VZCZCXRO6038
RR RUEHIK
DE RUEHVJ #1269 3161433
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 121433Z NOV 09
FM AMEMBASSY SARAJEVO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0980
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0287
RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0047
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JCS WASHINGTON DC
RHMFIUU/COMUSNAVEUR NAPLES IT

UNCLAS SARAJEVO 001269 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL MARR BK
SUBJECT: BOSNIA:  INFORMATION ON SECURITY DIALOGUES 
 
REF: STATE 112900 
 
¶1. This cable outlines, per reftel, ongoing security and 
defense dialogues between Bosnia and the United States. 
 
Bilateral Defense Consultations 
------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  The United States and Bosnia have organized bilateral 
defense consultations on an ad hoc basis since December 2007. 
 The first was organized in Washington in December 2007 and 
chaired by then DepSecDef Gordon England.  England came to 
Bosnia for consultations in a reduced format in October 2008. 
 The next bilateral defense consultations are planned in 
Bosnia in December 2009 or January 2010, to be chaired on the 
U.S. side at the PDASD level.  While there is no formally set 
schedule for bilateral defense consultations, our Bosnian 
interlocutors expect that some sort of bilateral 
consultations at the DASD level or higher will take place on 
a yearly basis. 
 
Adriatic Charter 
---------------- 
 
¶3. In December 2008 Bosnia joined the regional U.S. - 
Adriatic Charter which has separate bi-annual meetings of 
Ministers of Defense, Ministers of Foreign Affairs, MFA 
Political Directors and Chiefs of Defense.  Bosnia is the 
current chair.  The United States will be represented at this 
fall's Defense Ministerial in Sarajevo at the Assistant 
Secretary level.  In the past, the U.S. has been represented 
at the Foreign Ministerial by a Deputy Assistant Secretary of 
State or higher.  The political directors meetings are 
typically attended by local embassy officers on behalf of the 
United States.  Bosnia plans to host an A5 Chief of Defense 
Conference in May 2010.  At the last A5 Chief of Defense 
Conference in Tirana, Deputy Commander of U.S. European 
Command represented the United States. 
 
State Partnership Program 
------------------------- 
 
¶4. The Maryland National Guard has frequent engagement with 
Bosnia's military establishment through the State Partnership 
Program.  The Adjutant General of Maryland travels to Bosnia 
on an ad hoc basis to discuss the State Partnership Program 
which provides technical assistance to Bosnia's military to 
help modernize and make Bosnia's Armed Forces a more reliable 
coalition partner and a more credible aspirant to NATO 
membership.  Representatives of Bosnia's Parliament, as well 
as the Chairman of the Presidency have visited the Maryland 
National Guard in the past year. 
 
EUCOM 
----- 
 
¶5. U.S. European Command has run exercises in Bosnia on an ad 
hoc but continuing basis, ranging from table-top exercises on 
disaster relief involving all of Bosnia's levels of 
government as well as its neighbors to last years Combined 
Endeavor 2009, a EUCOM sponsored communications exercise that 
brought teams from 39 NATO allies and partner countries to 
Banja Luka.  There is no formal agreement to continue 
exercises in Bosnia on a set schedule, but EUCOMs engagement 
of Bosnia remains high and continuing. These defense 
engagements typically include a long process of 
military-military security dialogues at a high level. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) Our continuing military and security relationship 
plays a vital role in Bosnia, where defense reform has been 
the most successful and meaningful reform since the Dayton 
Peace Accords and one critical to security and confidence in 
the Bosnian state.  Our political-military engagement has the 
dual purpose of outlining for Bosnia's leaders the reforms 
necessary to make progress towards their goal of NATO 
membership and to promote the perception that the United 
States, having made a tremendous investment in Bosnia's 
security since ending the war in 1995, is here to stay until 
the job is done. 
ENGLISH