ETHIOPIA: POST ENDORSES 1206 TRANCHE TWO PROPOSALS

S E C R E T ADDIS ABABA 003266 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR AF/RSA, AF/E, PM/PPA, AND S/CT CJTF-HOA AND CENTCOM FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/16/2017 TAGS: EAID PREL PTER ET SUBJECT: ETHIOPIA: POST ENDORSES 1206 TRANCHE TWO PROPOSALS REF: SAO ADDIS-CENTCOM 1206 PROPOSAL SUBMISSION Classified By: Political/Economic Chief Michael C. Gonzales for reasons 1.4 (B) and (D). ¶1. (S) Embassy Addis Ababa strongly endorses the two FY 2008 Section 1206 tranche two proposals that Post's Security Assistance Office submitted to CENTCOM (ref). The first proposal requests $4.4 million in personal protective equipment for Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) personnel; the second requests $4.5 million for night vision goggles for the ENDF. Ethiopia faces a very real national security threat posed by regional and transnational extremists and terrorist organizations which seek to undermine regional stability and pose a threat to U.S. interests in the Horn of Africa region. These proposals would provide the ENDF with desperately needed equipment and supplies to enable the ENDF to effectively engage, counter, and defeat these terrorists and extremists thus mitigating their ability to destabilize the region or strike U.S. interests. ¶2. (C) The United States' key objective in engaging the Ethiopian military is to help transform the ENDF into an apolitical, professional defense force; our top priority in Ethiopia is to ensure the safety and security of American citizens and U.S. interests. Over the past few years, the United States Government has maintained general guidelines with regard to military assistance to Ethiopia. These guidelines urge the USG to refrain from providing the Ethiopian military with lethal equipment or support that could provide the ENDF with a tactical advantage that could be used against legitimate, nationalist insurgent movements or civilians within Ethiopia. While Post understands and endorses these parameters and recognizes the historical actions that have rendered them necessary, Post argues that the expanding presence of extremists and terrorists within Ethiopia and the threat that these entities pose to U.S. personnel, facilities, and interests justifies the provision of the requested equipment as necessary support to support our top priority in Ethiopia of protecting American citizens and U.S. interests. As such, despite the fact that the provision of night vision goggles could arguably provide the ENDF with a tactical advantage that could theoretically be used against domestic nationalist groups or civilians, but post will monitor carefully all goods and products provided to the Ethiopian military, as we have done in past procurements. Post strongly endorses both of these proposals as the benefits that they would certainly provide in advancing U.S. objectives in Ethiopia far outweigh any possible unintended negative effects. YAMAMOTO