US embassy cable - 05ROME36

S E C R E T  ROME 000036 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/04/2015 
TAGS: PARM, PREL, KPAO, IT, GLOBAL DEFENSE 
SUBJECT: US-ITALIAN WORKING GROUP MEETS ON GLOBAL DEFENSE 
POSTURE REVIEW 
 
REF: ROME 3138 
 
Classified By: DCM Emil Skodon for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). 
 
1. (S) SUMMARY.  PM DAS Bue and OSD Strategy Director Pavel 
led a joint State-DOD delegation to Rome on December 7 to 
discuss anticipated US Global Defense Posture Review (GDPR) 
changes and work through details on reshaping our presence in 
Italy.  In working group discussions with an Italian 
delegation led by Claudio Bisogniero, the MFA's Vice DG of 
the Multilateral Political Affairs Bureau, and Giovanni 
Brauzzi, head of the MFA NATO office, Bue and Pavel 
introduced additional details for NAS Sigonella under the 
GDPR, including force levels, training activities, and types 
of missions.   The US side deferred discussion on freedom of 
action issues until an anticipated late-January meeting, when 
the USG will have completed its policy review on this topic. 
The Italians appreciated the additional details, noting some 
proposals for sensitive Special Forces training in Sicily 
might not be workable.  Both sides agreed to reconvene the 
working group at the end of January or early February (with a 
technical working group of EUCOM and GOI MOD experts to meet 
in the interim) to address legal arrangements, certain 
technical questions (e.g., status of a planned NATO runway at 
Sigonella, chain of command for SOF operations out of 
Sigonella, and alternate proposals), specifics on possible 
training in Sicily, and what additional infrastructure would 
be needed to accommodate USG proposals.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (S) On December 7, DAS Bue and Director Pavel led a US 
delegation in the first GDPR working group consultations and 
provided presentations on the strategic plan for the GDPR, 
how SOF consolidation supports USG strategic rationale for 
posture changes, the long-term vision for Sigonella including 
general timing and proposed range of forces, and a general 
overview of special forces activities.  Bisogniero emphasized 
the strong US-Italy Alliance, but reminded the US that 
linking activities at Sigonella to NATO remains important to 
meeting Italian constitutional requirements for US military 
operations based in Italy.  Bue acknowledged the US places 
great importance on coordinating our moves with the GOI a. 
 
4. (S) Pavel commented that consolidating SOF in Italy would 
provide both bilateral and NATO training opportunities and 
highlighted our interest in deepening our security 
relationship with Italy on all levels.  Pavel pointed out 
that the strategic aim of defense realignment is to move away 
from a post-Cold War posture (e.g., heavy concentrations in 
Northern Europe), and adapt to future security challenges 
that the USG believes will come from Europe's southern and 
southeastern borders.  Bisogniero also was interested in US 
realignment plans for Southeast Asia, which entail increasing 
contingency access for counter-terrorism (CT) operations. He 
noted that Italy and its European partners are increasingly 
focused on terrorist threats emanating from the region, 
particularly Malaysia and Indonesia, and there has been an 
effort to strengthen regional CT capabilities.  Bisogniero 
emphasized NATO's role in our plans, noting the need to 
strengthen transatlantic links. He also emphasized, as other 
Italian interlocutors have, that our plans for Vicenza and 
Naples were not problematic, and the primary issue to be 
 
 
worked out is the proposal to consolidate European-based US 
SOF in Sicily. 
 
LONG-TERM VISION FOR SIGONELLA & TIMING 
 
5. (S) Bill Roege, OSD/PA&E briefed on our long-term vision 
for Sigonella.  He pointed out our current SOF posture in 
Europe is divided between several locations.  To train and 
operate efficiently, however, those forces should be 
permanently stationed together.  Presently, EUCOM-based SOF 
include Air Force units in the UK (RAF Mildenhall), ground 
components in Stuttgart, Germany, and two Navy SEAL units in 
Germany and Rota, Spain. Combining those forces in Italy 
would provide greater training opportunities (joint, 
bilateral, and NATO) and significant cost savings. It would 
also support training in other nearby regions, particularly 
in Africa. 
 
6. (S) Roege laid out a two-phased timeline for possible 
changes at Sigonella.  Between 2008-2011, the US proposed: 
-- Moving SOCEUR HQ from Germany to Sigonella; 
-- Moving Army SOF from Germany to Sigonella; 
-- Relocating SOF helicopters to Sigonella, and possibly 
rotating through SOF fixed-wing aircraft (i.e. MC-130s); -- 
Rotating AC-130 gunships through Sigonella; and 
-- Moving maritime assets to, and improving the naval 
infrastructure at, Augusta Bay. 
 
