SWEDEN ON NTM-A TRAINER REQUESTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L STOCKHOLM 000083 SIPDIS SCA/A FOR ANTHONY RUSH, EUR/RPM FOR RAPHAEL CARLAND AND AARON COPE E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2020 TAGS: MARR MOPS PREL AF SW SUBJECT: SWEDEN ON NTM-A TRAINER REQUESTS REF: STATE 14366 Classified By: POL COUNSELOR MARC KOEHLER, REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) (C) POL Counselor delivered reftel points to Carl Magnus Eriksson, Deputy Director of the MFA Security Policy Department, February 22 and to MFA ISAF Desk Officer Annelie AlmKvist on February 19. Also on February 22, DATT delivered points to MOD America's Desk Officer Tommy Akesson. Eriksson and Almkvist said Sweden would closely examine the requests for trainers to fill NATO Training Mission-Afghanistan shortfalls, but cautioned that additional military OMLTs would not be likely given the requirement for Parliamentary approval and the fact that Swedish lawmakers had recently agreed to raise troop numbers to 500 and add a third OMLT in their PRT. As for police training, Sweden has ten police officers and ten rule of law experts already in the EUPOL mission and is actively recruiting more. On institutional trainers, however, Eriksson said there might be some possibilities based on specific requests being made at the February 23 special force generation conference. Eriksson and Akesson both said they would discuss the Swedish stance with us after the February 23 conference. BARZUN