DEPUTY NATIONAL GUARD CHIEF ON DEFENSE ISSUES,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 KUWAIT 000358 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/10/2017 TAGS: PREL PGOV KU SUBJECT: DEPUTY NATIONAL GUARD CHIEF ON DEFENSE ISSUES, KUWAITI POLITICS REF: A) KUWAIT 317 B) KUWAIT 221 Classified By: Ambassador Richard Lebaron for reasons 1.5 (d) and (d). ¶1. Summary: Deputy National Guard Chief Shaykh Mish'al said the Kuwait National Guard (KNG) has expanded by 3000 personnel and plans substantial further expansion in the next year. The KNG continues to work successfully with U.S. contractors Lockheed Martin and MPRI, and will explore FMS options. Kuwait's first military parade since prior to the Iraqi invasion was designed to demonstrate to Kuwaitis the military's defense readiness, but the Kuwaiti Air Force performance failed to impress Mish'al. Despite GOK disappointment with the Parliament's performance, Mish'al believes the current political impasse will be resolved without an Amiri decree dissolving the Parliament, as some have suggested. Mish'al agreed that Kuwaitis often failed to speak out against extremist Islamist rhetoric in the country, blaming these ideological currents in part on the educational systems of Kuwait's neighboring countries and the influx of "stateless" Arabs claiming Kuwaiti citizenship. End Summary. ¶2. (C) Ambassador met March 10 with Deputy National Guard Chief Shaykh Mish'al Al-Ahmed Al-Sabah. Ambassador thanked Shaykh Mish'al for the KNG's ongoing cooperation with the Embassy on mission security issues. Shaykh Mish'al noted his personal interest in the matter, and said the KNG stands ready to work with the Embassy to continue to improve on its strong record of cooperation. KNG Expanding With U.S. Help -------------- ¶3. (C) Shaykh Mish'al said he had worked hard to overcome manpower gaps at the KNG, with 3000 new recruits since 2004, and another 3000 expected by next year (Note: this is from a 2004 baseline of around 10,000). He said he was pleased with the KNG's work on advanced simulator technology with Lockheed Martin, and said they continue to negotiate specific needs for renewing the contract of U.S.-based MPRI, which provides a variety of planning and training services. (Note: in conversations with DATT, MPRI officials say they are confident their current contract will be renewed when it expires in October.) Ambassador suggested the KNG consider options available under the FMS program as well, currently limited to the Ministry of Defense. Shaykh Mish'al said he would review the program with his deputies. First Military Parade in Years Fails to Impress -------------- -- ¶4. (C) Ambassador asked Mish'al what message was intended by Kuwait's military parade last week, its first since prior to the Iraqi invasion in 1990. Mish'al downplayed the notion that the parade was a "muscle demonstration," as some observers had suggested. He said the Amir had personally requested the parade, which was designed to "show the people of Kuwait that we are ready to defend ourselves." ¶5. (C) Mish'al said he was not impressed by the performance of the Air Force at the parade. He said he complained to Kuwaiti Chief of Staff General Fahd Al-Amir that Kuwaiti pilots did little to demonstrate the fruits of their long and expensive training, describing the air display as a simple "back and forth over the parade grounds". Mish'al said he was incredulous at the COS' response that the pilots "did not have time to prepare." He said the uninspiring display and the weak response from General Fahd indicate a lack of seriousness in KMOD preparations and planning, and would require a cultural change within the Ministry to overcome. (Note: Most observers found the air displays quite suitable for a military parade, and newly acquired Apache helicopters were the star of the show.) Political Impasse Likely to be Resolved -------------- ¶6. (C) Ambassador asked Shaykh Mesh'al (half-brother of the Amir and considered among the inner circle of royal family decision-makers) about the current impasse between the government and Parliament (ref A). Mish'al said he regularly advises both junior and senior government officials that they need to look first to their own actions on reform. "If we do what is right," he explained, (the Parliament) will have nothing to criticize." However, he said it is "well-known" that many members of Parliament work "for their personal interests," though some are well-intentioned and "comply with the law." Mesh'al said personnel assignments in the new government would be the key to reaching an accommodation with the Parliament. KUWAIT 00000358 002 OF 002 ¶7. (C) Mesh'al said he saw no reason for the Amir to dissolve the Parliament, an option that has been discussed at length in the Kuwaiti press. He noted that the Amir is fully empowered to take this step, and that "it is not the Parliament we had hoped for." However, he said he believes the current crisis will be resolved through the cabinet reshuffle and negotiations with Parliamentary leadership. (Note: Kuwait's constitution allows the Amir to dissolve Parliament for up to two months before new elections must be held. Many here believe the Amir is considering an unconstitutional dissolution that would last much longer.) Pushing Back Against Islamic Extremism -------------- ¶8. (C) Ambassador asked about what some have seen as the rising influence of a relatively small group of hard-line Islamist voices in Kuwait. Mesh'al launched into a familiar complaint about Kuwait's Bidoon, a large group of long-time stateless residents that Mesh'al believes are fertile ground for extremists. Mesh'al complained about international pressure, including from the U.S., to resolve the Bidoons' status (Note: some Bidoons and others believe that it is in fact the failure to address these status issues that will lead the Bidoons toward extremism - see ref B). ¶9. (C) Mesh'al said that while the "silent majority" of Kuwaitis are anti-extremist, many do not speak out. He said he has urged them to do so in his public diwaniyya sessions. He said many Kuwait Islamists have "corrected their ideology," but said others have not. He complained that Kuwait's "neighbors" need to "change their methodologies of education." ********************************************* * For more reporting from Embassy Kuwait, visit: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/?cable s Visit Kuwait's Classified Website: http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/nea/kuwait/ ********************************************* * LeBaron