Cablegate: Kabul Eac Meeting - September 28, 2009

VZCZCXRO9985
RR RUEHDBU RUEHPW RUEHSL
DE RUEHBUL #3066/01 2751019
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 021019Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY KABUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1791
INFO RUCNAFG/AFGHANISTAN COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KABUL 003066

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: AMGT ASEC AF
SUBJECT: KABUL EAC MEETING - SEPTEMBER 28, 2009

1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified ) protect accordingly.

RESIDENTIAL SECURITY

2. (U) Assistant Ambassador convened a Core Emergency Action
Committee (EAC) on September 28, 2009 to discuss the current
security and housing situation in Kabul, Post Off-Compound
Travel Policy, and to conduct a security review of PRTs. EAC
members present included Assistant Ambassador, MGT, RSO,
L/EMB, IPA, RAO, POL-MIL, POL, ECON, FAA, IRM, DEA, CONS,
RMO, PA, DOJ, and AID.

3. (U) The EAC reviewed the current housing situation for
Camp Integrity, a compound near the Kabul airport, owned by
private security company XE. RSO discussed the layout of
Integrity and continuing minor improvements and noted that
the camp meets security requirements for putting COM
personnel there between now and January 2010. MGT stated
that there will be shuttles for transport.

4. (U) The EAC reviewed the status of the new villas being
prepared adjacent to the embassy to house COM personnel. RSO
announced that security waivers are in place for six villas,
and that all mandatory setbacks and security barriers are in
place. RSO also announced that static and roaming guards
will be placed at the villas immediately. Once occupants
have moved in, there will be a shuttle for transport and
Management announced that the villas will have base station
tactical communications and panic alarms but no Embassy IVG
phones in the near term. It is still unclear who will occupy
) priority will go to agencies with self-drive and weapons
and mid-term TDY personnel.

5. (U) RSO announced that Post has acquired new LENCO MRAPs
for transporting Local Guard Force (LGF). These new
&Rhino8 style vehicles will allow LGF to more safely
transit to and from the Embassy along Route White. Currently
the LGF vehicles are transiting from Camp Sullivan to USEMB
on an unavoidably predictable schedule in high-profile
military-style vehicles with only basic ballistic protection.
The new vehicle affords considerably more protection
although the reduced capacity of each vehicle requires a
somewhat longer convoy with a larger footprint.

6. (U) Management briefed the current status of Camp
Sullivan, the camp several miles from the embassy where the
embassy guard force lives. The camp is currently at capacity
but still needs to expand by 150 given upcoming Mission
expansion. Management stated that there is the possibility
that more residential units could be put in unused space but
that a better option would be to lease land from MOD adjacent
to the Embassy. Management said that there were issues with
this land as it was at this point still unclear whether MoD
actually owned the land or whether another organization
actually had title even though MoD was occupying it.

7. (U) RSO raised the subject of an S/CRS Officer who is
coming to Afghanistan to be under COM authority but resident
at and attached to UNAMA. AMB Mussomeli announced that
Deputy Ambassador Ricciardone has approved this arrangement.
None of the representatives of sections that might be
expected to supervise such an officer were familiar with this
plan. RSO proposed a site survey of UNAMA but agreed to hold
off until the officer,s status was clarified.

OFF-COMPOUND TRAVEL

8. (U) RSO recommended the need to review and more carefully
define aspects of the Off Compound Travel Policy.
A. The EAC agreed that &Official8 Travel needs to be more
clearly defined in guidance to the Embassy and monitored by
section heads. RSO said COM personnel were beginning to set
patterns by their attendance at local restaurants.
B. RSO restated the importance of traveling in smaller
groups and avoiding the use of vans. Vans have a high
profile as they are both American-made and unique on the
roads. Also, because they carry more than just a few
passengers, inherently offer an appealing target.
C. The EAC decided that henceforth, if unofficial travel is
disapproved by RSO, new policy is that their section head
must send an appeal to the Assistant Ambassador.
D. RSO announced that there is a new list of approved
official and unofficial travel destinations.
E. RSO asked MGT to consider a policy of refusal of service
to travel notices put in at the last minute. MGT agreed that
notices put in with less than an hour,s notice could
sometimes be denied but the EAC agreed that current policies
were acceptable at this time.

9. (U) RSO announced that the Embassy and ISAF have signed a
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and ISAF has drafted a
Fragmentary Order (FRAGO) with ISAF have been signed

KABUL 00003066 002 OF 002

regarding the standards of protective gear and force posture
required for off-compound travel of US personnel assigned to
American-led PRTs.

10. (U) EAC reviewed the threats and actual actions against
the PRTs in which COM personnel are authorized self-drive.
The EAC decided that Baghlan, whose security condition is
deteriorating, is worthy of further review in two weeks and
that in the interim, RSO and IPA will confirm that the
Embassy Rep at PRT Baghlan is coordinating all movement with
the PRT commander. EAC further decided that all PRTs should
be issued Blue Force Tracker for COM personnel travel and
that Kunduz will now be self-drive only within the city
limits of Kunduz. After consideration of all the other
self-drive PRTs, the EAC deemed no changes seemed indicated
at this time.
EIKENBERRY

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