enhancing Greek military professionalism and
interoperability;

- Countering misperceptions of the U.S. ingrained in Greek
society that find their way into the Greek military, as well.




2. (SBU) SUMMARY CON'T: Greece's IMET funding was decreased from
$443,000 in FY2008 to $100,000 in FY2009, and flatlined at $100,000
through FY2011. FY2009, the first year of implementing this
near-80 percent budget cut, saw the number of Greek officers
receiving Professional Military Education (PME) in the U.S. shrink
from 66 to four. Further, whereas IMET funding had in the past
reached and shaped upcoming junior officers, exposing them to
American training and culture on their path to leadership
positions, none went to the U.S. in FY2009. Greek officers across
all ranks continue to serve in multilateral operations alongside
American forces in headquarters and in the field, making enhanced
interoperability and professionalism a continuing need. Given the
general, longstanding anti-American and anti-NATO atmosphere in
Greece, we believe that this dearth of training and exposure to
America will have detrimental long-term effects on the Hellenic
Armed Forces' overall outlook toward the U.S., and will ultimately
hamper our strong mil-mil relationship. END SUMMARY.



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NUMBERS ARE STARK

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2. (SBU) Greece's annual IMET allocation from 2000 to 2008
averaged $479,000 per year. Over this period of time, 612 officers
received PME in the United States; 42 percent (260) were junior
officers (Captain and below). In FY2008, Greece received $443,000
in IMET funds, which enabled 66 officers, half of which were junior
officers, to attend 131 courses in the U.S. FY2009's dramatic
decrease came as a surprise and disappointment to Greek officials;
internal prioritization in the MOD resulted in a decision to send
only four higher-ranking officers to senior service college courses
in the U.S. (the National War College, Air Command and Staff
College, Air War College, and Joint Forces Staff College). IMET
levels are currently locked in at $100,000 for FY2010; we

understand the Greeks intend to use these funds in a manner similar
to FY2009. A consequence of the previous decision to slash Greek
IMET funding has been the absence of exposure to U.S. education and
culture among Greek junior officers, the future leadership of the
Hellenic Armed Forces. We missed an entire class in 2009, and
stand to miss them again in 2010 and 2011. With State's
Congressional Budget Justification for FY2011 having requested only
$100,000 again for Greece, FY2012 is a pivotal year. Our choice is
clear: either accept the permanent lack of exposure to the U.S.,
or begin to return to past levels following a FY2009-FY2011 hiccup.





3. (SBU) Greece's domestic economic situation does not add
optimism to hopes for Greece funding its own training in the U.S.
at the levels which IMET permitted over most of the past decade.
Greece's per capita GDP at purchasing power parity ($30,856 in
2009, according to the IMF) puts it above most newer NATO Allies
(Slovenia is the closest, at $28,524),but still below most of the
older, established Allies. Greece's recession and ongoing major
economic crisis has led to a severe budget crunch at MOD as the
government seeks to slash spending to restore the faith of
international markets in the Greek economy and to avert a debt

crisis in the medium-term. The MOD took a 500-million euro hit in
the 2010 budget, and it faces the potential for more cuts should
Greece need to make mid-year corrections to compensate for lower
revenues; its already small training budget is expected to suffer
further. On February 4, the Hellenic Air Force General Staff
informed our ODC office to cancel all their scheduled and requested
U.S. training for 2010 as a result of these budget cuts.



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ATTITUDES IN GREECE STILL NEED ADJUSTING

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4. (C) Greece has always been a strategically important, yet
difficult member of NATO. Though an important bulwark of NATO's
southern flank during the Cold War, Greece withdrew from the
Alliance's integrated military command structure in 1974 following
Turkey's invasion of Cyprus (and reintegrated in 1980). Public
attitudes toward both the United States and NATO have been strained
under even the best times, let alone during crises. For example,
NATO's bombing of Serbia in 1999 inflamed and left scars in Greek
public opinion, and the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in 2003 created a
negative impression in the minds of Greeks that still lingers
today. A deep mistrust exists among Greeks toward NATO's policies
in the Aegean Sea, which the Greeks believe favor the interests of
Turkey at Greek expense. As a result, while most Greek governments
see strategic value in and wish practically to foster good
relations with NATO and the U.S., they seek to keep strong
contributions - such as the U.S. Naval Support Activity at Souda
Bay, Crete - out of the public spotlight.




