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RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8565
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RUDKSR/EUCOM PLANS AND ANALYSES STUTTGART GE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L ZAGREB 000597 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/13/2018 
TAGS: PREL PGOV KPAO MOPS MARR NATO HR DEFENSE REFORM
SUBJECT: SCENESETTER FOR COMMANDER, U.S. EUCOM,S MEETING 
WITH CROATIAN CHIEF OF THE GENERAL STAFF, GEN JOSIP LUCIC 
 
Classified By: COL Brendan McAloon, DATT, for reasons 1.4 (b) & (d) 
 
¶1. (C) Sir, this is the first meeting since Croatia,s NATO 
accession protocols were signed.  Your host, General Josip 
Lucic (LOOT-zitch) was unexpectedly reappointed for an 
unprecedented second five-year term as CHOD in January of 
this year.  Lucic is President Mesic,s most trusted military 
advisor.  Although he participated in three months of 
language training in the United States, his ability to speak 
English remains rudimentary.  President Mesic and key members 
of his staff are currently scheduled to join you for dinner. 
 
¶2. (SBU) ISAF: Croatia is an active partner in the NATO ISAF 
mission in Afghanistan.  Croatia currently has about 200 
soldiers on the ground and intends to expand its contingent 
to approximately 280 in early September.  Croatia has the 
only non-NATO Operational Mentoring and Liaison Team (OMLT) 
in ISAF for which it bears all the costs except the 
U.S.-provided stratlift. Croatia and the Minnesota National 
Guard are in the early stages of planning to deploy a 
combined combat-support OMLT next year. 
 
¶3. (C)  KFOR:  The Croatian Parliament has authorized the 
deployment of two helicopters to Kosovo in 2009.  We expect 
that the Croatians will offer two of their new MI-171Sh lift 
helicopters in September for deployment sometime in 2009. 
This will be the first deployment outside of Croatia for the 
Air Force. 
 
¶4.  (C) Peacekeeping: Croatia prides itself on its transition 
from a security consumer with UN Peacekeepers on its 
territory to a security provider with Croatian Armed Forces 
(CAF) elements involved in fifteen UN peacekeeping operations 
around the globe, to include the UN Mission to Georgia.  The 
most recent deployment was of 98 CAF personnel to the UN 
mission in the Golan Heights.  Within the next few months 
Croatia will deploy 15 soldiers to the EU-led mission in 
Chad.  With these deployments Croatia is in the process of 
implementing its plans to increase and sustain its PKO 
contributions from around 250 soldiers in 2007 to 600 
soldiers by 2010. 
 
¶5. (C) ASPA: The U.S. FMF and IMET programs were suspended in 
July 2003 due to ASPA sanctions.  As a result, the CAF 
depended entirely upon national resources to accomplish its 
NATO partnership goals and to equip its forces for ISAF. 
Croatia is the only ISAF partner and new NATO invitee that 
accomplished its transformation and financed its ISAF 
commitments without FMF or Coalition Support Funding.  The 
suspension of IMET during this time has had a telling impact 
throughout the CAF.  Most notably is the lack of 
U.S.-educated staff officers at the senior and mid-grade 
officer level to fill critical billets on the MOD, CAF, and 
NATO Staffs.  We can also see the effect at lower levels as 
the CAF has difficulty finding adequately trained, 
English-speaking junior officers and NCOs for deployment and 
lacks sufficient combat lifesavers and forward air 
controllers.  Croatia has been identified to receive one 
million dollars of Global Peace Operations Initiative funds, 
the bulk of which will be dedicated to improve the English 
language capability of the CAF. 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  FMF/IMET levels.  Croatia is not programmed to 
receive any FMF in FY08, and is projected to receive only 1.8 
million dollars in FMF in 2009.  IMET is similarly under 
funded for a NATO invitee with only 300K in FY08 and 
projected 500K in FY09.  The proposed budget numbers trend 
better in FY10. 
 
¶7.  (C)  Procurement Priorities.  U.S. FMF funding will be 
directed at obtaining the necessary NATO-compatible radio 
equipment, night vision equipment, weapon sights, combat 
medical equipment, and GPS required to sustain Croatia,s 
forces in ISAF.  Croatia currently has no Type 1 radios or 
Selective Availability Anti-Spoof Module (SAASM) global 
positioning systems in its inventory.  The MoD has also 
expressed interest in procuring counter-IED jammers for its 
ISAF mission.  We will also need to direct FMF funds to the 
upgrades needed to deploy Croatian helicopters to KFOR. 
 
¶8.  (C)  F-16s.  The MoD,s Long Term Development Plan calls 
for Croatia to replace its 12 soon-to-be post-lifecycle 
MiG-21 aircraft with a similar number of advanced fighters 
for domestic air policing.  Croatia sent requests for 
information for Mirage, MiG-29, Eurofighter, Gripen, and F-16 
(Block 15 used, Block 15 mid-life upgrade, and Block 50/52 
new).  Croatia now has all the answers it requested and is 
conducting further internal studies.  There may be some 
 
 
reevaluation of the need for fighters after NATO membership, 
but the official policy to procure fighters has not changed. 
Bradtke