BOSNIA: CONTRIBUTION OF ANSF TRAINERS POSSIBLE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SARAJEVO 000167 SIPDIS SCA/A FOR RUSH, EUR/PRM FOR CARLAND AND COPE E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/19/2020 TAGS: MASS PREL BK SUBJECT: BOSNIA: CONTRIBUTION OF ANSF TRAINERS POSSIBLE REF: SECSTATE 14366 Classified By: Amb. Charles English for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) We delivered reftel points to Assistant Minister of Defense Zoran Sajinovic on February 19, urging Bosnia to contribute a team of trainers or mentors to ISAF's efforts to expand the capacity of the Afghan National Security Forces. Sajinovic told us that Bosnia's Military Representative to NATO had called him the day before to inform him of the request of D/SACEUR General McColl, and said that he would pass along that conversation as well as our points to the Minister later that day. ¶2. (C) While Bosnia cannot have an answer by the February 23 force generation conference, Sajinovic was optimistic about Bosnia's ability to contribute officers who had been through relevant training for training and mentoring missions. The request from NATO to Bosnia, as Sajinovic understands it, is for 10 English-speaking officers, of those who have already participated in NATO-certified training, to deploy to a training mission in Mazar-e-Sharif under Norwegian command and with Norwegian sponsorship. Sajinovic told us that they have not spoken to the Norwegians about this yet, but that Bosnia would need 100 percent logistical support for the deployment, although Bosnia could cover personnel costs. That said, Sajinovic judged that Bosnia had the capacity to staff such a depoyment on a continuing basis, and that this wouldhave no effect on Bosnia's consideration of contibuting other units to ISAF as well. Comment -------------- ¶3. (C) Although Bosnia's inability to mke decisions has left them dithering over other possibilities to deploy to Afghanistan for the last year, the defense leadership and all of Bosnia's leaders support a deployment to ISAF as a way of proving Bosnia is able to contribute to the Alliance and bolster Bosnia's case for a Membership Action Plan. We do not know whether Norway (or another sponsor) is willing to cover the costs of logistical support for a deployment of mentors and trainers from Bosnia. If they are, this is probably one of the quickest and easiest ways Bosnia can contribute to the ISAF mission. Bosnia has English-speaking officers who have received relevant training from NATO allies, and a deployment of ten officers under Norwegian command to a relatively safe area of Afghanistan would cause none of the political concerns that have slowed decision-making on Bosnia's other possibilities to contribute forces to peace-keeping mission in Afghanistan. ENGLISH