VZCZCXYZ0024
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHTA #2352/01 3310213
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 260213Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY ASTANA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3965
RHEBAAA/DEPT OF ENERGY WASHDC
RUCPDOC/DEPT OF COMMERCE WASHDC
RULSJGA/COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0491
RUEHEK/AMEMBASSY BISHKEK 8338
RUEHNT/AMEMBASSY TASHKENT 0001
RUEHKB/AMEMBASSY BAKU 0059
RUEHDBU/AMEMBASSY DUSHANBE 2406
RUEHAH/AMEMBASSY ASHGABAT 7361
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 1560
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0263

UNCLAS ASTANA 002352 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR ISN/ECC, ISN/ECC-AMT, EUR/ACE, SCA/RA, SCA/CEN, CBP FOR 
INA; ENERGY FOR NNSA; COMMERCE FOR DCREED; COAST GUARD FOR 
SHABETIMICHAEL; BERLIN FOR CUSTOMS ATTACHE; 
TASHKENT, BISHKEK, BAKU, DUSHANBE AND ASHGABAT FOR EXBS ADVISORS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PARM PREL ETTC MNUC SNAR KSTC KNNP KZ
SUBJECT: KAZAKHSTAN: BORDER SECURITY ASSISTANCE 
 
REF: STATE 107424 
 
¶1.  (U) SUMMARY.  The fundamental strategic aim of the U.S. Mission 
is a stable, secure, democratic and prosperous Kazakhstan.  The 
strategic partnership between the United States and Kazakhstan for 
border security is based on our common security interests including 
bolstering Central Asian sovereignty and independence; fighting 
terrorism and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction; and 
stemming the flow of illegal narcotics. 
 
¶2.  (U) The U.S. Mission supports Kazakhstan in defense, law 
enforcement, and security sector reform.  The objective is to 
support Kazakhstan as a reliable partner with whom we share a common 
vision and who has a positive regional and international impact in 
these sectors.  Our approach is three-fold: 
 
-- Ensure Kazakhstan continues on its current path of reform of 
defense, law enforcement, and security structures which reflect 
democratic values and adequately defend national sovereignty and 
maintain domestic peace and stability; 
 
-- Assist Kazakhstan to integrate defense, law enforcement, and 
security structures; 
 
-- Support the development of Kazakhstan's national-level 
capabilities to influence regional defense and the regional fight 
against narcotics, crime and illegal exports. 
 
¶3.  (U) To achieve these goals, the U.S. Mission will continue to 
execute a multi-discipline, inter-agency security cooperation 
program.  The program focuses on transforming security and law 
enforcement equipment and doctrine at police, border guard and 
customs agencies; providing assistance to Kazakhstan as it 
establishes centers of command and control; and raising Kazakhstan's 
interoperability level so that it can integrate with global security 
institutions such as the Central Asian Regional Information and 
Coordination Center (CARICC) for anti-narcotics.  Kazakhstan acts 
internationally and regionally as a reliable partner in the fight 
against terrorism, narcotics, money laundering, proliferation, and 
other global threats.  END SUMMARY. 
 
TOPOGRAPHY 
 
¶4.  (U) Kazakhstan is located in Central Asia, in the heart of the 
Eurasian continent.  In terms of total land mass, Kazakhstan is the 
ninth largest country in the world and the second largest country to 
emerge from the former Soviet Union.  With an area of about 
2,717,300 square kilometers, Kazakhstan is more than twice the size 
of the other four Central Asian states combined.  In fact, the 
territory of Kazakhstan exceeds that occupied by the original twelve 
countries of the European Union. 
 