5. (C) Recent surveys, one by Embassy Athens of public opinion in
2009, and one of attitudes toward NATO among active duty and
retired officers by V Project Research Consulting, one of the
largest research and polling companies in Greece, provide
illustrative data points. Among the Greek public, only 34 percent
held "favorable" views toward the U.S., while 79 percent held
"favorable" views toward Russia. 83 percent "generally disagreed"
that the U.S. aids in disaster relief, 86 percent "generally
disagreed" that the U.S. helps poor nations develop, and 85 percent
"generally disagreed" that the U.S. promotes democracy. Among
officers, 73 percent believed Greece would benefit from a military
alliance with Russia. 64 percent believed that NATO should not
continue operations in Afghanistan. 24 percent favored a completed
or partial military withdrawal from NATO. 28 percent favored
NATO's abolition. 59 percent believed NATO should not conduct
"out-of-area" missions.




5. (C) This is the environment in which junior officers of the
Hellenic Armed Forces grow up, go to school, and join the military.
Our task in combating ill-informed, knee-jerk anti-Americanism is
not complete in Athens, and IMET is a valuable tool in that effort
that also leads to benefits for U.S.-Greece mil-mil relations and
more support for multilateral operations. By way of example, the
current Greek-equivalent Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
and the current CHOD have studied in America.



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OUR MIL-MIL RELATIONS AND GREEK CONTRIBUTIONS TO MULTILATERAL
OPERATIONS

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-------------- ---




6. (C) U.S.-Greek mil-mil relations are strong, and have been a
constant over the years in the face of oscillations in bilateral
political relations. IMET has been an important aspect in building
the ties, and fostering understanding and appreciation. A tangible
benefit of this relationship is found at the U.S. Naval Support
Activity at Souda Bay, Crete. U.S. military operations in Iraq and
Afghanistan, as well as the Mediterranean benefit greatly from

Souda Bay's strategic location and the fact that it has the longest
runway and deepest port in the eastern Med. Continued exposure of
quantities of Greek officers across all ranks to American culture,
values, and military professionalism through PME is important to
maintaining these relations.




7. (C) Reftel details Greece's military and financial
contributions in Afghanistan. Greece is one of the top NATO troop
contributors in Kosovo (and was in NATO's IFOR and SFOR operations
in Bosnia, as well),and contributes to both NATO's Operation
Active Endeavor counterterrorism mission and its Ocean Shield
anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia. Greek soldiers serve
alongside U.S. forces in these NATO operations. Greece has also
seized the opportunity to shape NATO's future efforts in maritime
interdiction by leading the NATO Maritime Interdiction Operational
Training Center (NMIOTC) at Souda Bay, and provides training to
Allies and NATO Partners, including facilitating some U.S. national
training events at no cost.



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PROPOSAL

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8. (C) Post believes that the dearth of training and exposure to
the U.S. system that began with the cut in Greece's IMET budget in
FY2009 will have detrimental long-term effects on the Hellenic
Armed Forces' overall outlook toward the U.S., and will hamper our
strong mil-mil relationship. Post believes that Greece's
across-the-board participation in multinational operations
alongside U.S. forces, combined with continuing anti-Americanism in
society in a dreadful economic climate warrants a return to levels
of IMET funding that existed over most of the past decade. As
such, Post strongly supports EUCOM's request for $500,000 in IMET
funding for FY2012, and is ready to provide a plan to demonstrate
how it will be put to good use, as were previous funding levels
from 2000 to 2008.
Speckhard

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