GENERAL WALD AND SADC SECGEN DISCUSS SADC'S NEW

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 GABORONE 000523

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR AF/S DIFFILY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2015
TAGS: PREL MARR US BC SADC POL MIL
SUBJECT: GENERAL WALD AND SADC SECGEN DISCUSS SADC'S NEW
REGIONAL RESPONSE FORCE

Classified By: Ambassador Joseph Huggins for Reasons 1.4 B and D


1. (C) Summary. Meeting with SADC Secgen Prega Ramsamy in
Gaborone April 13, General Charles Wald explained how the
U.S. could assist the African Union (AU) and its regional
components, including SADC, to equip, train, organize and
support the new Regional Responses Forces (RRFs). General
Wald and BGen Thomas Verbeck emphasized the importance of
linking the new SADC RRF,s communications to the AU in Addis
Ababa, saying the U.S. was ready to help, just as we had with
ECOWAS. Ramsamy agreed to send SADC planners to ECOWAS to
see how the U.S. had assisted. He also volunteered that
Botswana had agreed to provide C-130s for the new RRF.
Mission will follow up with SADC military planners on the
details. End summary.


2. (SBU) Ambassador Huggins, Gen. Wald,s senior team, and
DCM (notetaker) also attended the meeting. On the new RRF,s
and U.S. offers of help, Ramsamy said SADC was already
preparing an Early Warning Center in Gaborone and setting up
the new SADC Standby Force as a brigade. Planning for a June
exercise for this SADC RRF was underway. The Organ, which
would decide how to interact with donors, was currently
reviewing a draft Strategic Plan which SADC would share with
the U.S.


3. (SBU) Ramsamy explained that the new RRF would train at
SADC,s Regional Peacekeeping Training Center in Zimbabwe,
but its planning section would operate from Gaborone. The
planning section currently consists of Organ members South
Africa, Namibia, and Lesotho, as well as Botswana. While it
may be the Organ that will decide on donor assistance,
Ramsamy requested help with the facilities in Harare. He
said rotating instructors would offer the training three
times a year, with only a small resident contingent. The
German government,s GTZ is currently funding the training.


4. (SBU) Responding to General Wald,s question, Ramsamy
said SADC was seeking to build its joint exercises capacity.
Computers to link the RRF with Addis and other early warning
systems such as those maintained by think tanks would be
appreciated. SADC Defense Ministers have already formed a
committee to study peace and stability issues. As to
establishing the brigade, Ramsamy had a list of countries
with the proposed contributions of each.


5. (U) A SADC colleague said the brigade would form part
of an AU force that could participate in UN peacekeeping
operations (PKOs). The AU and UN would provide the mandate.
The force would be able to deploy within 14 days minimum.
The official said SADC would pay the troops, based on a
memorandum between SADC and members on the one hand and
between the AU and the regional groupings on the other.
Answering General Wald, the official noted that the U.S. had
attended the meeting in Addis where this issue was discussed
and that North Africa did not yet have a regional force.
General Wald observed, however, that the U.S. is already
training several North African countries which will be ready
to join such a force once constituted.


6. (SBU) In response to further queries about how the
U.S. could assist, Ramsamy asserted that SADC wants to be in
command and will state the kind of assistance it wants. He
accepted General Wald,s offer, however, to send four
military planners to visit ECOWAS, perhaps in May, to see how
it has organized. General Wald said he would also be in
Senegal in May. He mentioned that the Special Operations
Command Exercises in June in Senegal would involve 10
countries outside Africa. General Wald told Ramsamy that he
had emphasized to President Mogae the need to contribute
experienced military planners to the AU force.


7. (SBU) BGen Verbeck outlined how the U.S. could assist
SADC to establish a wide area network. He described
operation African Endeavor, saying Botswana and South Africa
had already observed it. He suggested that the exercise
could help SADC know how and what to share. He urged SADC to
support this initiative this year so that SADC could
participate in 2006. He also mentioned that the U.S. has a
clearinghouse on military cooperation with other countries,
20 of whom met recently in Garmisch. Ramsamy replied that he
must report to the committee in charge of the brigade before
making any detailed commitments.


8. (C) Ramsamy detailed some of the proposed contributions
for the brigade without mentioning the donor countries.
Pressed further on the need for airlift, Ramsamy volunteered
that Botswana had committed to provide C-130 support for the
RRF. He stressed further that previous experience of SADC in
DRC and Lesotho had led SADC to be cautious. He expressed
his trust in the U.S. and assured General Wald that SADC
would go to ECOWAS to see how we had assisted there. General
Wald expressed his satisfaction with that decision.


9. (C) Comment: Ramsamy, being a lame duck and at the
mercy of SADC members, is not usually very forthcoming. We
were struck, therefore, by his saying that Botswana had
proposed to contribute C-130 support to the RRF, something
President Mogae had not mentioned in his meeting with General
Wald. Our DATT and ODC Chief, for whom Mission will seek
accreditation by SADC, will follow up with SADC,s military
planners on these issues.
HUGGINS
HUGGINS