US embassy cable - 04ROME2893

C O N F I D E N T I A L ROME 002893 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FOR EUR: ROBERT BRADTKE; EUR/RPM 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/26/2014 
TAGS: MOPS, IT, NATO, IRAQI FREEDOM 
SUBJECT: GOI SUPPORTS DUAL-HATTING MFN-I COMMANDER, 
SUGGESTS NON-US NATO DEPUTY 
 
REF: STATE 161037 
 
Classified By: POLITICAL MINISTER-COUNSELOR TOM COUNTRYMAN FOR REASON 1 
.4 B/D. 
 
 1. (C)  Following Reftel's request, Pol-Mil Officer 
demarched Italian MFA NATO Office Head Giovanni Brauzzi on 
July 26.  Brauzzi responded that Italy had already decided to 
fully support the US proposal to dual-hat the MNF-I commander 
as commander of the NATO training mission in Iraq. Italy will 
advocate that position in the NAC once the proposal clears 
the Military Committee as expected on July 26. 
 
2. (C)  Brauzzi suggested that it would be highly desirable 
to appoint a non-American officer as deputy commander of the 
NATO training mission.  While there are many precedents in 
NATO practice for dual-hatting commanders, he noted that this 
would be the first time for dual-hatting a commander 
responsible to a command -- in this case, CENTCOM -- outside 
the Euro-Atlantic area. 
 
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	2004ROME02893 - Classification: CONFIDENTIAL