¶5.  (U) There is considerable topographical variation within 
Kazakhstan.  Although high mountain ranges fringe Kazakhstan's 
eastern and southeastern boarders, the terrain of Kazakhstan 
consists mostly of deserts, steppes (vast, semiarid grassy plains), 
and hilly upland areas.  Deserts and semi deserts cover more than 
two-thirds of Kazakhstan's surface area.  Only 12.4% of Kazakhstan 
is mountainous, with most of the mountains located in the Altay and 
Tian Shan ranges of the east and southeast, although the Ural 
Mountains extend southward from Russia into the northern part of 
west-central Kazakhstan.  Many of the peaks of the Altay and Tian 
Shan ranges are snow covered year-round, and their run-off is the 
source for most of Kazakhstan's rivers and streams.  The highest 
elevation, Khan Tengri Mountain, on the Kyrgyzstan border in the 
Tian Shan range, is 6,995 meters; the lowest point, at Karagiye, in 
the Caspian Depression in the west, is 132 meters below sea level. 
 
 
¶6.  (U) Except for the Tobol, Ishim, and Irtysh rivers, portions of 
which flow through Kazakhstan, all of Kazakhstan's rivers and 
streams are part of landlocked systems.  They either flow into 
isolated bodies of water such as the Caspian Sea or simply disappear 
into the steppes and deserts of central and southern Kazakhstan. 
Many rivers, streams, and lakes are seasonal, evaporating in summer. 
 The three largest bodies of water are Lake Balkhash, a partially 
fresh, partially saline lake in the east, near Almaty, and the 
Caspian and Aral seas, both of which lie partially within 
Kazakhstan. 
 
¶7.  (U) Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan border Kazakhstan 
to the south; Russia borders Kazakhstan to the north; Russia and the 
Caspian Sea border Kazakhstan to the west; and China borders 
Kazakhstan to the east. 
 
OVERVIEW OF BORDER SECURITY ASSISTANCE 
 
¶8. (U) The Mission's border security goal is to enhance our 
relationship with Kazakhstan as partners in regional and strategic 
security.  Our border security assistance programs improve the 
Government of Kazakhstan's capacity to secure its borders, intercept 
contraband, narcotics, and articles of proliferation interest, while 
facilitating trade and commerce. 
 
¶9.  (U) The U.S. and Kazakhstan have a record of extensive and 
effective cooperation in fighting terrorist and narco-trafficking 
groups in Central Asia. Moreover, the Government of Kazakhstan 
ensures that its banking system does not permit financing of 
terrorism and drug trafficking. 
 
¶10.  (U) The objective of our border security assistance programs is 
to enhance our relationship with Kazakhstan as partners in regional 
and strategic security.  Support for the War on Terror and Homeland 
Security is closely linked to our goal to prevent and curtail 
proliferation and narcotics trafficking.  Kazakhstan's cooperation 
on proliferation and counter narcotic issues has been a cornerstone 
of the bilateral relationship, creating trust and showing the 
benefits of cooperation with the U.S. that, in turn, have helped the 
United States make progress toward several other goals, including 
democratic reform and a welcoming investment climate.  Future 
Kazakhstani progress on combating proliferation of transiting 
Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), narcotics, and other malicious 
substances contributes directly to U.S. homeland security.  The 
support for the War on Terror, combating proliferation, and counter 
narcotics performance goals reinforce each other and together form 
the main components of the U.S. Mission's efforts to protect U.S. 
national security. 
 
¶11.  (U) The U.S. Mission supports and encourages Kazakhstan's 
efforts to fully eliminate its Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) 
infrastructure; secure its WMD materials; enact and effectively 
enforce sound export controls; and actively engage in counter 
narcotics trafficking activities.  Prevention and curtailment of 
proliferation and narcotics trafficking support Mission goals of 
preventing terrorism and enhancing regional security.  To achieve 
these goals, the U.S. Mission will strive to ensure the effective 
implementation of the nonproliferation efforts of the Cooperative 
Threat Reduction (CTR) program, the Export Control and Related 
Border Security (EXBS) program, the Second Line of Defense (SLD) 
project, Department of Defense counter-narcotics programs under the 
Office of Military Cooperation (OMC), and projects to fight 
transnational crime overseen by the International Narcotic and Law 
Enforcement section (INL). 
 
