FIGHTING GWOT: IMPROVING FMF, FMS, AND OTHER

S E C R E T ISLAMABAD 022385 SIPDIS NOFORN SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/02/2016 TAGS: AF MASS MOPS PK PNAT PREL SUBJECT: FIGHTING GWOT: IMPROVING FMF, FMS, AND OTHER MILITARY SUPPORT PROGRAMS TO PAKISTAN Classified By: Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (S) As we enter the sixth year of this long war, it is increasingly clear that our Foreign Military Funding/Foreign Military Sales (FMF/FMS) programs, unchanged since 9/11, are not suited to the needs of GWOT allies like Pakistan. Difficulties we have encountered with some security assistance programs have become strategic problems for us and for the Pakistani Military. ¶2. (S) We appreciate the recent high-level attention devoted to ensuring delivery of 20 Excess Defense Article Cobras that the U.S. agreed to transfer to Pakistan in February 2004. However, the delays in the refurbishment process have come at a significant cost. The Pakistani Army needs enhanced rotary wing aircraft capacity to patrol its border with Afghanistan and to destroy al Qaida and anti-Coalition militia targets, and the problems with the Cobra program have harmed their ability to do this. Additionally, the delays have diminished Pakistan's confidence in the FMS program, as have delays in delivering six used C-130s for which the Pakistanis signed a Letter of Agreement with Lockheed Martin in August, 2003. ¶3. (S) We encourage State and DoD to continue efforts to develop more streamlined, responsive and flexible military assistance programs that can fulfill urgent taskings related to the War on Terror. From our vantage point, security assistance programs should set appropriate priorities for coalition partners and then provide necessary resources quickly. Capacity-building programs should be rigorously managed with "best practices" in mind. Additionally, the defense trade control process, while clearly necessary, needs to be more efficient. Six-month delays during the Cold War were merely annoying; today, they can carry a heavy cost. ¶4. (S) We thank State and DoD for their continued assistance as we try creatively and expeditiously to assist Pakistan in defeating our common enemies. CROCKER