VZCZCXRO8262
OO RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHNP RUEHROV RUEHSL RUEHSR
DE RUEHRL #0197 0501708
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 191708Z FEB 10
FM AMEMBASSY BERLIN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6587
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USEUCOM VAIHINGEN GE PRIORITY
RHMFISS/HQ USAFE RAMSTEIN AB GE PRIORITY
RHMFISS/CDRUSAREUR HEIDELBERG GE PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L BERLIN 000197 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/19/2020 
TAGS: MASS PREL MARR MOPS NATO GM AF
SUBJECT: GERMAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ANSF TRAINING 
 
REF: A. STATE 14366 
     ¶B. BERLIN 157 
 
Classified By: POLITICAL MINISTER COUNSELOR GEORGE GLASS. REASONS: 1.4 
(B) AND (D). 
 
¶1. (C) Charge d'Affaires delivered ref A points to MOD State 
Secretary Ruediger Wolf and MFA Afghanistan-Pakistan Task 
Force Director Ruediger Koenig in separate meetings on 
February 18, encouraging Germany to clarify at the February 
23 NATO/ISAF Force Generation Conference what specific NATO 
requirements it intends to fill through its planned troop 
increase and force restructuring.  Wolf noted that the 
ability of the government to make any formal force 
commitments or to give details about how those new forces 
will be deployed will be limited until the Bundestag approves 
the new parliamentary mandate for Bundeswehr operations in 
Afghanistan, which is not expected to occur until February 
¶26.  Koenig thought, however, that German representatives at 
the February 23 Force Generation Conference would at least be 
able to announce the planned increase of 500 (plus the 
350-man reserve) with the caveat that this commitment was 
dependent on Bundestag approval. 
 
¶2. (C) Koenig revealed that the Bundeswehr Operations Command 
was "still racking its brains" over how to restructure its 
current presence in order to meet the Chancellor's January 26 
commitment to increase the number of German soldiers 
dedicated to ANSF training from the current 280 to 1,400, 
while only increasing the overall full-time authorized troop 
presence by 500.  He noted that the MOD had originally 
proposed a much greater increase in the troop ceiling to 
carry out its plans for partnering with the ANA in the north 
and was having a difficult time coming to terms with having 
to make do with a much smaller number. 
 
COMMENT 
 
¶3. (C) It should be easier for us to obtain details on how 
Germany plans to fill troop requirements in the north and in 
Kabul after the mandate had been safely approved by the 
Bundestag on February 26.  However, Defense Minister zu 
Guttenberg has already made clear in public statements and in 
private conversations with Ambassador Murphy (ref B) that the 
restructuring essentially involves turning the current 
battalion-size quick reaction force based in Mazar into a 
"protection and training" battalion that will operate 
regularly with the ANA in the field.  A second such battalion 
will be created in Kunduz by augmenting an existing infantry 
company with new troops.  In this way, Germany plans to 
fulfill the CJSOR requirement for two additional maneuver 
units in the north.  As far OMLT requirements for the 209th 
ANA Corps in the north are concerned, German officials have 
assured us that most of them, if not all, are already filled, 
including for the 3rd Brigade scheduled to be stood up this 
year. 
 
¶4. (C) The Germans are also very active in establishing a new 
ANA Engineer Branch School in Mazar and upgrading the 
existing Logistics School in Kabul into full-fledged Combat 
Service Support School, although it is not clear how many 
positions they intend to fill at these institutions 
themselves.  At the December SHAPE Force General Conference, 
Germany already committed to provide 14 POMLT-equivalents. 
(Note: Each German police mentoring team consists of 4 
civilian police, 4 military police and 2 interpreters.  End 
Note.)  This may very well be the extent of Germany's 
capacity to provide POMLTs for the next year, which depend on 
limited Bundeswehr force protection and medical assets to 
operate outside the wire.  However, Germany's ability to 
provide additional institutional police trainers should 
increase -- the Chancellor pledged on January 26 to increase 
the overall number of police trainers in the German bilateral 
program (i.e., distinct from those dedicated to EUPOL) from 
the current 123 to 200.  She claimed that this would allow 
Germany to train some 5,000 Afghan policemen a year. 
Delawie