US embassy cable - 03ROME5540

C O N F I D E N T I A L  ROME 005540 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2013 
TAGS: MARR, MOPS, PREL, IT, NATO, ESDP, GLOBAL DEFENSE 
SUBJECT: ITALIAN OFFICIALS RECEPTIVE TO U/S FEITH BRIEFING 
ON GLOBAL FORCE POSTURE 
 
Classified By: DEPUTY CHIEF OF MISSION EMIL SKODON FOR REASONS 
1.5(B)(D) 
 
1. (C) Summary.  Senior Italian officials responded 
positively to U/S Feith's December 9 briefing on the USG 
strategy for global force repositioning.  Important details 
will need to be worked out and existing legal arrangements 
may need to be modified but Defense Minister Martino and 
Prime Minister Berlusconi's Diplomatic Advisor, Giovanni 
Castellaneta, agreed that capabilities, not numbers, must be 
the measure of military effectiveness in today's threat 
environment.  U/S Feith also had productive discussions 
during both meetings on Afghanistan, European security and 
Galileo.  End Summary. 
 
GLOBAL FORCE REPOSITIONING 
-------------------------- 
2. (C) In separate meetings with Martino and Castellaneta, 
U/S Feith explained that the US is consulting with allies on 
the concept and strategy of a long-term, global realignment 
aimed at making US military forces more responsive to today's 
threats.  Having forward deployed forces is less about having 
troops close to the fight these days than about harmonizing 
strategic political and military thinking needed for a 
stronger, more efficient alliance, he said.  By transforming 
the US military into the most affordable, sustainable, 
capable and relevant forces possible, the US is demonstrating 
the strength of its commitment to its allies and partners 
worldwide.  The US will need Italy and other allies to help 
explain to their public and parliaments that the rebasing 
concept is about building alliance capabilities, not about 
reducing numbers. 
 
3. (C) U/S Feith reviewed the ten key points underlying USG 
rebasing considerations, and said that more detailed 
discussions will follow this first round of big-picture 
consultations.  For Italy in particular, U/S Feith said the 
US is proposing to add a battalion at Vicenza, add two 
squadrons and remove an existing one at Aviano, consolidate 
the Sixth Fleet headquarters with another headquarters 
outside of Italy and relocate the flagship from Gaeta, and 
consolidate US Special Operations Forces (SOF) at Sigonella. 
With Italy's agreement, technical teams are prepared to 
conduct site surveys that would be the basis for the next 
round of policy level discussions, he said. 
 
4. (C) Defense Minister Martino strongly agreed with the need 
for military restructuring to face new threats and stressed 
that all allies should be following the US lead in order to 
make the alliance as a whole more efficient.  Local political 
reactions will likely prove the most difficult aspect to 
manage, he noted.  The key will be to work out the legal 
arrangements needed for rapid decision-making and 
flexibility.  Some marketing will be needed to sell the 
public and parliament on the proposed changes, such as 
another plus-up at Vicenza and an additional squadron at 
Aviano, Martino said.  If done ahead of time, he added, there 
should be no problem.  He did not object to site surveys but 
cautioned that they should be low key, with little or no 
publicity, to avoid generating opposition and rumours. 
Martino's Diplomatic Advisor, Francesco Trupiano, suggested 
that existing bilateral arrangements for US military presence 
in Italy may need to be modified.  U/S Feith agreed that they 
would need to be reviewed comprehensively to ensure they are 
adequate for the type of rapid, flexible deployments called 
for by today's threats.  Freedom of action is essential and 
in Italy and America's common interest.  The US will work 
with Italy as a sovereign nation on the modalities required 
for rapid decision-making and force movements, U/S Feith 
said. 
 
