US embassy cable - 05VIENNA2955

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 VIENNA 002955 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR CRISIS MANAGEMENT SUPPORT AND EUR/AGS 
 
JOINT STAFF FOR J-5/EUR - CDR SQUIRES 
 
DHS FOR FEMA/OIA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, ECON, AEMR, ASEC, CASC, MARR, AMGT, US, AU 
SUBJECT: TFUS01:  AUSTRIAN OFFERS OF ASSISTANCE FOR 
 
 
HURRICANE KATRINA, 9/3/05 -- WATER PURIFICATION, 
 
DECONTAMINATION, SAR, SECURITY FORCES 
 
REF: STATE 162270 
 
1.  Summary:  Top Austrian officials have made specific 
 
offers to the Ambassador for disaster assistance.  The 
 
Austrian military has made a specific offer of a Disaster 
 
Relief group to provide capabilities including water 
 
purification, decontamination, and search and rescue support. 
 
In addition, the Interior Minister has offered its elite 
 
"COBRA" police unit to provide security.  Private Austrians 
 
are also offering in-kind and financial assistance,  End 
 
summary. 
 
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Military Disaster Relief 
 
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2.  On September 2, Chief of the Austrian General Staff GEN 
 
Ertl offered the Ambassador all possible assistance.  On 
 
September 3, the Austrian Nuclear-Biological-Chemical Defense 
 
School made a specific offer of the deployment of a Disaster 
 
Relief unit to provide specialized assistance.  Key elements 
 
of the capabilities Austria is offering are water 
 
purification, chemical and hygenic decontamination, and urban 
 
search and rescue units.  The Austrian deployment would be 
 
self-sufficient on the ground, bringing its own water, food 
 
and medical support, and Austrian personnel speak excellent 
 
English.  The Austrians would try to lease airlift for 
 
transatlantic transport, but may request lift assistance if 
 
they are unable to obtain aircraft at short notice. 
 
Text of the Austrian offer follows: 
 
NBC Defense School Headquarters, Korneuburg, 02 Sept. 2005 
 
Capabilities 
 
AFDRU/US Disaster Relief Expert Group: 
 
Personnel:  26 Disaster Relief Experts 
 
HQ squad with contingent Commander, 1 Liaison Officer and 1 
 
Communication Team. 
 
Expert Group:  1 medical doctor, 1 veterinarian, 1 chemist, 1 
 
biologist, 1 construction engineer and 1 logistician. 
 
The expert group is reinforced by 4 mobile assessment and 
 
support teams (each consisting of 1 disaster management 
 
expert, 1 search and rescue expert and 1 paramedic; All of 
 
the m are experienced from many worldwide relief missions and 
 
from their daily business as experts, trainers or in command 
 
function). 
 
AFDRU/US Disaster Relief Technical Unit 
 
Personnel:  approx. 100 troops: 
 
HQ squad includes an air liaison cell, a communication and a 
 
documentation team, 
 
1 Expert Group:  1 MD and 4 disaster management specialists. 
 
1 Field laboratory:  1 chemist, 1 veterinarian and 1 biologist 
 
1 Medical squad:  1 MD with emergency experience and 6 
 
paramedics. 
 
The operational teams are organized in: 
 
1 water purification squad:  3 water purification systems 
 
(reverse osmosis) with a daily capacity of 40,000 l. and 1 
 
wate rsupport team equipped with high pressure pumps and hose 
 
material. 
 
2 decontamination squads:  for disinfection, hyginee and the 
 
clean up of mud-contaminated infrastructure.  Each squad 
 
consists of two decon-systems and one water support team. 
 
1 Technical support squad:  6 USAR (Urban Search and Rescue) 
 
specialists with medium detection and rescue equipment 
 
(electric and hydraulic systems) and 2 rescue boats with 
 
outboard machinery. 
 
The disaster relief expert group and the technical support 
 
squad are available separately or in a combined mission 
 
version.  The necessary transport capacity will be rented at 
 
the arrival airport.  Equipment can be loaded on Pick-Ups. 
 
Contact numbers: 
 
BrigGen Norbert Fuerstenhofer:  (cell phone) 43-664 182-2765, 
 
acabws@bmlv.gv.at 
 
Col. Christoph Konicek:  (cell phone) 43-664 376-5068, 
 
acabws@bmlv.gv.at 
 
End text. 
 
An additional POC for this offer is Martin Beck, an Austrian 
 
military reservist who is a member of the US Embassy in 
 
Vienna's Regional Security Office.  Beck is available at cell 
 
phone 43-664-838-4304, or through the US Embassy operator at 
 
43-1-31339-0. 
 
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Offer of Police Assistance 
 
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4.  On September 3, Interior Minister Liese Prokop called the 
 
Ambassador to offer the deployment of the Austrian elite 
 
police unit, the so-called "COBRA" team.  The COBRA unit is a 
 
special protection force designed to create and enforce order 
 
and provide citizen and dignitary protection.  The unit is 
 
self-sufficient and its members speak English.  Transport to 
 
the crisis region would likely be via commercial air. 
 
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Private Offers 
 
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5..In addition to the above offers, which we refer to the 
 
Task Force and FEMA for consideration, private Austrian 
 
citizens have offered in-kind and financial assistance.  We 
 
have referred enquiries to the Embassy website, which has 
 
contact information for donations. 
 
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POC 
 
6.  Embassy Vienna POC is Economic-Political Counselor 
 
Gregory E. Phillips, reachable through the Embassy's 24-hour 
 
switchboard at 43-1-31339-0.  Alternate phones: 
 
43-1-367-4404 (home), 43-664-423-7596 (cell).  State unclas 
 
e-mail (accessible during duty hours):  PhillipsGE@state.gov. 
 
Private commercial e-mail (accessable during non-duty 
 
hours):  gephillips@usa.net 
 
Brown