¶12.  (U) Since fiscal year 2007, OMC has upgraded three Border 
Service Mi-8MT helicopters, provided night operations training for 
their pilots and provided training in container inspection. 
Additionally, OMC is coordinating procurement of ground surveillance 
radar, vehicles, and Saber-4000 trace detectors to enhance Border 
Service control capabilities along Kazakhstani borders. 
 
¶13.  (U) Under the CTR, six patrol boats and related training were 
provided in the 1990s.  From 2005-2007, CTR efforts were focused on 
providing the Maritime Border Guard Service and Navy with a capacity 
to interdict WMD on the Caspian.  To that end, training and 
classroom upgrades, as well as equipment to support Maritime 
boarding operations (keel blocks, boarding equipment), were 
provided. 
 
¶14.  (U) INL works with the Border Guard Service through programs to 
secure borders against transnational crime, particularly 
counter-narcotics capacity.  The program has enhanced capacity on 
the land border through the provision of specialized equipment, 
improvement of checkpoint infrastructure and personnel training, 
establishment of new training centers and improvement of existing 
centers, and curriculum reform. 
 
¶15.  (U) The ultimate goal is to provide Kazakhstan with the 
capacity to effectively secure its borders in a manner consistent 
with the World Customs Organization's Framework of Standards to 
Secure and Facilitate Global Trade and provide the opportunity for 
Kazakhstan to adhere to all international agreements and commitments 
to WMD proliferation and narcotics trafficking prevention. 
 
COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES AT POST 
 
¶16. (U) The responsibility for coordination of all U.S. Mission 
activities in Kazakhstan rests with the Chief of Mission.  In order 
to coordinate the activities of the various sections with border 
security programs, a Security Assistance Working Group (SAWG) was 
created and is chaired by the Deputy Chief of Mission.  All section 
chiefs with programs that impact security programs in Kazakhstan are 
members of the working group, which has regularly scheduled meetings 
in a secure environment in order to discuss and plan future security 
assistance projects.  This arrangement ensures that the front office 
exercises command and control over all security assistance programs 
sponsored by the U.S. government in Kazakhstan. The SAWG also 
provides a forum for section chiefs to coordinated activities, 
eliminates redundancy of effort, and promotes synergy. 
 
COORDINATION WITH OTHER COUNTRIES 
 
¶17. (U) The U.S. Mission is the primary donor assisting the 
Government of Kazakhstan to establish strategic trade control 
systems, including border control capabilities, in order to prevent 
WMD proliferation and narcotics trafficking.  The U.S. Mission works 
to create international cooperation in these fields through outreach 
to international organizations such as the United Nations Office on 
Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the International Organization for 
Migration (IOM), the Organization for Security and Cooperation in 
Europe (OSCE), the Border Management and Drug Action Programs in 
Central Asia (BONCA/CADAP), as well as other diplomatic missions. 
 
¶18.  (U) U.S. Mission section chiefs with programs that impact 
border security maintain contact with representatives of these 
assistance programs and attend semiannual Border Security Donor 
Coordination meetings in order to coordinate and insure that there 
is no duplication of effort among the various international 
programs.  The European Union and a number of other diplomatic 
missions to Kazakhstan have expressed a desire to assist Kazakhstan 
in securing it borders.  Recently, post was successful in assisting 
the Nuclear Smuggling Outreach Initiative program to procure three 
modular shelters and smuggling documentation equipment worth 
$750,000 from money donated by a foreign government. 
 
BORDER PORTS OF ENTRY 
 
¶19. (U) After the collapse of the Soviet Union and the emergence of 
Kazakhstan as an independent country, Kazakhstan faced the problem 
of controlling a border stretching some 14,000 kilometers. 
Initially, the border control system was based on the former Soviet 
border control system, which has gradually been replaced by a new 
system that meets most international standards, with customs and 
border guards sharing responsibilities. 
 