7. (S) Between 2012-2015, the US proposed: 
-- Moving the 352nd SOF Group from RAF Mildenhall to 
Sigonella; 
-- Permanently stationing fixed-wing SOF aircraft (i.e. 
MC-130s and CV-22s) at Sigonella; and 
-- Stationing SOF high-speed naval vessels that are currently 
being tested in the Pacific. 
 
8. (S) US estimates of personnel increases at Sigonella were 
the following: 
-- Between 2008 and 2011, an additional 1,000)1,300 troops 
accompanied by approximately 700)1,400 dependents would 
relocate to Sigonella. 
-- Between 2012 and 2015, another 1,100 troops with 2,100 
dependents would relocate to Sigonella as part of the 352nd 
Special Operations Group moving from RAF Mildenhall. 
-- Total increases at Sigonella through 2015 could double the 
base population from 5,500 to 11,500 personnel. 
 
9. (S) In response to Italian questions, Pavel emphasized a 
rolling set of decisions and implementation timelines 
dependent on particular locations.  As consultations 
progressed, we would adjust our proposals to address host 
nation concerns. 
 
10. (S) On physical infrastructure, Roege stated the US would 
seek to establish a Joint Maritime Operations Facility at 
Augusta Bay, with Sigonella being the preferred location for 
SOCEUR HQ, Army & Navy SOF, Joint Special Operations Air 
Command, a Joint Air Operations Facility, and a Joint 
Deployment Facility. Brauzzi expressed concern that our plans 
might interfere with a proposed NATO project to expand the 
runway at Sigonella.  Pavel and Bue committed to deconflict 
our proposals with any NATO plans at the base.  (COMMENT: 
Neither Embassy Rome nor USNATO can locate evidence of a 
current NATO runway expansion project for Sigonella.  END 
COMMENT) 
 
SOF ACTIVITIES FROM SIGONELLA AND ON SICILY 
 
11. (S) SOCEUR rep Lt. Col. Alan Bridges briefed on the types 
of missions and training programs US SOF forces typically 
undertake, emphasizing his brief was a "wish list" we 
understood the GOI could not provide entirely.  Brauzzi 
expressed concern over the impact of SOF training on local 
populations and infrastructure in Sicily.  DoD advised that 
Sicily's existing ranges do not fulfill SOF requirements, and 
there may be a requirement for modifying existing rules, or 
creating new facilities. Brauzzi reminded the US that Italian 
forces are subject to flight ceilings for training purposes, 
and that our proposals for low-level flight training (50, - 
 
 
100,) might be difficult to approve. He was particularly 
concerned with proposals for over-the-beach assault training 
with live-fire, and suggested Sardinia might be an 
alternative location for some proposed SOF training. Brauzzi 
questioned whether areas around Sigonella and Augusta Bay 
could accommodate an increase in personnel, and noted that 
the MFA and MOD would need to consult with local authorities 
on an increased US presence.  He raised a number of questions 
on the geographic scope of SOF projection, how SOF fits in 
with NRF objectives, availability of SOF in Sigonella for 
non-combatant evacuation, political controls SOF operations 
will need, and whether the primary counterpart for the GOI 
would be EUCOM or SOCOM. 
 
IMPORTANCE OF NATO & NEED FOR A CLEAR CHAIN OF COMMAND 
 
12. (S) The US side welcomed Italian views on how to 
strengthen NATO transformation through GDPR, reminded the GOI 
that U/S Grossman kicked off US GDPR consultations in 
December 2003 at the NAC, and emphasized that NATO's 
transformation and our defense realignment were mutually 
reinforcing.  Brauzzi acknowledged the possible NATO aspects 
of the US proposal as a "plus," but raised concerns over 
potentially confusing chains of command vis a vis US SOF 
forces in Italy, which might be deployed alternatively for 
EUCOM, CENTCOM, or global SOCOM missions. Brauzzi referenced 
his experience during OEF of not knowing whether EUCOM or 
CENTCOM was his appropriate interlocutor for a given mission. 
 Italy now knows how to better manage that process, but the 
GOI needs a familiar and consistent interlocutor. The 
Italians assume EUCOM will always have say in whatever SOF 
operations might be launched from Italian territory. 
 
13. (S) Pavel stressed DoD is working to eliminate rigid 
lines between commands and to reinforce relationships among 
commanders. EUCOM is working to tailor capabilities to deal 
with challenges emanating from other theaters, and we are 
helping European allies to deal with security challenges in 
those regions.  However, we acknowledge that we will not be 
able to eliminate all seams between SOCOM, EUCOM, and CENTCOM 
for Sigonella-based operations.  To address Brauzzi's point 
about Italy's interest in Africa, Pavel noted we are seeking 
to develop a series of access points in sub-Saharan Africa to 
build mobility in an East-West fashion. The proposed network 
of CSLs in sub-Saharan Africa would provide greater access 
for C-130s to respond to humanitarian crises and other 
contingencies. With respect to non-combatant evacuations, the 
US side acknowledged that we are sensitive to host country 
needs wherever we have forces. 
 
MORE DATA AND DISCUSSION WELCOME 
 
14. (S)  The Italians were pleased at the level of detail 
provided by the US side, which promised to return with 
details on chain of command, freedom of action, and the full 
range of requirements for Sigonella once those details have 
been worked out.  Pavel and Bue promised to provide US 
positions on those key issues in writing in advance of the 
next meeting, to allow the Italians to prepare a detailed 
response.  Brauzzi suggested the working group reconvene in 
Rome at the end of January, with a sub-working group of EUCOM 
and IT MOD technical experts meeting in the interim to work 
out some technical issues, the results of which would be 
briefed to the full working group in January.  He also 
suggested the working group visit Sigonella during the next 
visit.  Brauzzi described the discussions as fruitful and 
noted he is now in a better position to report to his 
authorities.  When asked if our proposals were realistic, 
Brauzzi said the GOI needs to fully consider important local 
dimensions and the US proposal will require strong bipartisan 
support in Italy, given the historical high rate of turnover 
in Italian governments.  He believed that there was 
sufficient bipartisan consensus to move forward with 
discussing US proposals, but that both sides would need to 
remain focused on the issue as talks continue. 
 
15. (S) Comment: This first working group meeting on the SOF 
consolidation aspects of the GDPR was viewed as successful by 
both sides.  The Italians appreciated the consultative spirit 
 
 
of the US presentation and welcomed the level of detail on 
what the US is looking to do at Sigonella.  As we move 
forward with this process, it will be imperative to maintain 
the spirit of partnership and to keep the Italians fully 
informed of our thinking. As long as our Italian 
interlocutors feel they are a partner in this process, that 
we are responsive to their concerns, and that basic 
agreements like the 1954 BIA remain the unchallenged basis 
for discussion, they will continue to try to meet our 
requests.  They have already contacted Post to inquire about 
the US paper (including discussion of political and legal 
aspects of SOF consolidation) to set the stage for the next 
Working Group meeting, at which they expect freedom of action 
to be addressed.  End comment. 
 
16. (SBU) Participants: 
 
Italy: 
Claudio Bisogniero, Vice DG of Multilateral Political Affairs 
Bureau, MFA 
Giovanni Brauzzi, Head of MFA NATO office 
Pier Mario Dacco, MFA NATO office 
Francesco Tafuri, MFA Americas Bureau 
Felice Soldano, CESIS 
Captain Giovanni Gumiero, Chief of IDGS International 
Relations Office 
Major Vincenzo Iosca, IDGS 
Brigadier General Marco Bertolini, Commander of Italian SOF, 
MoD 
 
U.S.: 
PM DAS Kara Bue 
OSD Principal Director for Strategy Barry Pavel 
Bill Roege, OSD/PA&E 
Anne Bonfante State/PM 
Nathaniel Heller State/EUR 
Anthony Aldwell, OSD/ISP/EPS 
Lt Col Alan Bridges, SOCEUR 
Maj Brian Bruckbauer, EUCOM 
Chris Kinsley, Commander, NAVEUR/NAS Sigonella 
Jonathan Cohan, Pol-Mil Counselor, U.S. Embassy Rome 
Susanne Rose, Pol-Mil Officer, U.S. Embassy Rome 
Col. Roy Panzarella, ODC Chief, U.S. Embassy Rome 
Capt. Patricia Battin, USSSO, U.S. Embassy Rome 
 
 (U) This cable has been cleared with DAS Bue and Principle 
Director Pavel. 
 
 
SEMBLER 
 
 
NNNN 
 2005ROME00036 - Classification: SECRET