VZCZCXRO8369
RR RUEHAG RUEHAST RUEHDA RUEHDBU RUEHDF RUEHFL RUEHIK RUEHKW RUEHLA
RUEHLN RUEHLZ RUEHPOD RUEHROV RUEHSR RUEHVK RUEHYG
DE RUEHRL #1539/01 2250542
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 130542Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8993
INFO RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO BRUSSELS BE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUCNFRG/FRG COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BERLIN 001539 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MOPS PREL MARR NATO EUN GM AF SU KV BK LE GG ET
SUBJECT: German Out-Of-Area Deployment Update 
 
REF:  A) Berlin 2634, B) Berlin 1428 
 
¶1. (SBU) As of early August, Germany had 7,597 military personnel 
(compared to 7,438 in mid-May) in out-of-area deployments.  All 
military out-of-area (OOA) deployments, with the exception of those 
in support of UN observer missions, require parliamentary approval. 
A law regulates the parliamentary process, allowing expedited 
procedures only for non-controversial deployments.  What follows is 
a brief run-down on Germany's current OOA deployments.  (Note: OOA 
deployments are defined as deployments outside the territory of the 
NATO member states. End Note) 
 
--------------------------------------------- - 
International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
¶2. (SBU) The Bundeswehr currently has 3,414 military personnel 
operating under ISAF in Afghanistan, based on two separate 
parliamentary mandates.  One is the general mandate covering 
Germany's ISAF deployment, with a ceiling of 3,000 troops.  The 
other is a supplementary mandate that covers the deployment of six 
Tornado reconnaissance aircraft, with a ceiling of 500 troops. 
Germany has been active in ISAF since the operation's creation in 
January 2002.  The deployment of the Tornados is a relatively new 
German contribution to ISAF, approved by the parliament in March. 
The current ISAF and Tornado mandates both expire October 13. 
 
¶3. (SBU) While the general ISAF mandate is expected to be renewed 
this fall for another year with little difficulty, extension of the 
Tornado mandate could be prove to be more controversial.  Some 
German politicians oppose the Tornado deployment for fear the 
aircraft could be associated with offensive operations in the south 
of Afghanistan that lead to civilian casualties.  It is not yet 
clear whether the government will seek to renew the Tornado mandate 
for a full year or just another six months.  It is also not clear 
whether the government will keep the ISAF and Tornado mandates 
separate or seek to integrate them into one, single ISAF mandate. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Germany currently commands ISAF's northern region 
(RC-North), where it leads two of the five Provincial Reconstruction 
Teams (Kunduz and Feyzabad) as well as the Forward Support Base in 
Mazar-E-Sharif.  The ISAF mandate limits normal Bundeswehr 
operations to Kabul and RC-North, but allows temporary deployments 
to other parts of the country on a case-by-case basis.  In early 
May, at the request of ISAF, Defense Minister Jung approved the 
temporary deployment (three to four weeks) of a three-man 
psychological operations team to southern Afghanistan.  German radio 
operators have also been deployed temporarily to provide 
communication support to Regional Command South in Kandahar. 
Meanwhile, the Tornado mandate allows the reconnaissance aircraft to 
operate throughout Afghanistan. 
 
--------------------------------- 
Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) The parliamentary mandate for OEF allows the deployment of 
up to 1,800 personnel.  Currently, there are 244 sailors (247 in 
May) operating in the Horn of Africa under OEF.  In Afghanistan, the 
mandate provides for the deployment of up to 100 German Special 
Forces (KSK).  Reportedly, no KSK have been deployed to Afghanistan 
under OEF in more than two years, leading some politicians to 
question the utility of maintaining this part of the mandate. 
Because of wide-spread misperceptions of OEF as a strictly combat 
operation that is responsible for civilian casualties, the renewal 
of the Afghanistan portion of the OEF mandate could prove difficult. 
 The current one-year OEF mandate expires November 15, a month after 
the ISAF and Tornado mandates.  However, current government plans 
call for a single parliamentary debate on all three Afghanistan 
mandates (ISAF, Tornados, OEF) in September.  A parliamentary vote 
on all three is expected on the same day in early October. 
 
------------------- 
Kosovo Force (KFOR) 
------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Germany currently has 2,282 military personnel (compared to 
2,308 in May) in KFOR, far below that allowed under the 
parliamentary mandate (8,500).  The mandate is extended 
automatically unless there is a change to the UNSC Resolution 
framework for the Kosovo Force.  In the context of a debate of the 
Kosovo status, the parliament extended the KFOR mandate on June 21 
without any amendments. 
 
----------------------------------- 
European Union Force (EUFOR) Bosnia 
----------------------------------- 
 
 
BERLIN 00001539  002 OF 002 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) Germany currently has 526 soldiers (compared to 810 in May) 
in Bosnia as part of the EU's Operation ALTHEA.  The mandate, last 
amended December 1, allows up to 2,400 military personnel.  This 
operation extends automatically unless there is a change to its 
underlying UNSC resolution.  Security conditions permitting, the 
German government has announced it intends to reduce its military 
presence in coordination with its allies during 2007. 
 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) 
--------------------------------------------- --- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Germany leads UNIFIL's naval component and has 1,034 
military personnel deployed (compared to 791 in May).  The 
parliamentary mandate, which has a ceiling of 2,400 personnel, 
expires August 31, at the same time as the UN mandate.  The German 
government has already informally signaled its readiness, subject to 
parliamentary approval, to lead the naval component for a further 
six months, until March 2008. 
 
---------------------- 
Sudan (UNMIS and AMIS) 
---------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) Germany currently has 41 military observers (compared to 39 
in May) in the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), monitoring the 
implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.  The parliament 
imposed a caveat barring military observers from going to Darfur 
without prior consultation with the Bundestag Foreign Relations 
Committee's chairman and ranking members.  The mandate allows the 
participation of up to 75 military observers.  The current UNMIS 
mandate expires November 15. 
 
¶10. (SBU) While there is parliamentary mandate for the Bundeswehr to 
deploy transport aircraft and up to 200 troops in support of the 
African (Union) Mission in Sudan (AMIS), this mandate has gone 
practically unused in the last year, with the AU requesting only 
sporadic assistance from Germany.   The current six-month AMIS 
mandate expires December 14. 
 
¶11. (SBU) While welcoming passage of UNSCR 1769, the government has 
ruled out additional troops or assets for the new hybrid UN/AU 
force, beyond the limits in the existing UNMIS and AMIS mandates. 
The government is likely to resist taking on any additional military 
commitments in Dafur or elsewhere until after the Afghanistan (ISAF, 
Tornado and OEF) mandates are safely renewed in October. 
 
---------------- 
Georgia (UNOMIG) 
---------------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) Germany has been part of the UN Observer Mission in 
Georgia (UNOMIG) since 1998 and currently has 11 personnel stationed 
there, most of whom are medical personnel and military observers. 
To the meet a UN request for additional medical personnel, the 
German cabinet decided August 8 to raise the personnel ceiling for 
this mission from 13 to 20. 
 
----------------------- 
Other minor deployments 
----------------------- 
 
¶13. (SBU) Two military observers serve in Ethiopia and Eritrea for 
the United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE).  One 
German military observer is seconded to the United Nation Assistance 
Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA).  The Bundeswehr has seconded 41 
military personnel to Strategic Medical Evacuation 
(STRATAIRMEDEVAC), for which no parliamentary mandate is required, 
as it is not defined as an armed deployment and the aircraft are on 
stand-by in Germany. 
TIMKEN, JR