GERMAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANSF TRAINING

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERLIN 000197 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/19/2020 TAGS: MASS PREL MARR MOPS NATO GM AF SUBJECT: GERMAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANSF TRAINING REF: A. STATE 14366 ¶B. BERLIN 157 Classified By: POLITICAL MINISTER COUNSELOR GEORGE GLASS. REASONS: 1.4 (B) AND (D). ¶1. (C) Charge d'Affaires delivered ref A points to MOD State Secretary Ruediger Wolf and MFA Afghanistan-Pakistan Task Force Director Ruediger Koenig in separate meetings on February 18, encouraging Germany to clarify at the February 23 NATO/ISAF Force Generation Conference what specific NATO requirements it intends to fill through its planned troop increase and force restructuring. Wolf noted that the ability of the government to make any formal force commitments or to give details about how those new forces will be deployed will be limited until the Bundestag approves the new parliamentary mandate for Bundeswehr operations in Afghanistan, which is not expected to occur until February ¶26. Koenig thought, however, that German representatives at the February 23 Force Generation Conference would at least be able to announce the planned increase of 500 (plus the 350-man reserve) with the caveat that this commitment was dependent on Bundestag approval. ¶2. (C) Koenig revealed that the Bundeswehr Operations Command was "still racking its brains" over how to restructure its current presence in order to meet the Chancellor's January 26 commitment to increase the number of German soldiers dedicated to ANSF training from the current 280 to 1,400, while only increasing the overall full-time authorized troop presence by 500. He noted that the MOD had originally proposed a much greater increase in the troop ceiling to carry out its plans for partnering with the ANA in the north and was having a difficult time coming to terms with having to make do with a much smaller number. COMMENT ¶3. (C) It should be easier for us to obtain details on how Germany plans to fill troop requirements in the north and in Kabul after the mandate had been safely approved by the Bundestag on February 26. However, Defense Minister zu Guttenberg has already made clear in public statements and in private conversations with Ambassador Murphy (ref B) that the restructuring essentially involves turning the current battalion-size quick reaction force based in Mazar into a "protection and training" battalion that will operate regularly with the ANA in the field. A second such battalion will be created in Kunduz by augmenting an existing infantry company with new troops. In this way, Germany plans to fulfill the CJSOR requirement for two additional maneuver units in the north. As far OMLT requirements for the 209th ANA Corps in the north are concerned, German officials have assured us that most of them, if not all, are already filled, including for the 3rd Brigade scheduled to be stood up this year. ¶4. (C) The Germans are also very active in establishing a new ANA Engineer Branch School in Mazar and upgrading the existing Logistics School in Kabul into full-fledged Combat Service Support School, although it is not clear how many positions they intend to fill at these institutions themselves. At the December SHAPE Force General Conference, Germany already committed to provide 14 POMLT-equivalents. (Note: Each German police mentoring team consists of 4 civilian police, 4 military police and 2 interpreters. End Note.) This may very well be the extent of Germany's capacity to provide POMLTs for the next year, which depend on limited Bundeswehr force protection and medical assets to operate outside the wire. However, Germany's ability to provide additional institutional police trainers should increase -- the Chancellor pledged on January 26 to increase the overall number of police trainers in the German bilateral program (i.e., distinct from those dedicated to EUPOL) from the current 123 to 200. She claimed that this would allow Germany to train some 5,000 Afghan policemen a year. Delawie