VZCZCXRO2541
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHRO #0435/01 1071202
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 171202Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY ROME
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1938
INFO RUEHROV/AMEMBASSY VATICAN PRIORITY 0866
RUEAWJA/DEPT OF JUSTICE WASHDC PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ROME 000435 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
S/CT FOR VIC NELSON, JANE MOSBACHER, MIKE MILLER 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER ASEC IT VT
SUBJECT: RSI PROPOSAL:  CRITICAL INCIDENT MANAGEMENT 
TRAINING FOR THE VATICAN 
 
REF: STATE 128554 
 
¶1. (SBU)  This message has been prepared in coordination with 
the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See. 
 
Need for Project 
---------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU)  The purpose of the project is to foster a bilateral 
dialogue with the Vatican on counter-terrorism preparedness 
and to improve the Vatican's ability to respond to a 
terrorist attack.  Vatican City State is the seat of 
universal government of the Catholic Church (the Holy See), a 
moral and spiritual point of reference for many of the 1.3 
billion Catholics around the world.  The dome of Saint 
Peter's Basilica, the Basilica itself, and Saint Peter's 
square are all part of Vatican City and a global symbol of 
Christianity.  Al-Qaeda has publicly identified Pope Benedict 
XVI and the Catholic Church as an enemy, labeling Church 
leaders as "crusaders," and reportedly has the ambition of 
assassinating the Pope.  These threats are of compelling 
concern because the Vatican hosts up to 25,000 visitors each 
day and 4.44 million visitors each year.  A significant 
number of U.S. citizens are among these visitors 
(approximately 6 million U.S. citizens visit Italy annually). 
 It is also a site of religious and historic significance, 
including a priceless art collection. 
 
¶3. (SBU)  The security force for Vatican City is the Corpo 
della Gendarmeria, a 160-member force responsible for overall 
security and public order, criminal investigations, and crowd 
and traffic control.  The Gendarmeria's capacity to respond 
successfully to a major incident or simultaneous multiple 
incidents in Vatican City is untested.  Last year, the 
Gendarmeria requested and received explosives training at the 
FBI Academy.  This engagement was positive, but its specific 
focus did not enable us to determine the Gendarmeria's 
preparedness to respond in the event of a terrorist attack. 
In the event of such an attack, the Gendarmeria would need to 
engage with Italian -- and possibly international (to include 
U.S.) -- security services to meet operational needs. 
 
¶4. (SBU)  The Vatican decision-making process is 
traditionally opaque.  The Vatican, a sovereign and 
independent state under international law, is unwilling to be 
seen as subordinate to any other state, including Italy, with 
which it has a complicated history.  Following recent 
engagement with the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See (and through 
the embassy with specialized agencies at Embassy Rome), 
however, the Gendarmeria's leadership has acknowledged an 
increase in the threat environments.  Its director welcomed a 
U.S. proposal to collaborate on a critical incident 
management training program, with a view to broadening 
dialogue on overall emergency preparedness and 
counterterrorism. 
 
¶5. (SBU)  It is the judgment of the Charge d'Affaires to the 
Holy See, the Regional Security Office at Embassy Rome, the 
FBI Legal Attache's office at Embassy Rome, and the RSI 
coordinator based at Embassy Rome that such modest engagement 
with the Vatican will provide immediate and long-term 
benefits.  The training will contribute directly to an 
improvement in the Gendarmeria's capacity to prepare for and 
respond to a terrorist attack.  Over the longer-term, the 
planning and coordination issues raised by the program will, 
we hope, spur necessary Vatican engagement and action with 
outside partners.  By increasing U.S. awareness of the status 
of Vatican planning, we will also improve our ability to 
effectively assist any U.S. citizens in the event of an 
attack, and to provide support (as requested) to the Holy See 
or to any Italian authorities involved in a response to a 
crisis in Vatican City State. 
 
Description of Program Proposed 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU)  We propose working with the U.S. Department of 
Justice's International Criminal Investigative Training 
Assistance Program (ICITAP) to design a three-day Critical 
Incident Management training program for 15-20 team leaders 
of the 160-member Gendarmeria.  The program will be 
custom-designed to meet the specific needs of the Gendarmeria 
based on a current threat assessment.  It will involve 
interactive classroom instruction, a table top exercise and 
the use of physical Vatican facilities to reinforce key 
concepts.  All instruction will be delivered in a 
train-the-trainer format and training materials will be 
provided, in Italian, to help promote subsequent training 
 
ROME 00000435  002 OF 002 
 
 
replication and adoption.  Key topics to be covered include: 
principles and features of a critical incident management 
system; resource mapping and accountability; preventing 
attacks; incident and proactive planning; major incident 
management; and critical incident review. 
 
Implementation Issues 
--------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU)  Once approved, the timing of program implementation 
will need to be arranged between the Vatican and ICITAP. The 
program will be held at the Vatican.  DOJ's ICITAP will be 
the implementing body. 
 
Audience of Program 
------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU)  The target audience is the Vatican's security 
services, the Gendarmeria.  Significantly, this program has 
the support of Cardinal Lajollo, who oversees governance of 
Vatican City State.  The Cardinal's engagement will be 
critical in subsequent collaboration with U.S. security 
services in the event of an attack. 
 
Funding Breakdown 
----------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU)  ICITAP prepared a notional budget of $110,841.52 
for three trainers for a total of 12 days, including a 
five-day training program.  This notional program likely 
exceeds the absorptive capacity of the Vatican, at least for 
an initial program.  We therefore propose to scale it back to 
a three-day training program with two days of prior 
consultation in Rome.  (This visit will follow prior 
preparatory coordination through Embassies Vatican and Rome.) 
 The notional budget will need to be adjusted downward 
correspondingly.  (Note:  Notional budget e-mailed to S/CT.) 
 
Tie to Law Enforcement 
---------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU)  The Corpo della Gendarmeria is the primary 
security service for Vatican City State.  (NB: The Vatican's 
Swiss Guards have responsibility for the physical security of 
the Pope himself.) 
 
Relation to RSI, Desired Effects 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶11. (SBU)  The Holy See has global reach, and any attack on 
the Vatican would lead to global reactions.  One of the 
objective of the program is to clarify security links between 
the Vatican and Italy and other key states.  This is the 
first time the Vatican's political governors and security 
leadership have welcomed collaboration with the United States 
on a policy level.  This program could open the door to 
subsequent U.S. counterterrorism engagement with the Vatican. 
 
Congressional Notification 
-------------------------- 
 
¶12. (SBU)  Given the facts that the Vatican and the Pope are 
viable Al-Qaeda targets and that millions of U.S. citizens 
visit the Vatican each year, we seek funding for a three-day 
Critical Incident Management training program for 15-20 team 
leaders of the Vatican's security force, the Corpo della 
Gendarmeria, to be conducted in Vatican City State, to 
strengthen the Vatican's ability to respond to a terrorist 
attack and to deepen bilateral collaboration with the Vatican 
on counterterrorism issues. 
DIBBLE