SEND LAWYERS, FUNDS AND GUNNY: SA/LW DESTRUCTION

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 TEGUCIGALPA 001693

SIPDIS

STATE FOR PM/WRA, WHA/PPC, WHA/CEN, INL/LP, AND S/CT
DOD FOR DTRA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/12/2015
TAGS: MASS MARR PARM PREL PTER MOPS SNAR KLIG HO
SUBJECT: SEND LAWYERS, FUNDS AND GUNNY: SA/LW DESTRUCTION
AND SEMINARS A POSSIBILITY IF HOAF ACTS DECISIVELY


Classified By: Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Paul Tuebner;
Reasons 1.5 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Department of State Small Arms and Light
Weapons (SA/LW) program officer (PM/WRA) and Department of
Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) ordnance destruction
team visited Honduras August 1-5 to review possible future
technical assistance. Team and PolMilOff met with Vice
Minister of Defense (VMOD) Julio Edgardo Perez Matamoros,
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (VMFA) Juan Alberto Lara
Bueso, Vice Chief of the Honduran Armed Forces (VCHOD)
Brigadier General Nelson Willys Mejia Mejia, as well as
logistical, operational, and base commanders. Although the
general reception of the team and its goals was positive,
there were several notable exceptions of resistance. Decades
of neglect, poor physical security, and improper
accountability and storage have all worked together to create
a security nightmare and a criminal's one-stop shopping
paradise. The inspections revealed situations begging for
U.S. support and expertise, but whether the Honduran
Government (GOH) will take advantage of the small arms/light
weapons destruction or the seminars on storage, maintenance,
and security is still up in the air. Currently, Minister of
Defense (MOD) Federico Breve Travieso has informally
requested the seminars and is drafting an official request.
Post is also considering approaching the Attorney General and
Frontier Police about destroying impounded weapons and
ammunition. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) Department of State Small Arms and Light Weapons
(SA/LW) program officer (PM/WRA) and Department of Defense
Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) ordnance destruction team
visited Honduras August 1-5 to review possible future
technical assistance. Team and PolMilOff met with Vice
Minister of Defense (VMOD) Julio Edgardo Perez Matamoros,
Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs (VMFA) Juan Alberto Lara
Bueso, Vice Chief of the Honduran Armed Forces (VCHOD)
Brigadier General Nelson Willys Mejia Mejia, as well as
logistical, operational, and base commanders. The VMOD and
VMFA seemed very receptive to the goals of the team and
admitted that Honduras has problems with excess small arms
and munitions and their storage. When the team and PolMilOff
spoke with VCHOD Mejia however, he stated that the Honduran
forces had no excess weapons and that they needed all that
they had for their reserves.


3. (C) Team and PolMilOff then spoke with logistical
commander and current demolition commander. Both commanders
were very interested in U.S. support for their destruction
program and in the seminars that were offered by the DTRA
contingent. The demolition commander was interested in
special courses in addition to the basic seminar offered. He
and one of his trainers have received explosive ordnance
destruction (EOD) training in the U.S. and were interested in
specialized training, above the proposed levels. The
Honduran Armed Forces (HOAF) has already started a vigorous
ammunition validation and destruction program but are having
some problems with the associated costs and logistics.
(COMMENT: The destruction team was trained with U.S.
funding. The current Chief of the Honduran Armed Forces
(CHOD),General Romeo Orlando Vasquez Velasquez, requested
the training and started this program when he was head of the
Army. The team seems to be competent and has received
compliments from the U.S. MILGP Commander. The impetus for
this destruction team was the explosion of a munitions bunker
in Naco military base in the mid 1990's and U.S.-prompted
inspections that discovered unsafe conditions and thefts.
END COMMENT.)


4. (C) Team and PolMilOff visited four different sites: two
Air Force bases, a regional Army logistic center and base,
and the HOAF depot facility. DAO, JTF-B, and U.S. MILGP
assistance facilitated excellent access to all sites. Each
base commander was interested in the seminars and the
possibility of destroying excess arms and munitions. Each
facility visited had large numbers of weapons that would
qualify under the program, but would require the approval of
HOAF leadership to approve their destruction. In addition,
each site would benefit greatly from the seminars,
particularly on the appropriate storage and security for
weapons and munitions.