¶20.  (U) There are approximately 22 airports of significant size in 
Kazakhstan, but only 14 are designated as international airports. 
Of those airports designated as international airports only four may 
be considered significant enough to merit the attention of this 
report.      These airports are located in the cities of Astana, 
Almaty, Atyrau, and Aktau.  The Department of Energy is currently 
installing Radiation Portal Monitors at the Airport in Atyrau and 
will do the same to Aktau once the airport modernization project 
there is completed. 
 
¶21.  (U) There are two main sea ports in Kazakhstan, Aktau and 
Bautino, both of which are located on the Caspian Sea.  There are 
112 international border crossings points declared open by Decree of 
the Government of Kazakhstan. 
The Border Guard Service only operates at 98 of these crossings and 
only 80 of these international border crossings are equipped with a 
passport control system. 
Of those international border crossings with a passport control 
system, six are located on the border with China, 38 are located on 
the border with Russia, 10 are located on the border with 
Kyrgyzstan, 10 are located on the border with Uzbekistan, and one is 
located on the border with Turkmenistan.  Weak infrastructure, lack 
of facilities, inadequate equipment and under-trained personnel at 
these border locations are all factors being addressed by the U.S. 
Mission. 
 
CHINESE BORDER 
 
¶22.  (U) There are six border crossing points with China (Dostyk, 
Bakhty, Korgos, Maikapchagai, Narynol,and Kalzhat), but only two are 
significant enough to mention in this report:  Bakhty is the 
Kazakhstani border crossing near the Chinese city of Tacheng.  This 
post is a 13-hour drive from Almaty.  The roads leading to this 
crossing are in very poor condition due to potholes, bumps, and lack 
of any lighting.  This border crossing processes commercial trucks 
and buses, but no private vehicles or pedestrians.  The facility 
itself was built in 2003 and is in relatively good condition.  The 
Bakhty border check point is a border crossing that incorporates an 
integrated control system based on the "single window principle." 
This port has two radiation portal monitors, one for commercial 
trucks and the other for bus passengers. 
 
¶23.  (U) Dostyk (in Kazakh) or Druzhba (in Russian) is a small town 
in the Almaty Province, near the country's border with China.  It is 
the only point of entry for rail traffic from China.  The port is 
listed as an international border crossing because it processes 
privately owned vehicles, commercial vehicles and pedestrians but, 
in reality, there are no pedestrians.      The main border crossing 
terminal facility was built in 2005 and is an efficient facility 
modeled on international standards for passenger processing.  It is 
well-designed with an integrated control system where customs, 
border guard, veterinary-phytosanitary, and sanitary-quarantine 
controls are collocated. 
 
RUSSIAN BORDER 
 
¶24.  (U) There are only 46 border crossing points on the Kazakhstani 
border with Russia, but only 38 are significant enough to have a 
passport control system.  The port of Zhana-Zhol lies in the 
northern part of Kazakhstan, about 80 kilometers northwest of 
Petropavlovsk.  It is one of the main "international" crossings 
between Russia and Kazakhstan.  The road entering and leaving the 
port is a two-lane highway, but at the port it splits into three 
lanes inbound and three lanes outbound.  The port utilizes a 
two-stop process with border guards first processing and searching 
inbound and outbound vehicles, followed by customs officials who 
process inbound and outbound commercial traffic. 
 
¶25.  (U) The Sharbakty border crossing is located in a remote area 
about 25 miles northeast of the city of Sharbakty.  The Sharbakty 
checkpoint incorporates an integrated control system based on the 
so-called "one-stop principle".  Here customs, border guard, vehicle 
control, veterinary-phytosanitary control and sanitary-quarantine 
control officers all conduct required control procedures in a single 
building.  This crossing is used for vehicles, trucks, buses, and 
rail traffic. 
 
¶26.  (U) The regional capital city of Pavlodar is a five hour drive 
northeast from Kazakhstan's capital city of Astana.  There are eight 
customs border crossings along the Kazakhstani-Russian border in the 
Pavlodar Region.  These customs border crossings are Amankeldi, 
Kosak, Maraldy, Naiza, Sharbakty, Sulu-agash, Urlutobe and Yestir. 
 
