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SECURITY ASSISTANCE:
Foreign Military Financing (FMF): The ODC assists Azerbaijan in
utilizing FMF to purchase equipment, training, and professional
support. Since 2002 Azerbaijan has received over $19M in FMF grant
funding. To date, $13M has been committed to various projects.
These projects have been aimed at increasing interoperability
of Azerbaijan's forces deployed to NATO and coalition operations,
defense reform, and modernization of air base facilities.
Training: The International Military Education and Training (IMET)
program provides professional military education opportunities
to support bilateral objectives. The near-term focus of Azerbaijan's
IMET program has been English language and technical training
for junior officers. Only recently has leadership or staff training
for mid-career officers begun. The range of courses includes US
Army officer basic courses, the US Navy 5 ½ month Naval
Staff College, USAF Command and Staff College and Aviation Leadership
Program, and the USMC Basic Reconnaissance Course. Azerbaijan
fully utilizes its annual IMET allocation and end-of-year funds
are consistently requested and provided to meet additional requirements.
In addition to IMET, Azerbaijan utilizes the Counter-Terrorist
Fellowship Program (CTFP). The goal of CTFP is to create a large
international network of like-minded Counter-Terrorist experts
who respect western democratic values and practices. In Azerbaijan,
a number of Ministries have utilized courses offered with this
program. They include the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry
of National Security, Ministry of the Interior, and Ministry of
Defense. Courses range from the 8-month National Defense University
Counter-Terrorism Fellowship to Explosive Ordinance Disposal.
In September 2005, CTFP funded a Mobile Training Team that held
a special seminar for representatives of 13 Azerbaijani Ministries
and 2 Turkish representatives on the security of the Baku-T'blisi-Ceyan
(BTC) Pipeline. A follow-on seminar is planned for 2006.
MILITARY-TO-MILITARY COOPERATION:
The U.S. Bilateral Affairs Officer, under the auspices of the
ODC, executes the Joint Contact Team Program (JCTP) and State
Partnership Program (SPP).
Joint Contact Team Program (JCTP): Since 1993, the Joint Contact
Team Program (JCTP) has served as a U.S. military-to-military
cooperation program designed for selected countries of Central
Europe and the Newly Independent States. JCTP operates under the
auspices of the U.S. European Command in Stuttgart, Germany, and
it began activities in Azerbaijan in October 2002. The JCTP mission
is to conduct a program of military-to-military contact events
that provide the Azerbaijan Defense Forces with exposure to U.S.
military procedures, methods, and techniques. The objective is
to assist in achieving Azeri security goals by promoting stability,
democracy, military professionalism, and closer relations with
NATO. The main focus for events in the past year has been the
development of a new NCO Academy Program of Instruction (POI),
crisis management procedures, maritime security, and air sovereignty
operations.
JCTP accomplishes its objectives by focusing on two main types
of information exchange events. Traveling Contact Teams (TCTs)
are visits by U.S. military or Department of Defense subject matter
experts to Azerbaijan. Familiarization tours (FAMs) are visits
by Azerbaijani military personnel to U.S. facilities in Europe
or the United States. Events normally last approximately 5 days.
TCTs normally consist of one to three U.S. instructors who will
present briefings or discussions in their area of expertise with
the Azerbaijani audience. FAMs normally consist of one to six
Azerbaijani personnel who travel to the U.S. to become familiar
with U.S. policies, procedures, and equipment. The FAM members
then take this knowledge back to Azerbaijan and apply it to their
own development plans.
State Partnership Program (SPP): The SPP is a security cooperation
tool that links National Guard of particular states and territories
with partner countries for the purpose of fostering mutual interests
and establishing long-term relationships across all levels of
society. Since 2002, the Oklahoma National Guard has actively
supported its State Partnership Program (SPP) with the Republic
of Azerbaijan. The Oklahoma National Guard has, in recent months,
played a key role in familiarizing the cadre of the fledgling
Azerbaijani MOD NCO Academy with US NCO professional development
models, with the role of military forces in internal disaster
relief, and crisis management operations. In 2005, the Oklahoma
National Guard also began to extend its relationship to other
US Embassy programs by facilitating "civilian-civilian"
exchanges in areas such as law enforcement and business.
The Bilateral Affairs Officer (BAO), LTC Jerry Cusic and the
Oklahoma State Partnership Program Coordinator (SPPC), Capt. Rustin
Wonn delivering toys, donated by a synagogue in Oklahoma City,
to the Mardekan Orphanage on the outskirts of Baku.
HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE:
USEUCOM has provided $2.35 million in Humanitarian Assistance
(HA) to Azerbaijan since the beginning of the program in 2002.
The main focus of the program is school construction and renovation.
In total, seven schools and a water project were completed with
FY02-04 funds, with an additional four schools under construction.
The program has also provided a tremendous amount of furniture,
vehicles, and school supplies to needy institutions via the USEUCOM
Excess Property program. Our partner in most of these ventures
is World Hope, an international NGO.
COUNTER-NARCOTERRORISM
ODC Baku represents US European Command's Counter-Narcoterrorism
program at US Embassy Baku. The goal of this program is to increase
the capability of Azerbaijani authorities to interdict narcotics
trafficking, and thus disrupt the activities of terrorist groups
that use such trafficking to raise funds and move resources. The
program began to operate in FY 2005 in Azerbaijan. A major focus
for the program is to increase the capability of Azerbaijan's
maritime commandos to assist law enforcement authorities in conducting
"opposed boarding" of vessels suspected of carrying
such contraband.
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