VZCZCXRO3933
OO RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHMR
DE RUEHDJ #0895/01 1910825
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O R 100827Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0630
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
INFO EAST AFRICAN ESC POSTS COLLECTIVE
RHMFISS/CDR USAFRICOM STUTTGART GE
RHMFISS/CJTF HOA FWD
RUEHDJ/AMEMBASSY DJIBOUTI
RUEPADJ/CJTF-HOA J2X CAMP LEMONIER DJ

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DJIBOUTI 000895 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL MARR MASS DJ XW
SUBJECT: DJIBOUTI: EASBRIG COMMANDER PREVIEWS JULY 13 'FRIENDS" 
MEETING 
 
REF: NAIROBI 1273 
 
1.(U)  Action request:  see para 7. 
 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) Summary:  Brigadier General Osman Nour Soubagleh, 
commander of the East Africa Standby Force (EASBRIG), told Embassy 
and CJTF-HOA July 8 that the July 13-14 "Friends of EASBRIG" 
meeting will brief potential donors on the planned 1,500 person 
multinational Field Training Exercise to be conducted in Djibouti 
in November 2009.  Final decisions on EASBRIG member country 
participation and contributions will be made at a meeting of 
regional defense ministers August 2-3.  Soubagleh previewed that 
the USG would be invited to provide tents, sanitation equipment 
(e.g., portable toilets), support for site preparations, and local 
ground transportation  as an "in-kind" bilateral contribution to 
Djibouti as host of the exercise.   Despite the relatively short 
lead-time for EASBRIG to organize this complicated exercise, 
Embassy recommends we provide support.  Enhancing EASBRIG supports 
USG policy to strengthen African regional institutions and military 
capability.  Moreover, supporting this exercise would reinforce our 
bilateral security partnership with Djibouti, which hosts the only 
enduring U.S. military installation in sub-Saharan Africa.  End 
Summary. 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU)  In a meeting with Ambassador, CJTF-HOA Deputy Commander, 
and members of their staffs on July 8, Soubagleh confirmed plans to 
proceed with the November 2009 Field Training Exercise (FTX) in 
Djibouti.  Although final plans have not been determined, the event 
would involve 1,100 troops plus 400 support personnel, operating 
from a headquarters in Arta, with additional field elements in 
Grand Barra and Hol Hol.  To date, countries that plan to 
participate include Djibouti, Kenya, Rwanda, and Uganda;  Burundi 
has stated it will not participate (likely due to its deployment in 
support of the African Union Mission in Somalia).  Soubagleh said 
it would be a "scenario-based" exercise, although the scenario had 
not yet been developed.  He anticipated that the exercise would 
also include a sealift component, with the Swedes and Danes 
interested in providing a roll-on-roll-off vessel to transport 
equipment from Mombasa.  While conceding that there were many 
details to complete within the four months before the exercise 
would begin, Soubagleh said that EASBRIG continued its preparations 
and was determined to show its capabilities. 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU)  Soubagleh outlined the following timeline for preparation 
of the FTX: 
 
 
 
--July 13-14:  Friends of EASBRIG meeting in Djibouti 
 
 
 
--July 27 - Aug 2:  Key staff officers meet in Addis to refine FTX 
plan 
 
 
 
--August 2-3:  Defense Ministers meet in Nairobi to decide final 
member state contributions 
 
 
 
--September (dates TBD):  Brigade staff trains in Addis, with ACOTA 
support 
 
 
 
--October (dates TBD): Troops gather and train together in Djibouti 
for three weeks 
 
 
 
--November (date TBD): FTX for one week 
 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) In their responses, Embassy and CJTF-HOA staff stressed 
U.S. desire to see EASBRIG strengthened and become more effective 
but noted concern over the ambitious scope of the exercise and the 
 
DJIBOUTI 00000895  002 OF 002 
 
 
tight timelines for completion.   Ambassador said it was important 
for EASBRIG to build a record of success and that it would be 
better to excel in a modest exercise than fall short in a more 
complex one.  CJTF-HOA Deputy Commander said the deadlines appeared 
"dangerously short" to plan for success, noting that this 
undertaking would be complex even for multiple U.S. military units, 
all working from the same doctrine and a common language.  He 
suggested options for keeping the exercise simple, e.g.,  by using 
multiple "lanes" through which each training cohort would proceed, 
practicing a new skill in each. 
 
 
 
¶6. (SBU)  Soubagleh listened politely to these concerns but said 
EASBRIG needed to show its capabilities.  It was already behind 
other regional standby forces and needed to catch up.  He appeared 
to have a genuine appreciation for the complexities of conducting 
the FTX as planned.  Nonetheless, he believes it can be done and is 
determined to proceed.  Soubagleh is one of only four flag-rank 
officers in the Djiboutian military, and has received extensive 
IMET training at the Army Command and Staff College and the Naval 
Postgraduate School, as well as at the Odessa military academy in 
the former Soviet Union. 
 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) Comment and Action Request:  We remain concerned that the 
planned FTX is a big bite for EASBRIG to chew, and continue to urge 
that the FTX be scaled back.  In the end, however, this is a 
decision for the member states.  Whatever they decide, we believe 
the USG has an interest in supporting the exercise.   Failure to do 
so would be contrary to USG policy to strengthen AU regional 
entities, including the standby forces.  Moreover, we believe we 
have an interest in helping the Djiboutians as host for the FTX.  A 
bilateral contribution to the GODJ in support of the exercise would 
reinforce our security partnership with Djibouti, which hosts Camp 
Lemonier, the only enduring U.S. military installation in 
sub-Saharan Africa, as well as port facilities used for U.S. Navy 
refueling and resupply operations.  We would welcome talking points 
from the Department for delivery at the July 13 "Friends of 
EASBRIG" meeting. 
SWAN