KYRGYZSTAN BORDER 
 
¶27.  (U) Kazakhstan's southern border with Kyrgyzstan stretches 657 
miles from Shakpakata in the west to Kegen in the east.  Along this 
border are 11 border crossings, staffed by the Kazakhstan Customs 
Control Committee (CCC) and Border Guard Service, but only 10 are 
significant enough to have a passport control system.  Balasagun is 
the largest and busiest border crossing and is located approximately 
one mile from Kordai.  Karasu is the second busiest border crossing 
and is located about eight miles from Kordai.  Balasagun and Karasu 
are designated as "international" border crossings and process 
privately owned vehicles (POVs), buses and commercial trucks. 
 
¶28.  (U) Both Karasu and Balasagun lie on a major trade route that 
connects southern Asia with Kazakhstan, Russia and Europe.  This 
trade route is referred to as the "Silk Highway".  Today, the chief 
product crossing the border into Kazakhstan is fresh produce.  Much 
like the Mexican border in the United States, the greatest 
enforcement threat that customs officials in this region face is 
that of narcotics and dangerous drugs being smuggled from 
Afghanistan and transiting through Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan.  These 
drugs are generally en-route to the larger and wealthier 
metropolitan areas in Russia and Europe. 
 
UZBEKISTAN BORDER 
 
¶29.  (U) Kazakhstan's southern border with Uzbekistan stretches 
1,376 miles from Akzhigit in the west to Shakpakata in the east. 
Along this border are only 10 border crossings staffed by the 
Kazakhstan Customs Control Committee and Border Guard Service. 
Kazakhstan's Southern Region is located approximately 700 miles 
southwest of Kazakhstan's capital city of Astana.  The largest 
Kazakhstan city along the Uzbek border in the Southern Region is 
Shymkent, home to the regional customhouse.  The CCC in Shymkent 
manages eight customs border crossings along Kazakhstan's border 
with Uzbekistan.  These are the Jibek Joli, Kazgurt, Kaplanbek, Tole 
Bi, Abai, Baurzhana Konysbayeva (Gani Muratbayeva), Maktaral, and 
Sariagash Rail Way Station border crossings.  Jibek Joli is the 
largest and busiest border crossing and is located about 63 miles 
from Shymkent and about 2 miles from Uzbekistan's capital city of 
Tashkent. 
 
TURKMENISTAN BORDER 
 
¶30.  (U) There is only one border crossing point with Turkmenistan 
and it can hardly be called a major port.  The Temirbaba border 
crossing is miles away from the nearest significant city and process 
mostly vehicles with the occasional commercial truck. 
 
U.S. EQUIPMENT DONATIONS 
 
¶31.  (U) The U.S. Mission has donated equipment and provided 
training to numerous border ports in Kazakhstan.  Donated equipment 
includes communications equipment; inspection, surveillance and 
detection equipment; protective and medical equipment; radiation 
control and detection equipment; drug detection equipment; x-ray 
machines and mobile x-ray vans; and vessels, vehicles, helicopters, 
and canines. 
 
GREEN BORDER PROJECT 
 
¶32. (U) The U.S. Mission has made significant progress in assisting 
the Government of Kazakhstan to secure ports of entry, but as 
security at these crossings increases, smugglers will be more likely 
to use the vast, unguarded green borders between the fixed border 
crossings.  The U.S. Mission has determined that a key deficiency in 
green border security in Kazakhstan is the lack of infrastructure 
and equipment needed for the Border Guard Service to provide an 
effective deterrent to smugglers by conducting border monitoring and 
patrols. 
 
