FEAR AND LOATHING AT MINISTRY OF DEFENSE

C O N F I D E N T I A L HANOI 002277 SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/BCLTV SECDEF FOR ISA/ACHAO CINCPAC ALSO FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/19/12 TAGS: PREL PGOV PINS MARR VM SUBJECT: FEAR AND LOATHING AT MINISTRY OF DEFENSE CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 02 HANOI 02277 191026Z REF: A. HANOI 2272 B. HANOI 1189 ¶1. (U) CLASSIFIED BY AMBASSADOR RAYMOND BURGHARDT, REASON: 1.5 (D) ¶2. (C) IN A DISCUSSION WITH AMBASSADOR AND POL/C ON SEPTEMBER 18, COLONEL TRAN NHUNG (PROTECT),DIRECTOR OF THE INTERNATIONAL DEPARTMENT OF QUAN DOI NHAN DAN (THE "PEOPLE'S ARMY" NEWSPAPER),CONFIRMED REF A SPECULATION THAT MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENSE GENERAL TRA WOULD NOT TRAVEL TO THE U.S. IN 2002. HE CLAIMED THAT THE MILITARY LEADERSHIP HAD DECIDED THAT GENERAL TRA WAS "TOO BUSY" TO GO THIS YEAR, ESPECIALLY GIVEN ONGOING "PROBLEMS" IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS. WHEN ASKED WHETHER THE MINISTRY OF PUBLIC SECURITY DID NOT PLAY THE PREDOMINANT SECURITY ROLE IN THE CENTRAL HIGHLANDS, COLONEL NHUNG INSISTED THAT MND RETAINED A "VERY IMPORTANT ROLE" IN THAT TROUBLED REGION. COLONEL NHUNG ADDED, HOWEVER, THAT MINISTER TRA WOULD PROBABLY NONETHELESS VISIT THE U.S. SOMETIME IN 2003. HE NOTED THAT MINISTER TRA WAS ONLY EXPECTED TO REMAIN IN HIS POSITION FOR TWO YEARS, DESPITE HIS RE-ELECTION AT THE RECENT 11TH NATIONAL ASSEMBLY INAUGURAL MEETING. TRA AND PRIME MINISTER PHAN VAN KHAI WOULD BOTH RETIRE IN 2004, HE PREDICTED. (NOTE: MANY OTHER INFORMED OBSERVERS HAVE MADE THE SAME ASSESSMENT. END NOTE) ¶3. (C) COLONEL NHUNG DESCRIBED ONE OF THE MAJOR PROBLEMS IN US-VIETNAM RELATIONS AS "FEAR" OF THE U.S. BY SENIOR MND OFFICIALS. HE CLAIMED THAT "WHENEVER YOU CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 03 HANOI 02277 191026Z SEE A POSITIVE EDITORIAL ON THE U.S., THAT REFLECTS MY VIEWS; WHENEVER IT IS NEGATIVE, THAT COMES FROM THE MINISTRY'S LEADERSHIP." HE ADMITTED THAT THE MND WOULD NEVER ALLOW PUBLICATION IN QDND OF AN OP ED PIECE WRITTEN BY THE AMBASSADOR. (NOTE: QDND EDITOR- IN-CHIEF TOLD AMBASSADOR MAY 9 THAT HIS NEWSPAPER WOULD WELCOME PAS-PRODUCED MATERIALS, AS LONG AS THEY FIT GENERAL EDITORIAL POLICY -- REF B.) ONE MAJOR REASON FOR ANTI-U.S. SENTIMENT WAS CONCERN ABOUT THE DIMINISHING ROLE OF THE MND, HE SAID. HE CLAIMED THAT MND LEADERS BELIEVED THAT CONTINUED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT -- AND CORRESPONDINGLY HIGHER LEVELS OF TRADE AND INVESTMENT WITH THE U.S. -- WOULD FURTHER WEAKEN MND'S INFLUENCE WITHIN THE GVN. HE DISMISSED AS IRRELEVANT COMPARISONS WITH THE PRC, WHERE DEFENSE OFFICIALS HAD OVER THE PAST DECADE PARLAYED GREATER LEVELS OF NATIONAL PROSPERITY INTO HIGHER BUDGETS FOR NATIONAL DEFENSE AND ACQUISITION OF MORE SOPHISTICATED WEAPONS SYSTEMS. ¶4. (C) COMMENT: AN OFTEN FRANK INTERLOCUTOR OUTSIDE THE EARSHOT OF HIS COLLEAGUES, COLONEL NHUNG UNWITTINGLY ECHOED VICE FOREIGN MINISTER LE VAN BANG'S REMARKS TO AMBASSADOR (REF A) THAT BOTH SIDES NEED TO MAKE SURE THEIR RESPECTIVE MILITARIES WERE ON BOARD AS DIPLOMATS SOUGHT FURTHER TO IMPROVE BILATERAL TIES. IT IS NO SURPRISE THAT SUSPICION AND CONSERVATISM REMAIN THE HALLMARKS OF MANY SENIOR MND OFFICIALS, DESPITE WHAT HAS BECOME ROUTINELY GOOD COOPERATION WITH THE US MILITARY ON THE SEARCH FOR MISSING-IN-ACTION, MEDICAL RESEARCH, AND DEMINING. INTERESTINGLY, COLONEL NHUNG CONFIDENTIAL PAGE 04 HANOI 02277 191026Z DID NOT CITE WAR MEMORIES AS ONE OF THE FACTORS IN MND NEGATIVISM VIS-.-VIS THE U.S., BUT THIS LIKELY REMAINS AN ISSUE FOR THE ELDER GENERATION OF ACTIVE AND RETIRED GENERALS. BUILDING UP OUR MILITARY-TO-MILITARY RELATIONSHIP WITH VIETNAM TO MORE NORMAL LEVELS IS AND MUST BE A KEY GOAL FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL YEARS, BUT IT WILL NOT BE AN EASY TASK. NASCENT MILITARY COOPERATION WITHIN THE ASEAN FRAMEWORK, AS WELL AS NEW US-ASEAN COOPERATION IN MANY FORMS AGAINST TERRORISM, MAY PROVE TO BE HELPFUL BUILDING BLOCKS IN ADDITION TO OUR UNILATERAL EFFORTS. BURGHARDT CONFIDENTIAL