US embassy cable - 04ROME4580

S E C R E T ROME 004580 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/RPM AND PM 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/30/2014 
TAGS: MARR, PREL, MOPS, AF, IT, NATO, AFGHANISTAN 
SUBJECT: AFGHANISTAN: ITALIANS COMMITTED ON PRT/FSB, 
CONSIDERING SOF REQUEST 
 
REF: A. A) STATE 251753 
     B. B) STATE 251327 
     C. C)ROME 3849 
     D. D) ROME 2913 
     E. E) ROME 2122 
 
Classified By:  POL M/C TOM COUNTRYMAN FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) 
 
1. (S) Polmilcouns conveyed Ref A and B points to MFA NATO 
Office Director Brauzzi November 29, and, along with DATT, 
discussed them with Deputy Chief of Defense Castagnetti on 
November 30.  Brauzzi said he would share them with Chief of 
Defense DiPaola on Nov. 30. On the PRT and FSB, Brauzzi noted 
that Italy planned to have its PRT forces in place in Herat 
by mid-March 2005 and the FSB by late March or early April. 
He noted that he thought the US should be making good-will 
gestures by placing US forces under ISAF without caveats, and 
was sorry to hear the Ref A point the US might pull back from 
that position if Stage II ISAF commitments did not meet US 
goals by January 20.  He had no comment on the Ref B SOF 
request. 
 
2. (C) Castagnetti pointed out that once Defense Minister 
Martino told the press that Italy would send 200 soldiers for 
ISAF PRT/FSB work, Italy was committed to doing so.  He said 
that in his personal view, who ever occupied the leadership 
should provide the helicopter assets.  Italy was working hard 
to meet the helicopter and role 2 medical requirements but 
was facing serious problems doing so.  Castagnetti is pushing 
the Italian Navy to come up with helicopters (he said the 
Navy helos were better protected and operate better at high 
altitude) but they would require support on the ground that 
Italy cannot provide.  He wondered if the US could provide 
ground support in this area.  On medical requirements, Italy 
does not have military surgeons or anesthesiologists.  In 
Iraq they are using Red Cross volunteers, and they are not 
getting new volunteers to step forward so cannot use the same 
model for ISAF.  They can put a role 1 plus facility with a 
C-130 for medevac, but, Castagnetti emphasized, to do it 
right and provide the required flexibility/mobility, 
helicopters are "a must." 
 
3. (C) Italy, Castagnetti reported, is also looking at other 
places it might be able to draw down military commitments 
less urgently needed to free up assets for the PRT/FSB work. 
He cited Albania, and said that if SHAPE decided a NATO HQ 
was no longer needed in Albania, that would help free up some 
Italian assets.  (He conceded that Greece would oppose such a 
decision.) 
 
4. (C) Castagnetti told us that the Italian Ambassador in 
Kabul had gone to Herat with a military advance team, but 
Rome did not yet have the trip report.  Another Italian 
reconnaissance team will travel there in early December and 
Rome hopes to have both reports by December 15, after which 
they will have a more clear idea of what they need to do to 
for both the PRT and the FSB. 
 
5. (S) On SOF, Castagnetti said IDGS would study the US 
request and see what Italy could do.  It would be much easier 
for Italy to take a decision on SOF for Afghanistan, he said, 
 if there was a clearly visible connection to an OEF/ISAF 
 toward a OEF one. 
 
Minimize ConsBT 
 
 
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 2004ROME04580 - Classification: SECRET