VZCZCXYZ0023
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDJ #0054/01 0192244
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 191402Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1257
INFO IGAD COLLECTIVE
SOMALIA COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA
RHMFISS/HQ USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEPADJ/CJTF-HOA J2X CAMP LEMONIER DJ

UNCLAS DJIBOUTI 000054 
 
SIPDIS 
STATE FOR AF/RSA/ACOTA AND AF/E 
SECDEF FOR OSD ISA AFRICA 
AFRICOM AND CJTF-HOA FOR POLAD 
LONDON 
PARIS 
ROME FOR AFRICA-WATCHER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL MOPS MASS KPKO DJ SO
SUBJECT: DJIBOUTI PLANNING FOR AMISOM CONTINGENT 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY.  From January 11-15, Djibouti National Armed Forces 
(FAD) senior staff planners joined U.S. Africa Contingency Operations 
Training and Assistance (ACOTA) planners to conduct a Peace Support 
Operations (PSO) Training Strategy Conference.  The purpose of the 
conference was to develop Djibouti's strategy to participate in 
multinational peacekeeping operations in Africa and commence planning 
for Djibouti's deployment of a peacekeeping contingent to the African 
Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).  Djiboutian senior planners stated 
Djibouti's intent to deploy a contingent of approximately 465 
peacekeepers to AMISOM on or about January 2011.  The deployment will 
be preceded by 10 weeks of ACOTA PSO training.  The planners also 
stated Djibouti's objective to achieve full self-sufficiency in PSO 
training by 2014.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. Djibouti ACOTA Training Strategy Conference.  The FAD and ACOTA 
conducted a PSO Training Strategy Conference, from January 11-15. 
Foreign Minister Mahmoud Ali Youssouf and Ambassador opened the 
conference.  FM Youssouf expressed Djibouti's commitment to 
contribute to regional peace and security, specifically including the 
deployment of peacekeepers.  He emphasized the importance of Africans 
leading peacekeeping in Africa and recognized and thanked the U.S. 
for its capacity-building efforts.  He charged the Djiboutian 
planning team to develop a realistic, detailed plan for deploying a 
Djiboutian contingent to AMISOM.  The Djiboutian planning team 
consisted of both military and civilian senior leaders, including the 
FAD Operations Director, FAD Deputy Logistics Director, FAD 
Administration and Finance Director, senior Navy, National Police, 
and Gendarmerie officers, and senior representatives of the Ministry 
of Foreign Affairs, National Security Office, and Interior Ministry. 
The U.S. team included the DATT, representatives from AFRICOM and 
CJTF-HOA, and the ACOTA facilitation team. 
 
¶3. Djibouti's peacekeeping strategy.  The Djiboutian planning team 
stated Djibouti's intent to deploy a contingent of approximately 465 
peacekeepers to AMISOM on or about January 2011.  The deployment will 
be preceded by 10 weeks of ACOTA PSO training at a location still to 
be determined by the Djiboutians.  Subsequently, rotational 
Djiboutian AMISOM contingents will receive ACOTA training, with 
Djiboutian PSO training cadre increasing capacity and training 
leadership over time.  Djibouti's objective is to achieve full 
self-sufficiency in PSO training by 2014.  Djibouti's stated intent 
is to deploy battalion-size AMISOM contingents in 6-month rotations. 
(COMMENT:  Djibouti may be open to increasing the length of the 
standard deployment.  END COMMENT.) 
 
¶4.  Djibouti's prospective AMISOM contingent.  During the Training 
Strategy Conference, the Djiboutian planning team developed a table 
of organization for the AMISOM contingent, to include a battalion 
headquarters with standard battalion staff sections, two infantry 
companies, a support company including a Gendarme section, a 
6-vehicle APC platoon, a small motor transport section, a medical 
section, a full complement of combat service support sections to 
support the contingent, and a headquarters company.  The battalion 
will include liaison officers to the Ugandan and Burundian AMISOM 
contingents.  The battalion will also include a Somali-speaking 
interpreter section to support the Ugandan AMISOM contingent.  The 
Djiboutian planning team seemed open to consider a similar 
interpreter section to support the Burundian AMISOM contingent.  The 
planning team requested U.S. assistance to allow the interpreter 
teams to train alongside Uganda AMISOM Battalion Group 5 during 
February-April 2010 at Singo, Uganda, and may be open to a similar 
concept to train alongside Burundi's AMISOM Battalion 8 during 
February-April 2010 near Bujumbura, Burundi.  Djibouti's planning 
team is now building a detailed itemized list of necessary equipment 
for the AMISOM contingent, to be complete no later than January 22. 
 
¶5.  Djibouti's PSO Training Concept.  The Djiboutian planning team 
developed a 10-week pre-deployment training concept, to include 5 
weeks of PSO command and staff training and 5 weeks of PSO soldier 
skills training, all focused specifically on AMISOM preparation. 
ACOTA and FAD commenced collaboration on the details of the Program 
of Instruction to ensure that the training is tailored to meet the 
contingent's training requirements.  The training will occur as near 
to the deployment date as possible; ACOTA is prepared to commence 
training as early as February 2010.  The FAD suggested several 
potential training sites to include Hol Hol and Ali Ouni (both sites 
were surveyed by the ACOTA team), but is committed to training the 
initial contingent at a site that is readily available and will not 
 
 
delay training and deployment. 
 
¶6. PSO Training Self Sustainment.  A major emphasis for the ACOTA 
program in Djibouti, and a major objective of the FAD, is Djibouti's 
achievement of long-term self-sufficiency in PSO training.  The FAD 
proposed that this will be achieved by 2014 through progressively 
increasing the capacities of Djibouti's PSO instructor cadre--to 
include specially trained Gendarmerie trainer(s).  One of Djibouti's 
key strengths is that it has a standing cadre of permanent military 
instructors now located in southern Djibouti at Hol Hol, and is adept 
at providing already self-sufficient mobile training teams and camps 
for the training of the FAD. 
 
¶7. Training Strategy Conference Report.  The FAD (with ACOTA support) 
is now preparing a PSO Strategic Training Action Plan, scheduled to 
be complete on January 22.  This will allow for more detailed 
follow-up on the next steps for an AMISOM deployment. The FAD and 
ACOTA will conduct a PSO Training Strategy Update Conference during 
early 2011. 
 
¶8. This message was drafted by the ACOTA planning team prior to 
departure from Djibouti and approved by the Ambassador. 
 
SWAN 
SWAN