VZCZCXRO9513
OO RUEHDE RUEHDH RUEHDIR
DE RUEHAD #1043/01 3090631
ZNY SSSSS ZZH
O 050631Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3057
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
INFO RUEHZM/GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL COLLECTIVE
RUEHBUL/AMEMBASSY KABUL 0524
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 1781
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0125
RHMFISS/HQ USCENTCOM MACDILL AFB FL//CCJ3-C/CCJ6/CCJ5-EG//
RHMFISS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 ABU DHABI 001043 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11//2019 
TAGS: MASS MOPS MARR PREL TC AE
SUBJECT: UAE MEETING WITH LT GEN HOSTAGE AND MAJOR GENERAL MOHAMMAD 
SOWAIDAN 
 
REF: STATE 107987 
 
¶1.  (S/NF) SUMMARY: Progress was made on a variety of CENTCOM-related 
issues during AFCENT (U.S. Air Forces Central) Commander Lt Gen Mike 
Hostage's meeting with UAE Air Force and Air Defense Chief Mohamad 
Sowaidon al-Gemzy on October 28.  Although he proposed no dates, 
Sowaidan agreed to facilitate a site survey team to Liwa Air Base in 
order to consider it for possible future U.S. use in the drawdown of 
forces from Iraq and potential build-up of forces in Afghanistan 
(Refs A and B).  MG Sowaidon said the UAE's plans to deploy a 
Mirage-2000 and an F-16 squadron to Liwa could be adjusted if 
necessary to accommodate the U.S.' needs.  They agreed to visit Liwa 
together after the site survey team had completed its mission and 
then consider the possibilities together.  Both agreed it was 
important to shape the public message on the upcoming F-22 deployment 
to Exercise Iron Falcon as a positive story and as a message to the 
region.  MG Sowaidon broadly agreed (with no level of detail or 
mention of follow-up plans) to participate in U.S.-led Regional 
Integrated Air and Missile Defense (RIAMD) efforts and to host the 
RIAMD Center of Excellence (CoE).  Sowaidon accepted Lt Gen Hostage's 
invitation to visit the Combined Air Operations Center (CAOC) at Al 
Udeid Air Base (AUAB) in Qatar after the Dubai Air Show to see the 
kind of Common Operating Picture (COP) on offer under RIAMD.  Lt Gen 
Hostage broached the idea of having an alternate CAOC at Al Dhafra 
AB(ADAB), and MG Sowaidon told him to make a proposal for the UAE to 
consider.  MG Sowaidon asked for help with Link-16 releasability 
issues, and Lt Gen Hostage agreed to help.  Lt Gen Hostage thanked 
him for the UAE military's outstanding performance in Afghanistan. 
End Summary. 
 
F-22s At Iron Falcon: Send Important Message to Region 
 
¶2.  (S) Air Vice Marshall (Maj Gen) Mohamed Sowaidon welcomed Lt Gen 
Hostage to the UAE while expressing his delight with the Emirati Air 
Force's recent participation in the Red Flag Exercise at Nellis AB in 
Nevada.  He said they wished to do it again, and Lt Gen Hostage said 
he would try to help, although many countries want to participate. 
MG Sowaidon thanked the U.S. for progress being made at the Air 
Warfare Center (AWC).  Lt Gen Hostage said he looked forward to the 
F-22s participating in the next Iron Falcon exercise at the AWC at 
the end of November.  Our public affairs officials would need to work 
together, but he wanted other regional countries to see the F-22 
participating at both the Iron Falcon Exercise and the Dubai Air Show 
and draw the right conclusions.  Both wanted to see a positive 
message come out, stressing our partnership. 
Liwa AB: Let's Take a Look; UAE Could Adjust its Plans 
 
¶3.  (S) MG Sowaidon acknowledged U.S. interest in surveying Liwa AB 
and expressed his willingness to help.  He said that perhaps once the 
site survey was completed, he and Gen Hostage could visit the site. 
Lt Gen Hostage offered to use his aircraft for the two to visit Liwa. 
 MG Sowaidon stated that there was very little infrastructure there 
now, but he noted they had plans to put first a Mirage squadron and 
later an F-16 squadron there.  He said that UAE plans could be 
adjusted.  Lt Gen Hostage suggested that a U.S. presence could 
complement the Emiratis' efforts in many ways.  MG Sowaidon said he 
could see us operating together from there.  Lt Gen Hostage assured 
him there was no large force poised to move in.  The survey was just 
to get a sense of what might be possible at Liwa, and then those 
possibilities could be discussed. 
Offer to Host RIAMD COE, Not Sure Others Will Come 
 
