US embassy cable - 04OTTAWA2931

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 OTTAWA 002931 
 
SIPDIS 
 
CONFIDENTIAL NOFORN 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SERIAL:  (U)  IIR 6 815 0002 05. 
 
COUNTRY:  (U) CANADA (CA); NETHERLANDS (NL); UNITED KINGDOM (UK). 
 
IPSP:  (U) IFC1512; IFC1517; IFC2610. 
 
TAGS: DOD, Canadian Military, NATO 
SUBJECT: IIR 6 815 0002 05/DUTCH AND UK SUPPORT FOR 
CANADIAN CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF ASSUMING CHAIRMANSHIP OF 
NATO MILITARY COMMITTEE (U) 
 
 WARNING:  (U) THIS IS AN INFORMATION REPORT, NOT FINALLY 
EVALUATED INTELLIGENCE.  REPORT IS CLASSIFIED C O N F I D E N 
T I A L/NOFORN. 
 
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                     DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE 
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DOI:  (U) 20041028. 
 
REQS:  (U) DHCD127058; DHCD172046; DHCD172008; 
D-IAC-2610-047-01. 
 
SOURCE: A. (C) //6 815 0337//DUTCH DEFENSE OFFICIAL WHO HAS 
ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION IN THE COURSE OF NORMAL DUTIES. 
PREVIOUS REPORTING HAS BEEN RELIABLE. 
 
B.  (C) //6 815 0180//UNITED KINGDOM DEFENSE 
OFFICIAL WHO HAS ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION IN THE COURSE OF 
NORMAL DUTIES.  PREVIOUS REPORTING HAS BEEN RELIABLE. 
 
SUMMARY: (C) CANADA,S CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF, GENERAL RAY 
((HENAULT)) HAS BEEN NOMINATED FOR CHAIRMAN OF THE NATO 
MILITARY COMMITTEE.  DUTCH AMBASSADOR TO CANADA HAS STRONGLY 
SUPPORTED THE NOMINATION.  UK HIGH COMMISSIONER TO CANADA MAY 
BE LESS SUPPORTIVE. 
 
TEXT:  1. (C) CANADA,S CHIEF OF DEFENCE STAFF (CDS/CHOD), 
GENERAL RAY ((HENAULT)), HAS BEEN NOMINATED AS ONE OF TWO 
CANDIDATES FOR CHAIRMAN OF THE MILITARY COMMITTEE (CMC) AT 
NATO, REPLACING CURRENT CHAIRMAN, GENERAL HARARLD ((KUJAT)). 
HE HAS BEEN QUIETLY BUT CONTINUOUSLY LOBBYING FOR THE 
POSITION SINCE THE END OF CY2003. 
 
2.  (C) ACCORDING TO SOURCE A, DUTCH AMBASSADOR TO CANADA 
J.G.S.T.M. ((VAN HELLENBERG HUBAR)) IS SENDING A CABLE TO THE 
HAGUE STRONGLY SUPPORTING THE NOMINATION OF GENERAL HENAULT 
AS CMC.  AMBASSADOR VAN HELLENBERG HUBAR IS ALSO REPORTEDLY 
CALLING NATO SECRETARY GENERAL JAAP ((DE HOOP SCHEFFER)) TO 
COMMUNICATE HIS SUPPORT FOR HENAULT DIRECTLY TO SECGEN.  VAN 
HELLENBERG HUBAR SUPPORTS HENAULT BECAUSE HE BELIEVES 
SELECTING HENAULT WOULD BE THE BEST MOVE TO PROMOTE 
TRANSATLANTICISM AND TO ENSURE THAT INTERESTS &EXTERNAL TO 
THE EU8 REMAIN IN FOCUS. 
 
3. (C) ACCORDING TO SOURCE B, THE UNITED KINGDOM HIGH 
COMMISSIONER TO CANADA IS LIKELY TO BE INFLUENCED TO SHOW 
LESS THAN VIGOROUS SUPPPORT FOR HENAULT.  HENAULT IS SEEN BY 
MANY UK OBSERVERS AS PERHAPS TOO POLITICALLY SENSITIVE AND AS 
NOT BEING VOCAL ENOUGH IN CALLING FOR MORE RESOURCES FOR 
CANADIAN FORCES.  WHILE POLITICAL SKILLS ARE CERTAINLY 
REQUIRED FOR THE CMC POSITION, SOURCE B BELIEVES HENAULT 
LACKS &THE BACKBONE8 FOR TOUGH ENGAGEMENT ON ISSUES FACING 
THE ALLIANCE SUCH AS TRAINING AND EQUIPPING THE NEW IRAQI 
ARMY. IN THE LAST MEETING BETWEEN HENAULT AND UK CHOD GENERAL 
SIR MICHAEL ((WALKER)), WALKER WAS REPORTEDLY VERY DIRECT IN 
A NO-NONSENSE REQUEST FOR CANADIAN CONTRIBUTIONS TO ONGOING 
NATO, UN, AND COALITION MISSIONS.  HENAULT WAS APPARENTLY 
FLUSTERED IN THAT MEETING AND RESPONDED THAT HE COULD ONLY 
WORK WITH RESOURCES PROVIDED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF CANADA. 
 
COMMENTS: 1. (C) FIELD COMMENTS.  SOME CANADIAN SOURCES HAVE 
COMMUNICATED THAT CANADA WOULD WITHDRAW HENAULT,S NOMINATION 
IF HE IS NOT SUPPORTED BY THE U.S.  RO BELIEVES THIS IS 
UNLIKELY AND A HOLLOW MEANS OF ATTEMPTING TO FORCE SUPPORT 
SINCE THERE IS SECRET BALLOTING INVOLVED. 
 
2.  (C/NF) FIELD COMMENTS.  WHILE CANADA MAY NOT BE LEADING 
IN NATO CONTRIBUTIONS, RO BELIEVES THAT IT WOULD BE PRUDENT 
FOR THE U.S. TO SUPPORT HENAULT,S CANDIDACY FOR THE POST OF 
CMC.  HENAULT IS VERY PRO-U.S., AND IS VERY POLITICALLY 
SAVVY.  HE IS ALSO SOLIDLY BEHIND EFFORTS TO TRANSFORM 
NATO,S MILITARY FORCES INTO AN EFFECTIVE EXPEDITIONARY 
FORCE.  AS CMC, HENAULT COULD BE RELIED UPON TO ADVANCE U.S. 
MILTARY AND POLITICAL AGENDAS WITHIN NATO. 
 
3. (U)  SOURCES REMAINS AVAILABLE FOR FURTHER EXPLOITATION. 
 
4. (C) THIS REPORTING SUPPORTS PARAGRAPHS 1E, 3C, AND 3E OF 
THE DAO OTTAWA OPERATING DIRECTIVE. 
 
5. (U) DIRECT ANY QUESTIONS CONCERNING THIS IIR TO DHO-1 AT 
STU III (703) 907-0541, OR GRAY 981-7892. 
 
COLL:  (U) AB; AH; MM. 
INSTR: (U) US NO. 
PREP:  (U) 6-03048. 
ACQ:  (U) CANADA, OTTAWA (20041028). 
DISSEM:  (U) FIELD:  AMEMB OTTAWA. 
WARNING:  (U) REPORT CLASSIFIED 
C O N F I D E N T I A L/NOT RELEASABLE TO FOREIGN NATIONALS. 
 
SIPDIS 
DRV FROM:  DO HUMINT SCG SEP 2003 
DECL ON:  X1