PHILIPPINES: COUNTERTERRORISM TRAINING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 MANILA 000171 SIPDIS STATE FOR S/CT/NOVIS/SLAVEN/CHANDLER, EAP/MLS, AND EAP/MTS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/12/2016 TAGS: PREL PTER ECON PGOV KCRM KTFN RP SUBJECT: PHILIPPINES: COUNTERTERRORISM TRAINING REF: STATE 4536 Classified By: Acting Pol/C Joseph L. Novak for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Summary. The Philippines faces multiple terrorist threats. The US Mission in Manila coordinates a robust interagency program of counterterrorism training and technical assistance, and hopes further to expand such efforts in FY 2006-2008, if additional funds are available. As part 1 of a two-part series in response to reftel, this telegram covers our training programs. Part 2 will cover assistance efforts. End Summary. ¶2. (C) The Philippines is on the front line in the global war on terrorism. It faces multiple threats ranging from the al-Qaida linked Jemaah Islamiyah (JI),Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG),and Rajah Solaiman Movement (RSM) to the indigenous Communist Party of the Philippines/New People's Army (CPP/NPA). The US Mission Manila counterterrorism training and assistance effort is a coordinated, multi-faceted, interagency approach, spanning the spectrum from USAID's economic development programs to Joint US Military Assistance Group (JUSMAG) training and exercises, Diplomatic Security Anti-Terrorism Assistance (ATA),and Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines (JSOTF-P) civil-military operations and operations-intelligence fusion assistance. Each one of our programs has synergy with and builds upon the other, e.g., JSOTF-P civil-military operations in Mindanao are planned and occur in concert and close coordination with pre-existing USAID activity TRAINING CONDUCTED IN 2005 -------------- ¶3. (SBU) In 2005, counterterrorism training and technical support was conducted in the Philippines under the auspices of several different USG agencies. Diplomatic Security, through its ATA program offered training courses on a variety of terrorism-related matters. JUSMAG offered military-to-military training on counterterrorism and related issues. LegAtt offered several FBI anti-terrorist training opportunities, mostly focused on money-laundering. INL funds were used to send Philippine law enforcement officials to Bangkok for both counterterrorism training and broader law enforcement training with counterterrorism implications. Joint Inter-Agency Task Force-West (JIATF-West) offered counternarcotics training that supported counterterrorism 
efforts; some terrorist groups in the Philippines are thought to be employing the drug trade for funding. A list of 2005 activities follows. ¶A. Diplomatic Security/ATA: ATA 5071 Interdicting Terrorist Organizations Training Course February 21-March 4, 2005 ATA 5086 Airport Security Management Course (in coordination with the Transportation Safety Administration) April 18-29, 2005 ATA 3008 Explosive Incident Countermeasures Training Course May 9-June 17, 2005 ATA 5186 Cyber Terrorism Consultation July 25-August 2, 2005 ATA 5236 Seminar on Prosecution of Cyber Terrorism August 29-September 2, 2005 ATA 5381 A Police Executive's Role in Combating Terrorism November 28-December 9, 2005 ¶B. JUSMAG: Vector Balance Piston 05-2 (close-quarter battle and marksmanship training) February 13-March 27, 2005 Balance Piston 05-1 (small unit tactics and unconventional warfare training) April 11-29, 2005 Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT - naval interoperability) August 15-23, 2005 Balance Piston 05-5 (small unit tactics and unconventional warfare training) August 15-September 15, 2005 ¶C. Legal Attache (FBI): Counterterrorism Training for Law Enforcement Officers May 28, 2005 Terrorism Financing and Money Laundering Course August 1-5, 2005 Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Training October 11-12, 2005 ¶D. State/INL, via International Law Enforcement Academy-Bangkok (ILEA-Bangkok): Combating Transnational Terrorism January 17-28, 2005 Post-Blast Investigations June 6-17, 2005 Post-Blast Investigations October 3-14, 2005 ¶E. State/INL, via ILEA-Bangkok. The following courses are not directly related to counterterrorism, but supported general GRP law enforcement efforts which, in turn, supported counterterrorism efforts: Crime Scene Investigations March 7-18, 2005 Complex Financial Crimes March 21-April 5, 2005 Computer Crime Investigations May 2-13, 2005 Personnel and Facility Security September 19-30, 2005 Crime Scene Investigations October 24-November 4, 2005 ¶F. JIATF-W: Baker Piston 05-1 (counternarcotics training) January-February 2005 Fusion Piston 05-1 (maritime counternarcotics training) July 2005 Baker Piston 05-2 (counternarcotics training) July 2005 Fusion Piston 05-2 (maritime counternarcotics training) November 2005 TRAINING PLANNED FOR 2006 -------------- ¶4. (SBU) In 2006, counterterrorism training and technical support will again be conducted in the Philippines under the auspices of several different USG agencies. Diplomatic Security now has an ATA in-country program that will offer training on a variety of terrorism-related issues to the GRP's interagency Anti-Terrorism Task Force. JUSMAG will again offer military-to-military training on counterterrorism and related issues. The Department of Justice will also offer training this year. INL funds will continue to be used to send Philippine law enforcement officials to Bangkok for broader law enforcement training with counterterrorism implications. JIATF-West will continue counternarcotics training. A list of planned 2006 activities follows. ¶A. Diplomatic Security/Anti-Terrorism Assistance: ATA-5382 A Police Executive's Role in Combating Terrorism February 6-17, 2006 ATA-5603 