5. (C) The weapons repair facility/depot (Cale) is currently
undergoing a complete inventory. The HOAF has switched to
M-16 rifles for its armed forces, M-1 rifles for its military
academies, and is keeping its former weapons, FALs, as a
reserve. Weapons are issued according to troop numbers when
they join and they keep those weapons throughout their own
career. Therefore, all weapons in these facilities are above
and beyond those in use by actual troops. The Cale facility
contains about 8,000-10,000 FAL rifles, hundreds of Israeli
UZI machine guns, and approximately another 5,000 or so
M-16s, all of which are being kept as reserves. In addition,
Cale has more than 1,000 older bolt action rifles held in
reserve for the military academies. There were stacked piles
of rifle parts and older rifles as well as improperly stored
rocket propelled grenade (RPG) launchers and ammunition. The
individual in charge of the facility said that due to the
inventory, he could not yet determine what was excess or not.
Team members noted that there were easily over 10,000 pieces
in the inventory that would qualify for the destruction
program and still leave plenty as reserves. Decades of
neglect, poor physical security, and improper accountability
and storage have all worked together to create a security
nightmare and a criminal's one-stop shopping paradise.


6. (C) The Naco facility had less weapons, but a greater
security hazard and much more concern about danger from
improper storage of ammo and weapons. After the inspection,
the team's consensus was that if something was not done soon,
history would repeat itself and there would be another large
scale accident. The significant number of "excess arms" were
those which are secured by the armed forces, but are under
the control and jurisdiction of the Honduran Attorney
General's office (Public Ministry). Approximately 5,000 FALs
and 500 AK-47s have been impounded and are currently in limbo
over ownership. The commander of the base and the HOAF
leadership would like to have these weapons destroyed - to
remove them from their area of responsibility and from their
list of problems. (COMMENT: In 2001, there was a theft of
more than 230 of these AK-47s from the locked warehouse. At
least some of these weapons were confiscated in an alleged
drugs for arms deal earlier this year. Bars were placed on
the windows after the break-in, but other security procedures
have not been improved since that time. In addition, there
is ongoing litigation over the ownership of these weapons and
the responsibility for debts associated with them between the
Honduran government and two U.S. firms with a final
dispensation still pending. END COMMENT.)


7. (C) The two Air Force bases, in La Mesa and Toncontin,
were in somewhat better shape - probably more due to lower
amounts of weapons and relatively higher prestige and budget
within the armed forces. They did have issues with storage
and maintenance of their munitions and their various weapons.
Older, excess aviation bombs were their major concern.
PolMilOff noticed stacks of .50 caliber guns and was informed
that they were the machine guns removed from no longer flying
aircraft, Corsairs and F-86s. In addition to the .50 cal
machine guns, there were rockets that would qualify under
this program.


8. (C) Comment: All commanders were interested in the
seminars offered by DTRA and Redstone Arsenal. The NCOs and
junior officers seemed impressed with the knowledge of the
Redstone staff sergeant and seemed much more open and
responsive to questions and comments than their superiors.
The GOH in general and HOAF in particular are very concerned
about the regional aspects of small arms proliferation and
verbally stated that they were interested in reducing excess
weapons and munitions. Commitment to the SA/LW destruction
will be a harder sell. Although the CHOD has publicly stated
that he wants to and is destroying excess arms, his second in
command told the team that there were no excess weapons,
which the team then went on to observe. The lower level
leadership seems eager to participate in both programs.
However, without an impetus from all levels, but especially
senior levels, this visit and offer will have fallen upon
deaf ears.


9. (C) Comment continued: Post is hoping that a request for
the Redstone seminars will come within the next few weeks.
U.S. MILGP has delivered a letter to the MOD and the CHOD,
reminding them of this opportunity and that in the next 30
days they need to compile a comprehensive list of their
excess munitions slated for destruction. In addition to the
two possible requests, three of the commanders requested
assistance/permission in destruction of unusable equipment,
equipment that was donated to them by the USG - as in old
non-working vehicles that could be sold for scrap and the .50
cal machine-guns that were removed from former U.S-provided
aircraft. The decisions and actions of the HOAF and the MOD
have been somewhat mercurial, especially with the upcoming
national elections on November 27. Although the decision is
in their hands, once they make their decision to take
advantage of this opportunity, the USG needs to be willing
and able to accept that hand-off and sprint for the finish
line. End Comment.


10. (C) This cable was cleared by PM/WRA. See also septels
from DATT with additional reporting on the SA/LW visit.
Williard