ANGOLA: AGING ARSENAL THREATENS CIVILIANS

C O N F I D E N T I A L LUANDA 000519

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE PASS TO PM/WRA EPATTERSON

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/21/2017
TAGS: PARM PGOV PREL KHDP PINR AO
SUBJECT: ANGOLA: AGING ARSENAL THREATENS CIVILIANS

Classified By: CDA FRANCISCO FERNANDEZ FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) Summary: Recent visits to Angolan Air Force
ammunition storage facilities found inadequate storage
practices for the vast remnants of its Soviet-era arsenal.
The Angolan military's limited stockpile destruction capacity
has prompted them to turn to NGOs such as HALO Trust for
assistance. HALO is receiving access to and destroying parts
of the FAN's ammunition stockpiles, and is also poised to
perform weapons destruction for the Army and National Police.
However, the USG must also work to provide stockpile
security and management training to the GRA to increase their
knowledge and control of the risks in their ageing arsenal,
including hundreds of time-expired MANPADS. End summary.

Angola's Ammo: The Good, the Bad, and the Dangerous
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2. (C) Eric Patterson (PM/WRA),William Alberque (Defense
Threat Reduction Agency) and Poloff visited HALO Trust work
sites at Angolan Air Force (FAN) bases in Cabinda and Luanda
on April 23 and 24, 2007. The team found insufficient
storage and security of high-explosive ammunition and weapons
systems in both locations. Although the military side of
Luanda's International Airport contains some large, orderly
and inventoried ammunition warehouses, it also has large
piles of bombs, guided missile ammunition, and other military
equipment lying in the sun or in unlocked and rusting
shipping containers. A civilian school stands less than 50
yards from the unfenced ammunition storage area. The
airport's outer perimiter fence has not deterred pilferers
from the adjoining neighborhood; the backs were removed and
silk parachutes cut out of fuel air bombs lying in a pile
near the fence.


3. (U) The FAN's lack of capacity for safe weapons
destruction and equipment necessary for destruction has led
them to seek outside assistance to destroy unwanted items in
their arsenal. HALO Trust's Weapons and Ammunition Disposal
(WAD) Team has developed a strong relationship with the FAN
though building on trust from past successes in small-scale
weapons cutting programs and its extensive humanitarian
demining program in Angola. In 2006 the FAN asked HALO to
destroy ammunition and weapons systems at eight bases and
military airports; that request has since expanded to 15
locations.

HALO's Strong Relationship Pays Off
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4. (C) HALO's WAD Team is working with the FAN to identify
and destroy the FAN's priority destruction items, namely
obsolete aircraft bombs, missiles, and propellant. The visit
confirmed that USG-funded HALO Trust is receiving access to
FAN munitions, weapons, and high explosive stocks. They
report that hundreds of MANPADS are stored at Luanda Airport;
some are time expired, but only a few dozen are currently
slated for destruction. Note: HALO continues to push the FAN
for destruction of such items. End note.


5. (C) However, bureaucracy can impede HALO's identification,
removal and destruction of ordinance. Their first step is a
thorough site survey and inventory of items for destruction,
as the FAN does not have an accurate national inventory of
its weapons stockpiles. Permission must then be received to
destroy identified items. At times plans are made to destroy
certain weapons systems, such as a small stockpile of clearly
inoperable MANPADS stored at Luanda's airport, but clearance
to proceed with the destruction is denied. Permission is
also required to use Central Demolition Sites (CDS). The CDS
in Luanda and Cabinda had to be cleared of unexploded
ordinance spread during previous incorrectly executed
demolitions conducted by the Angolan military before they
could be safely used by HALO. Note: Luanda's CDS is located
far outside the city; given the highly explosive items slated
for destruction and Luanda's legendary traffic jams, all
movement to the CDS must take place at night. End note.


6. (C) HALO's WAD teams have a high-level working partnership
with the FAN. In Cabinda, FAN airmen helped dismantle
missile launchers and Field Grade FAN officers were on site
to oversee and facilitate the process. At one point a
Lieutenant Colonel was shoveling sand in the demolition pit
to help speed things up. The FAN also airlifted HALO trucks,
a crane and other equipment necessary to conduct demolitions
to Cabinda.


7. (U) HALO has also met with the Angolan Army's National
Director of Weapons and Ammunition to plan a large-scale
destruction of excess weapons and ammunition. The Army is
conducting a nation-wide inventory of all government
stockpiles, and cooperation with HALO is pending the
completion of this inventory. The National Police also plans
to use HALO WAD teams to destroy weapons during their planned
National Disarmament Campaign, although exact dates and form
of that campaign remain unclear.

Cracking the Nut: The Path Forward on USG Priorities
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8. (C) There appears to be tremendous scope for Physical
Security and Stockpile Management (PSSM) cooperation between
the USG and the Angolan military, and such assistance is part
of the USG,s mil-mil workplan for Angola. HALO is already
providing computer and software assistance to help the FAN
inventory their stockpiles, and also agreed push the idea of
the Defense Threat Reduction Agency's (DTRA) PSSM training to
the FAN and Army. HALO will continue weapons destruction at
15 FAN sites, focusing on aircraft bombs, missiles, and other
explosive remnants of war, while encouraging the FAN to
expand its destruction of items such as MANPADS. Note:
Following the Patterson visit, PM/WRA approved funding to
HALO for a second USG funded WAD team in Angola. End note.


9. (C) PM/WRA is working with the Embassy and DHS to offer
the GRA a MANPADS Assistance Visit. DTRA is also exploring
providing multinational PSSM training to the GRA, in
collaboration with NATO partners who have positive working
relationships with the Angolan military, such as Belgium and
Portugal. The Belgian DATT told Patterson and Alberque that
they receive responses on mil-mil cooperation within two days
of submitting proposals, and also stated that they send two
Angolan military personnel per year to Belgium for weapons
decommissioning training. Working with these countries could
allow us to speed up discussions of these issues between the
USG and GRA.


10. (C) Comment: MANPADS destruction is clearly a USG
priority, one that the Angolans do not yet share, despite the
fact that Angola,s long civil war resulted in more
MANPADS-related crashes of civilian and humanitarian aircraft
than almost any other theater worldwide. HALO's productive
working relationship with the FAN, Army, and National Police
is making progress in the destruction of dangerous
stockpiles, including outdated MANPADS, and they are
cautiously hopeful they will be able to destroy a few hundred
MANPADS and other stand-off weapons (e.g. S-5 rockets) over
the next year. Post believes that a large-scale offer of a
gov-gov purchase of the most advanced MANPADS may not be
welcomed by the GRA at this time, and such an offer could
raise suspicions, halt the progress HALO is making on the
issue, and slow the overall progress of the USG's mil-mil
workplan. However, Post has agreed to revisit the issue in 6
months. End comment.
FERNANDEZ