HUNGARY'S INITIAL RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR ANSF

C O N F I D E N T I A L BUDAPEST 000101 SIPDIS DOD FOR USDP FLOURNOY. DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/A ANTHONY RUSH IN SCA/A, EUR/RPM RAPHAEL CARLAND AND AARON COPE, AND EUR/CE JAMIE MOORE., NSC FOR JEFF HOVENIER E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/21/2020 TAGS: MASS PREL NATO AF HU SUBJECT: HUNGARY'S INITIAL RESPONSE TO REQUEST FOR ANSF TRAINERS REF: SECSTATE 14366 Classified By: Political Officer Jon Martinson, reasons 1.4 b and d. 1 (C) PolOff and DATT delivered reftel points to the MFA's NATO Section Head Eszter Sandorfi and the MOD's International Department Head, Brigadier Istvan Gyenes, respectively February 19. In addition to stressing the importance the GOH readiness to make specific commitments at the February 23 force generation conference, the Hungarians were encouraged to accelerate their second OMLT deployment from 2011 to 2010 to help meet the identified OMLT shortfall. ¶2. (C) Sandorfi said she would pass the information to the MFA's State Secretary for Policy, Gabor Iklody, but that the MOD had the lead on this issue. BG Gyenes stated that there would probably not be firm numbers until the Hungarians actually arrived at the Force Generation conference, commenting that the previously offered numbers were still "under negotiation." Gyenes specifically mentioned the funding issue for these additional troop deployments because these are unplanned and unbudgeted expenses. However, in a follow-up conversation with the DATT on February 22, MOD Policy State Secretary Jozsef Bali said the Hungarians will offer an Engineer OMLT at the upcoming force generation conference but he doubts it would deploy before 2011, depending on the availability of an Afghan Engineering Kandak. KOUNALAKIS