AMBASSADOR MEETS GENERAL STAFF CHIEF GAGOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 WARSAW 000109 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EUR/CE (GLANTZ, KARAGIANNIS) OSD FOR MITCHELL, AMBASSADOR VERSHBOW, ADMIRAL MULLEN EUCOM FOR ADMIRAL STAVRIDIS USAREUR FOR GENERAL HAM E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/22/2020 TAGS: PREL MARR MOPS PGOV PL SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR MEETS GENERAL STAFF CHIEF GAGOR Classified By: Ambassador Lee Feinstein for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D) ¶1. (C) Summary: Chief of the General Staff Franciszek Gagor emphasized the importance to Poland that the first Patriot missile battery rotation take place in April in a February 19 meeting with the Ambassador. Gagor said it was his judgment that after the first rotation in Morag, it made military sense to consider other locations for future rotations. Gagor repeated Poland,s request for additional MRAPs for Afghanistan, saying that Poland has taken steps within its national capability to overcome its equipment shortfalls, and that the additional MRAPs would make Poland,s police mentoring teams more effective. Gagor said he hoped that the United States will participate in the proposed Polish-Lithuanian-Ukrainian Brigade and discussed plans to host his Russian counterpart in May. End Summary. FUTURE PATRIOT ROTATIONS AT SITES OTHER THAN MORAG -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) During the Ambassador,s February 19 courtesy call, Polish Chief of the General Staff Franciszek Gagor emphasized Poland's strong desire to have the first Patriot battery rotation take place in April. He also asked if the U.S. intent was still to have the first rotation occur at the Morag garrison. The Ambassador repeated what he said he had told Defense Minister Bogdan Klich the day prior--the United States has said it is committed to rotating the Patriot battery to Poland within 90 days of SoFA ratification. He said that military planning for the first rotation will be discussed at the Final Planning Conference scheduled for March 1-5 in Warsaw. ¶3. (C) Gagor then asked where future Patriot rotations might occur. Ambassador Feinstein said he appreciated Defense Minister Klich,s prior public remarks that the Patriot battery is &inherently mobile8 and that rotating the battery to different locations in Poland exercises the deployable capability of the system. He added that we should work together to identify all options for future rotations. Gagor completely agreed that from a military perspective it makes sense to look at other locations for future rotations and to ¬ fight for one location.8 He then recited a long list of other possible garrisons that could host a Patriot rotation. Gagor stated this is his military opinion and the Defense Minister understands the value of this advice, but that this is still not a &political position.8 MRAPS CRITICAL FOR GHAZNI -------------- ¶4. (C) Turning to Afghanistan, Gagor said Poland appreciates the continued assistance of the United States, in particular with intelligence and support for Polish special operations forces. He repeated Poland,s standing request for an additional 50 MRAP vehicles, adding that he had used continued U.S. support as an argument to convince his civilian leadership to increase troops in Afghanistan. Gagor said that the additional MRAPs are critical for Polish teams that will train the Afghan National Police. In April, Poland will have a total of 10 POMLTs in Ghazni and will train at least four more for a future rotation. Gagor added that, as a national solution, he will send this year an additional 50 Polish armored Rosomaks, 30 taken from units in Poland and 20 from new production, to Afghanistan. However, he emphasized again that additional MRAPs would significantly increase the effectiveness of the police mentoring teams. ENGAGEMENT WITH EASTERN NEIGHBOR MILITARIES -------------- ¶5. (C) Gagor asked how supportive the United States would be to participating in the nascent Polish-Lithuanian-Ukrainian Brigade. He said that the Ministry of Defense is still drafting a proposal for the unit that is planned to be operational in 2011, but that U.S. participation in the brigade would make the venture more attractive to other nations. Gagor added that the level of participation of WARSAW 00000109 002 OF 002 Lithuania and Ukraine will depend upon their financial resources, but he sees the brigade as an important mechanism for helping transform the Ukrainian military. Ambassador Feinstein stated that he would report the proposal and that the U.S. wants to support Ukraine in a workable and realistic way. ¶6. (C) Gagor also said that he was looking forward to hosting his Russian counterpart, General Nickolay Makarov, for an official visit May 19-21 in Warsaw. He said Makarov agreed to these dates during their last meeting in Brussels, but it is always unpredictable if the visit will actually happen. Gagor plans to send a general officer led team to Moscow in March or April to work on the agenda and prepare for the visit in hopes this will increase the likelihood of the visit actually taking place. ¶7. (C) COMMENT: The meeting with General Gagor dovetailed well with the Ambassador,s February 18 meeting with Defense Minister Klich (septel). Like Klich, Gagor focused on the timing of the first Patriot battery deployment, rather than on the composition of this or future batteries. Gagor,s agreement that future Patriot rotations can occur at almost any garrison in Poland is particularly welcome. While recognizing that this is still not the GoP position, Gagor,s advice carries significant weight with the civilian leadership, as evidenced by his role in the GoP decision to increase troops in Afghanistan. Gagor,s efforts to outline Poland,s national solutions to equipment requirements in Afghanistan are also significant. He clearly wanted to show that Poland has done everything within its capabilities to meet critical requirements. FEINSTEIN