¶4.  (S) Lt Gen Hostage explained that GEN Petraeus had tasked him to 
work on regionalizing IAMD.  He asked about the UAE's willingness to 
host the RIAMD CoE, and MG Sowaidon said he welcomed the idea to team 
on this: "We'll do it; no problem.  We have the facilities."  Lt Gen 
Hostage praised him on the success of the AWC and said he felt the 
RIAMD COE could be equally beneficial, with resident experts always 
at hand to help train the UAE and GCC in building a regional IAMD 
system in a trust-building environment.  While acknowledging that 
doing this was physically possible, MG Sowaidon stressed that 
politically it would be much more difficult. 
 
¶5.  (S) Lt Gen Hostage asked about the UAE's use of the GCC HAT 
system (GCC multilateral C2 system), which led to an Air and Missile 
Defense discussion.  Lt Gen Hostage offered to be able to share a 
common picture on a HAT-like system and that perhaps the HAT backbone 
could facilitate a COP he could share with all the GCC nations. MG 
Sowaidon was interested, stating, "We can commit easily to that," but 
he had his doubts about the other GCC nations' willingness to 
participate.  Lt Gen Hostage assured him it would be each nation's 
decision to determine whether and what to share.  But at least all of 
them could see the same picture from U.S. satellites, radars and 
ships in a connected network, helping everyone to better protect 
 
ABU DHABI 00001043  002 OF 002 
 
 
themselves. 
 
¶6.  (S) MG Sowaidon briefly remarked that the UAE was "planning a new 
air and missile defense system," mentioning a new radar and the need 
for the UAE and U.S. to talk to each other on the Air Defense side 
and about F-16s.  (NOTE:  It was unclear if the "system" he referred 
to was with equipment or in organization.  About two weeks ago, in a 
meeting with MG Anderson and USLO Col Sprague, the UAE Air Force 
Deputy mentioned that they were going to break out the AD from the 
AF. Perhaps the two comments are related.) 
Visit to AUAB to See Common Air Picture 
 
¶7.  (S/NF) Lt Gen Hostage asked whether MG Sowaidon was building a 
new Air Operations Center (AOC).  MG Sowaidon said yes.  Lt Gen 
Hostage offered him a visit to the CAOC at Al Udeid AB, after the 
Dubai Air Show (DAS), and MG Sowaidon accepted the offer.  Lt Gen 
Hostage springboarded from that to his need to find an alternate / 
contingency location for the CAOC at Al Udeid, and MG Sowaidon said 
the UAE would see what it could do to be helpful.  There was brief 
talk of facilities on Al Dhafra AB (ADAB) as a possibility as the US 
already had significant communications capabilities there.  This led 
to brief mention of the "vacant" test facility on the ADAB flight 
line.  MG Sowaidon stated that an element from Al Bateen has set up 
there but believed it was a small unit.  MG Sowaidon said, "Give us a 
proposal for how you would use ADAB and we can consider." 
 
¶8.  (C) MG Sowaidon asked Lt Gen Hostage for his views on 
Afghanistan.  Lt Gen Hostage turned question back to him, and MG 
Sowaidon stated it was an issue of keeping Afghan forces paid and 
overcoming a culture of corruption.  MG Sowaidon stated that dealing 
with India, Pakistan and Iran was crucial to resolving Afghanistan's 
problems. 
 
UAE Wants Help with Link-16 Releasability 
 
¶9.  (S) In reply to Lt Gen Hostage's offer for any help needed, MG 
Sowaidon asked him for help with Link 16 (NOTE: after F-16 munitions 
requests, the Emiratis' second key strategic talking point).  Lt Gen 
Hostage said he would provide him a Link-16 update.  Lt Gen Hostage 
thanked him for the UAE's excellent performance in Afghanistan, and 
MG Sowaidon merely replied that we are fighting a common enemy. 
 
¶10.  (U) BG Abdullah Al Neydi, Chief of UAE AF Ops and Training, also 
attended but made no inputs. 
 
OLSON