Preventing, Interdicting and Investigating Acts of Terrorism February 6-April 7, 2006 ATA-5491 Combating Domestic and Transnational Terrorism, March 27-31, 2006 ILEA Bangkok ATA-5606 Interdicting Terrorist Activities April 17-May 5, 2006 ATA-5607 Preventing, Interdicting and Investigating Acts of Terrorism June 5-August 4, 2006 ATA-5492 Combating Domestic and Transnational Terrorism September 4-8, 2006 ATA-5608 Post Blast Investigation September 11-29, 2006 ATA-5386 Combating Domestic and Transnational Terrorism September 11-15, 2006 ¶B. JUSMAG: Balance Piston 06-2 January 16-February 10, 2006 Teak Piston 06-6 April 10-May 30, 2006 Balance Piston 06-3 May 15-June 23, 2006 Balance Piston August 5-31, 2006 Vector Balance Piston 06-4 August 7-25, 2006 Teak Piston 07-4 October 12-November 24, 2006 Vector Balance Piston 07-2a October 16-December 8, 2006 Vector Balance Piston 07-2b November 27-December 8, 2006 ¶C. Department of Justice/OPDAT Development, Assistance and Training Seminar on Organized Crime February 15-17, 2006 ¶D. State/INL, via ILEA-Bangkok. These courses are not directly related to counterterrorism, but support general GRP law enforcement efforts which, in turn, support counterterrorism efforts: Complex Financial Crimes March 13-24, 2006 Computer Crime Investigations May 1-12, 2006 Crime Scene Investigations June 5-16, 2006 Personnel and Facility Security September 18-29, 2006 ¶E. JIATF-W Baker Piston 06-1 February 20-March 17, 2006 Fusion Piston 06-2 February 20-March 10, 2006 Baker Piston 06-2 May 8 to June 2, 2006 Fusion Piston 06-3 May 3 to June 12, 2006 Baker Piston 06-3 July 17 to August 11, 2006 Fusion Piston 07-1 October 27-November 18, 2006 INITIATIVES NEEDING RESOURCES -------------- ¶5. (C) As Post looks ahead, there are several key counterterrorism initiatives that will require greater resources for success. These include: ¶A. Bolstering Law Enforcement. The June-July 2005 INL-led Law Enforcement Assessment of the Philippine National Police (PNP) identified numerous deficiencies, and the PNP subsequently incorporated the assessment's findings into its multi-year Transformation Plan. We need to support this effort by re-establishing a police advisor position at the Embassy and by backing a series of targeted interventions, including improving cooperation between police and prosecutors, helping the PNP develop a counterterrorism strategy, strengthening the PNP instructor cadre, and helping the PNP develop a standardized operations manual. We look forward to working with S/CT and INL on implementing these proposals. ¶B. Establishing a National Training Center. Philippine Secretary of National Defense Avelino Cruz has asked for US SIPDIS help to implement his ambitious plan to train two Philippine Marine and 12 Philippine Army battalions each year. This represents a strategic opportunity. Over six years, all of the AFP's 84 battalions will have gone through the training cycle and be re-equipped with US equipment purchased mostly through the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. US active duty trainers could help remold the entire AFP into a mirror image force capable of defeating terrorist and internal security threats, as well serving as a reliable coalition partner. We need to support this initiative. ¶C. Helping with Recruit Training and NCO and Enlisted Development. Secretary Cruz wants help as well in restructuring recruit training and in developing non-commissioned officers, two areas that also offer the opportunity for a strategic intervention. Cruz was impressed by the standardized nature of US training during his December 2005 visit to USMC Recruit Training Depot Parris Island and the US School of Infantry at Ft. Benning. US uniformed service support of these initiatives, in addition to support for the national training center, would reinforce the development of a combat-ready AFP capable of defeating the terrorist threat. ¶D. Philippine Intelligence Reform (PIR). In asking for US help in a top-to-bottom restructuring of the AFP's intelligence services, Secretary Cruz has recognized he needs outside assistance. While this help can come in different forms, we believe one quick fix would be to focus on tactical intelligence, i.e., battlefield intelligence directly applicable to AFP units in the field, primarily at the company or battalion level. A series of mobile training teams could, using a simple, tailored building block approach, train a cadre of AFP officers and senior NCOs on US methods. This bottom-up technique would support broader reform, while also contributing directly to success against JI and ASG terrorists. ¶E. Maritime Security. The Philippines' porous maritime border remains a critical vulnerability. The Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) exercise, Joint Interagency Task Force-West's maritime interdiction training and its developing system of maritime intelligence fusion centers, and JSTOF-P's interaction with Tawi-Tawi-based Task Force 62 and General Santos-based Task Force 72 are initial steps to improve capability. We need to continue these efforts, as well as to promote greater maritime security cooperation among the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia, especially in the areas of the Sulu and Celebes Seas. The August 2005 PACOM-sponsored regional maritime counterterrorism workshop and the September 2005 five-day exercise between Philippine and Malaysian naval units represent two constructive initiatives in this regard. We should look for further training opportunities to promote regional counterterrorism cooperation. Visit Embassy Manila's Classified SIPRNET website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/eap/manila/index. cfm You can also access this site through the State Department's Classified SIPRNET website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/ Jones