¶33.  (U) The Border Guards Service is responsible for all green 
borders between the ports.  On the green border, the Border Guards 
often work and live in primitive structures that offer little 
protection against the elements.  The U.S. Mission has provided 
communication equipment, surveillance equipment, vehicles, vessels, 
and portable shelters to assist in this effort but much more is 
needed.      More than 50 additional modular shelters are 
desperately needed, as well as dozens of ground monitoring 
surveillance stations and related equipment, communication 
equipment, and hundreds of all terrain vehicles and trucks. 
¶34.  (U) Post encourages the Nuclear Smuggling Outreach Initiative 
to continue seeking donations from other nations so that the Border 
Guard Service can fulfill it mission of securing the green border. 
 
BORDER OPERATIONS AND LEGAL AUTHORITY 
 
¶35. (U) The border enforcement system in Kazakhstan consists of 
several government agencies, including the Border Guard Service, the 
Committee on Customs Control, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the 
Prosecutor's Office, and the Committee on National Security.  There 
are a number of laws and governmental decrees that govern border 
operations, but the two most significant are "The Law on the State 
Border" and the Customs Code. 
 
¶36.  (U) The Law on the State Border provides the legal basis for 
interagency collaboration with respect to border enforcement.  It 
empowers the State Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan on State 
Border Guarding to coordinate interagency communication and 
cooperation between the Customs Committee, the Committee on National 
Security, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the State Investigation 
Committee, and the Ministry of Defense. 
The Law on the State Border provides enforcement personnel with the 
authority to patrol and police the green and blue borders of 
Kazakhstan.  It further empowers the Border Guard Service to ensure 
the protection of the interests of the individual and society.  It 
also charges the State Committee on Border Guarding with 
coordinating international efforts with other members of the CIS. 
Under the law, the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MVD) is required to 
support border staff by informing them of intelligence regarding 
possible violations, providing assistance in actions on the border, 
and conducting training for the general population regarding the 
laws on border security. 
 
¶37.  (U) The Committee for National Security (KNB) is responsible 
for national security, intelligence, and counterintelligence.  The 
KNB also plays a law enforcement role in border security, internal 
security, and antiterrorism efforts and oversees the external 
intelligence service.  The chairman of the KNB reports directly to 
the President.  The Border Guard Service, subordinate to the KNB, is 
responsible for passport control and security at the border 
crossings and for the controlling the green and blue Borders. 
 
¶38.  (U) The Customs Code specifies the duties and responsibilities 
of the customs agencies and delineates procedures for searching 
cargo and detaining suspected offenders for initial inquiry.  The 
Customs Control Committee is responsible for monitoring the movement 
of people, cargo, transportation carriers, and other cargo across 
borders at the designated Ports of Entry (including international 
airports).  The law empowers customs officials to search, detain, 
and seize goods without a warrant and enforce trade in controlled 
items at all borders for outbound, inbound, and in-transit cargo. 
However, a number of disincentives discourage enforcement.  The 
Ministry of Defense is responsible for guarding the air-space of 
Kazakhstan.  The issue of nuclear smuggling is the responsibility of 
the MVD (specifically, a new investigative body within the Ministry) 
and the KNB. 
 
BORDER SECURITY TRAINING INSTITUTIONS 
 
¶39.  (U) The U.S. Mission has contributed to the improvement of 
border security training institutions run by the Committee of 
National Security, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Internal 
Affairs, the Ministry of Emergency Response, the Ministry of 
Defense, and the Ministry of Industry and Trade.  The Mission 
encourages these training institutions to incorporate U.S. training 
courses into their curriculum.  To date, the Commodity 
Identifications Training workshop taught by the Department of Energy 
has been successfully incorporated into Kazakhstan Customs training 
classes.  Members of the Border Guard Service are trained at the 
Military Institute of the Committee for National Security, which was 
moved to Almaty more than 50 years ago.  The Military Institute was 
founded shortly after the Soviet Union was established and is the 
oldest military training facility in Kazakhstan. 
 
