SECRETARY OF THE NAVY ENGLAND'S VISIT TO THE UAE

C O N F I D E N T I A L ABU DHABI 004294 SIPDIS NOFORN STATE FOR NEA/ARPI E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/28/2014 TAGS: PARM PGOV PREL MASS TC SUBJECT: SECRETARY OF THE NAVY ENGLAND'S VISIT TO THE UAE (U) Classified by Ambassador Michele J. Sison, for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C/NF) Summary: Secretary of the Navy Gordon England visited the UAE November 23-24 and met with UAE Naval Forces Commander Rear Admiral Suhail Al Marar. Their discussion covered cooperation between the U.S. and UAE Navy and Coast Guard, the UAE,s illegal immigration challenge, the lengthy Link 11 data transfer process, and UAE efforts to obtain an acoustic buoy sensing system. End Summary. U.S.- UAE Naval Cooperation -------------- ¶2. (C) Secretary England and RADM Suhail discussed the cooperative relationship between the two naval services. Suhail said he was very pleased that bilateral contacts had increased substantially after Operation Iraqi Freedom naval operations had dropped off. Suhail also mentioned that bilateral staff talks with VADM Nichols and the COMUSNAVCENT staff had gone well, and that the exercise program was a great benefit to the UAE Navy. ¶3. (C) Secretary England asked if the UAE Navy and other maritime forces had also been working with the U.S. Coast Guard. Suhail said that there had been some contact, but he looked forward to improving that relationship. Illegal Immigration -------------- ¶4. (C) Secretary England asked Suhail if the UAE had a substantial problem with illegal immigration, and how the UAE managed the problem. Suhail spoke of the lengthy maritime coastlines on both the east and west coasts of the UAE, and the efforts of the UAE Naval Forces to coordinate border control efforts with the UAE Coast Guard. He explained that the UAE Coast Guard is a separate service, but during a state of war, the Coast Guard comes under the control of the UAE Navy. He stated that UAE authorities regularly capture illegal immigrants, and they are quickly processed for deportation. Improving Communications -------------- ¶5. (C/NF) When asked how the U.S. could assist the UAE Navy, Suhail mentioned the time-consuming process associated with the Link 11 data transfer capability. He said, however, that he understood the necessity of waiting for the Communications Security Agreement implementation tied to the UAE Air Force F-16 acquisition. ¶6. (C) Suhail thanked Secretary England for the improved information flow provided by the JMCIS link with COMUSNAVCENT, and said he looked forward to further improving the link to provide more information in a more timely manner. Embassy DAO staff pointed out that the UAE military is in line for CENTRIX capability and should expect to see this improved system in early 2005. Acoustic Buoy Sensing System -------------- ¶7. (C/NF) Suhail concluded the meeting after discussing UAE Navy efforts to obtain an acoustic buoy sensing system that can provide scoring and simulation of naval gunfire while a ship is at sea. He asked Secretary England for information on similar U.S. Navy systems and implementation results. Secretary England gave Suhail further details of the system, SIPDIS along with a list of equipment. (Comment: During Suhail,s visit to the U.S. in March 2004, he received a briefing on the U.S. Navy,s Integrated Maritime Portable Acoustic Scoring and Simulator system, or IMPASS. According to DAO, it appears that the UAE Navy will pursue a similar system through direct commercial sales. However, there remains a chance that they may request a Foreign Military Sales case. End comment.) SISON