5. (C) Amb. Castellaneta also agreed that improved 
capabilities and greater flexibility will lead to a stronger, 
more relevant alliance.  He told U/S Feith that it will help 
countries like Italy that are battling to keep NATO 
positioned at the core of European security if the basing 
realignment is seen by the public as an effort to increase, 
rather than diminish, US commitment to a strong NATO 
alliance.  Castellaneta noted that existing legal 
arrangements should be reviewed and may need to be modified 
to ensure that US forces in Italy can operate, train and 
deploy as needed under the new plan.  The logistical details 
will need to be worked at the military level but Italy agrees 
 
 
in general with the concept at the political level, he said. 
PM Berlusconi's Military Advisor, General Leonardo Tricarico, 
who was at the meeting with Castellaneta, added that there 
would be local sensitivities to moving Sixth Fleet Command 
from Gaeta.  U/S Feith and his delegation assured the 
Italians that the US plans to coordinate closely with 
national and local officials, including Italian base 
commanders, to make sure the proposed changes are well 
received. 
 
AFGHANISTAN 
----------- 
6. (C) U/S Feith also raised three points on Afghanistan in 
both his meeting with Martino and with Castellaneta: 
Provincial Reconstruction Teams (PRTs), EU funding and 
judicial reform.  He said Amb. Zal Khalilzad had urged him in 
a phone call that morning to encourage the Italians to 
contribute a PRT as soon as possible.  PRTs are proving to be 
very valuable mechanisms for improving security and 
bolstering reconstruction efforts in Afghanistan, he said. 
The US is encouraging NATO to expand its role in Afghanistan 
and has no objection to an Italian PRT under the NATO ISAF 
chain of command if that is Italy's preference, he said. 
Martino noted that the MOD's commitment depends on the size 
of the civilian component and the location of the PRT. A 
joint MFA-MOD team is scheduled to depart on December 10 to 
look at two locations under consideration.  U/S Feith 
emphasized that PRTs are needed in new locations, not where 
capabilities already exist. 
 
7. (C) In his meeting with Castellaneta, U/S Feith stressed 
that time is of the essence; Afghans need to see real 
improvements on the ground before the June elections.  More 
EU funding is urgently needed for voter registration and 
other elections-related programs.  Castellaneta said Italy, 
as EU President, has been pushing for more funds but admitted 
that some EU members are lagging behind.  More resources and 
more momentum are also needed to energize Italy's efforts to 
reform Afghanistan's judiciary, U/S Feith said.  Castellaneta 
responded that Italy had agreed to tackle the most difficult 
sector, and important progress is being made.  Claudio 
Bisogniero, acting Political Director and the MFA's 
representative at the meeting, added that single-judge mobile 
courts are now operating in different locations around the 
country for one to three month periods.  The judges are 
Italian trained and use a simplified criminal code condensed 
by a joint Italian-Afghan team from the unwieldy existing 
code to be more functional. 
 
EUROPEAN SECURITY 
----------------- 
8. (C) U/S Feith discussed European security with both 
Martino and Castellaneta. He told them both that the US is 
extremely concerned about the creation of a separate EU 
planning cell, a development the US sees as unnecessary and 
duplicative.  Martino said an EU planning capability for 
autonomous operations made sense but only as a last resort, 
to be used after a NATO, Berlin Plus or EU/Framework Nation 
mission had been excluded.  Even France had agreed to this 
understanding, Martino said, though French officials didn't 
want that known.   Castellaneta also reassured U/S Feith that 
Italy was working with the UK and others within the EU to 
craft a solution that would be aimed at keeping NATO first 
and NATO strong.  He said that he would be meeting later on 
Dec. 9 with his French, German and British colleagues to 
discuss the EU planning cell and the mutual defense clause in 
the IGC draft treaty. 
 
GALILEO 
------- 
9. (C) U/S Feith raised Galileo with Castellaneta and said 
the proposed system is a self-inflicted wound on the NATO 
alliance.  Disagreements over frequency use must be resolved 
without damaging NATO or the US's warfighting capabilities, 
he emphasized.  Castellaneta assured him that negotiations 
underway in Brussels would lead to an acceptable solution. 
 
10. (U) U/S Feith has cleared this message. 
 
11. (U) Kabul Minimize considered. 
SEMBLER 
 
 
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	2003ROME05540 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL