US embassy cable - 05ABUJA1532

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001532 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, MASS, MCAP, PHUM, KPKO, NI 
SUBJECT: ACOTA PROGRAM MOVES FORWARD IN NIGERIA 
 
1. SUMMARY.  During 8-11 August 2005, an African Contingency 
Operations Training and Assistance (ACOTA) Program team met 
with officials of the Nigerian Army to jointly plan the 
future of the ACOTA program in Nigeria.  The meetings 
resulted in decisive progress in terms of a concept and 
schedule for ACOTA peace support operations training as well 
as agreement on ACOTA equipment support for Nigerian peace 
support operations trainers and peacekeepers.  Beyond the 
plans achieved for ACOTA training and equipping activities, 
the Nigerian Army requested receipt of a battalion 
deployment equipment package from the Global Operations 
Initiative (GPOI).  The purpose of this requested equipment 
would be to support Nigeria's recent deployment of three 
battalions of peacekeepers to the African Union Mission in 
Sudan (AMIS II/Darfur), ongoing Nigerian battalion 
deployments to peacekeeping operations in Liberia (UNMIL) 
and Sierra Leone (UNAMSIL), and projected battalion 
deployments to the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). 
END SUMMARY 
 
2.  The ACOTA team consisted of Chip Beck, State Department 
ACOTA Policy Coordinator, Richard Roan, State Department 
ACOTA Training Manager, Charles Ikins, OSD ACOTA Project 
Officer and Major Brent Bidus, U.S. European Command ACOTA 
Project Officer.  Colonel Sue Ann Sandusky, U.S. Defense 
Attache to Nigeria accompanied the team to all meetings. 
The ACOTA team met in several sessions with Brigadier 
General I. I. Hassan, Director of Peacekeeping Operations 
for the Nigerian Army and officers of his staff.  The ACOTA 
team also visited the site of projected ACOTA training at 
the Infantry Corps Centre School at Jaji, Nigeria. 
 
3.  General Hassan and his staff were exceptionally 
receptive, professional, cordial and well prepared.  This 
same level of receptivity and preparedness was exhibited by 
Major General B.S. Biloyok, the commander of the Infantry 
Corps Centre and School (ICCS) at Jaji, and his staff.  The 
Nigerians expressed complete acceptance of the ACOTA program 
and were well prepared to move forward with definitive 
planning and action.  This approach was a significant step 
beyond the hesitance about ACOTA partnership expressed by 
Nigerian Defense Headquarters senior staff members during 
the ACOTA team's last visit to Abuja in April 2005. 
 
4.  The ACOTA team achieved agreement with the Nigerian 
military on ACOTA training and equipping activities.  In 
April-May 2006 ACOTA will provide four weeks of command and 
staff training for Nigerian Army trainers.  In June-July 
2006, ACOTA is projected to provide three weeks of peace 
support operations soldier skills field training for 
Nigerian Army trainers.  In October-November 2006, ACOTA is 
projected to commence mentoring and assisting Nigerian 
trainers in training battalions preparing for deployment to 
peacekeeping operations.  The Nigerian Army intends to 
employ ACOTA-trained trainers in providing peace support 
operations pre-deployment training for as many as twelve 
battalions annually at the Peacekeeping Wing of the ICCS at 
Jaji.  In regard to equipping activities, the ACOTA team and 
Nigerian officers together reviewed Nigeria's requirements 
and agreed on the details of the provision of training 
support equipment for the Peacekeeping Wing of the ICCS as 
well as individual equipment for Nigerian soldiers 
participating in ACOTA training. 
 
5.  The Nigerian Army requested three areas of assistance 
beyond the scope of the ACOTA training and equipping 
activities outlined above.  These include, (1) approximately 
$350,000 to support the completion of ongoing facility 
construction at the Peacekeeping Training Wing at Jaji, (2) 
extension of the current MPRI Simulation Center Support at 
the Nigerian Armed Forces Staff College at Jaji (one year 
beyond the current expiration of December 2005), and (3) 
receipt of at least one battalion deployment equipment 
package from the Global Operations Initiative (GPOI).  The 
purpose of this latter equipment would be to support 
Nigeria's recent deployment of three battalions of 
peacekeepers to the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS 
II/Darfur), ongoing Nigerian battalion deployments to 
peacekeeping operations in Liberia (UNMIL) and Sierra Leone 
(UNAMSIL), and projected battalion deployments to the 
Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). 
 
6.  The ACOTA team expressed the commitment to ensuring that 
all ACOTA training and equipping activities are full 
complementary with the ongoing efforts of the United Kingdom 
in supporting the creation and sustainment of the ICCS 
Peacekeeping Wing at Jaji.  Full cooperation with the United 
Kingdom was explicitly requested by the Nigerian Army Chief 
of Staff.  The Commander of the British Defense Advisory 
Team in Abuja, Colonel Robert Russell, accompanied the ACOTA 
team on initial meetings with General Hassan and his staff 
and assured the ACOTA team that all of the ACOTA plans were 
welcomed by the United Kingdom and fully complementary with 
the UK's strategy at Jaji.  Both Colonel Russell and General 
Hassan invited ACOTA trainers and U.S. military personnel to 
observe joint British-Nigerian peace support operations 
training at the Peacekeeping Wing in November-December 2005. 
 
CAMPBELL