¶40.  (U) In response to the problem of training border guards 
stationed along such an extremely vast area, INL renovated and 
equipped regional training centers in the north-west and south.  INL 
is preparing to conduct assessments of sites to for an additional 
training center in the north-east.  INL has also initiated a joint 
project to develop canine training capabilities.  The first canine 
training was conducted by a U.S. police trainer at the Military 
Institute.  Following that, a professional relationship was 
established between the Austrian Ministry of Interior's Canine 
Center and law enforcement agencies in Kazakhstan.  Three canine 
instructors representing the Border Guard Service, Military 
Institute, and the Ministry of Interior took part in a two-month 
canine training course at the Austrian Canine Center.  As part of 
the training, INL funded the purchase of three dogs for the officers 
taking part in training.  INL received requests after the Austrian 
training to conduct additional train-the-trainer courses in 
Kazakhstan and there is interest in creating a new Kazakhstani 
methodology similar to the Austrian methods. 
 
¶41.  (U) Despite its interest in Austrian methods, the Military 
Institute also continues to express interest in learning more from 
U.S. experts.  The next step will be for instructors to attend 
counter-narcotics canine training at a CBP canine academy.  INL is 
also funding renovations of the Canine Center at the Military 
Institute.  Officials at the Military Institute are interested in 
broadening their curriculum to include canine training for other law 
enforcement agencies in Kazakhstan and throughout the region. 
 
U.S. BORDER SECURITY TRAINING ASSISTANCE 
 
¶42.  (U) The U.S. Mission has provided significant training 
assistance to Kazakhstan in the area of border security.  Training 
has been provided in coordination with the Department of Homeland 
Security, the Department of Energy, the Commerce Department, the 
Department of Justice, the Department of State, and the Department 
of Transportation.  Classes have covered all customs, coast guard, 
drug enforcement, law enforcement and investigative related 
activities.  Additional training has been given in nuclear and 
hazardous material, weapons of mass destruction, contraband 
detection, emergency response and a wide variety of other topics. 
OMC recently organized a border security seminar provided by the 
Arizona National Guard for instructors and cadets from the Military 
Institute.  The seminar included such topics as personal and vehicle 
search, profiling, and force protection systems and equipment used 
on the U.S.-Mexican border. 
 
¶43.  (U) A significant amount of INL programs also provide training. 
 Recently, two instructors from the Military Institute attended 
basic training at the U.S. Border Patrol Academy in Artesia, New 
Mexico.  This was the first time foreign border guards were admitted 
to basic training at the Academy.  In Kazakhstan, INL provides 
training in a vast array of subjects, including use of equipment, 
border management, vehicle interdiction, and risk analysis.  Much of 
the training has been provided through IOM, which has been INL's 
implementing partner in many of the border security projects.  INL 
has also provided samples of all equipment provided to the Border 
Guard Service to the Military Institute, which allows cadets to get 
hands-on experience with equipment before they arrive at a border 
post. 
 
¶44.  (U) In the long-term, INL is working to build on the 
professional relationship established between the U.S. Border Patrol 
Academy and the Military Institute.  INL will continue supporting 
participation of the Military Institute staff and cadets in exchange 
programs.  To allow more staff to participate in courses in the 
United States, INL continues its efforts to increase the capacity of 
English language instructors at the Military Institute.  INL 
provided the Military Institute a digital language laboratory and 
will provide software and train-the-trainer courses for the English 
language instructors. 
 
NON-U.S. BORDER SECURITY TRAINING ASSISTANCE 
 
¶45.  (U) The U.S. Mission is aware that other missions and 
international organizations are proving Kazakhstani border security 
agencies with training assistance.  The United States closely 
coordinates activities with the international community through 
semiannual coordination meetings.  These meetings are attended by 
all interested embassies, international organizations, and 
Kazakhstani officials.  Border security coordination meetings are 
chaired by BOMCA/CADAP and, traditionally, the U.S. chairs a 
counter-narcotics coordination meeting the same day.  INL is working 
with a range of international organizations to provide training at 
the newly-renovated regional training centers.  Recent training 
sessions were supported and conducted jointly by IOM, OSCE, UNHCR 
and BOMCA.  In addition, UNHCR provides a program on assistance to 
asylum seekers during the joint training programs. 
 
HOAGLAND