VCJCS MAY 5 MEETING WITH DEFMIN MORJANE

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000574

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/MAG (MHARRIS AND EHOPKINS)
USEUCOM FOR J5
DOD FOR USDP ADMIN/ISA/NESA//

E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/07/2017
TAGS: MARR MASS MOPS PGOV TS
SUBJECT: VCJCS MAY 5 MEETING WITH DEFMIN MORJANE

CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR ROBERT F. GODEC FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D)


1. (C) SUMMARY. DURING HIS MAY 4-6 VISIT TO TUNISIA, VICE
CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF ADMIRAL EDMUND
GIAMBASTIANI MET WITH MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENSE KAMEL
MORJANE ON MAY 5 TO DISCUSS BILATERAL MILITARY COOPERATION.
WHILE NOTING THE POSITIVE BILATERAL MILITARY RELATIONSHIP,
MORJANE SAID THAT FOREIGN MILITARY FINANCING (FMF) CUTS
SUGGEST "SOMETHING IS NOT GOING WELL." (NOTE. TUNISIAS FMF
IS PROJECTED TO DECLINE FROM $8.075 MILLION IN FY07 TO $2.064
MILLION IN FY08. END NOTE.) HE STRESSED THAT THE TUNISIAN
MILITARY IS FOCUSED ON COUNTERTERRORISM PREPAREDNESS AND
BORDER SURVEILLANCE AND IS DEPENDENT ON THE USG FOR SUPPORT.
ADM GIAMBASTIANI SAID THAT THE USG APPRECIATES TUNISIAN
COUNTERTERRORISM EFFORTS, BUT URGED FURTHER AND BETTER
COOPERATION. THE VCJCS SAID THAT HE WAS PARTICULARLY FOCUSED
ON TUNISIA'S FMF NEEDS. END SUMMARY.


2. (SBU) PARTICIPANTS:

U.S.
--------------
ADMIRAL EDMUND GIAMBASTIANI, VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT
CHIEFS OF STAFF
AMBASSADOR ROBERT F. GODEC
COL RONALD TUGGLE, J5
COL ROBERT NOLAN, EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT
COL BRAD ANDERSON, DATT
MARK GORENFLO, DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS
SUSANNAH COOPER, EMBASSY NOTETAKER

TUNISIA
--------------
KAMEL MORJANE, MINISTER OF NATIONAL DEFENSE
ABDELLATIF CHEBBI, MINISTERS CHIEF OF STAFF
GEN MAHMOUD BEN MHAMED, AIR FORCE CHIEF OF STAFF
GEN MOUHAMED MEDDAB, DIRECTOR GENERAL OF MILITARY SECURITY
COL MOHAMED GHORBAL, DIRECTOR OF INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION
CAPT MOHAMED KHAMMASSI, NAVY HEADQUARTERS


3. (C) DURING AN INITIAL PRIVATE MEETING WITH VICE CHAIRMAN
OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF ADMIRAL EDMUND GIAMBASTIANI AND
AMBASSADOR, MINISTER MORJANE SAID THAT THE ADMIRAL'S VISIT
CONFIRMED THE GOOD RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND
TUNISIA, PARTICULARLY THE TWO MILITARIES. HOWEVER, MORJANE
SAID THAT IT APPEARS THAT "SOMETHING IS NOT GOING WELL," IN
LIGHT OF THE CUTS IN FOREIGN MILITARY FINANCING (FMF) AND THE
PROBLEMS WITH DRAWDOWN AUTHORITY. MORJANE STRESSED THAT THE
TUNISIAN MILITARY MAY BE CALLED ON TO SUPPORT MINISTRY OF
INTERIOR EFFORTS TO COMBAT TERRORISM, BUT THAT THE TUNISIA'S
MEANS ARE LIMITED. ADM GIAMBASTIANI TOLD MORJANE THAT HE
CONSIDERED FMF FOR TUNISIA TO BE A PRIORITY AND THAT HE IS
FOCUSED ON THE ISSUE.


4. (C) THE VCJCS SAID THE USG RECOGNIZES THE GOT'S SUCCESS IN
TAKING DOWN A TERRORIST GROUP IN DECEMBER/JANUARY, BUT NEEDS
MORE AND BETTER COOPERATION ON COUNTERTERRORISM (CT).
MORJANE ACKNOWLEDGED THE IMPORTANCE OF COOPERATION, BUT SAID
THAT THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR WAS IN CHARGE OF TUNISIA'S CT
EFFORTS. ADM GIAMBASTIANI ASKED ABOUT TUNISIA'S VIEWS ON
AFRICOM. MORJANE SAID THAT WHILE SOME COUNTRIES IN THE
REGION SEE IT AS A MEANS FOR THE UNITED STATES TO CONTROL
AFRICA, THERE ARE SOME GOOD REASONS FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF
AN AFRICAN COMMAND THAT WILL FOCUS ON HUMANITARIAN, AS WELL
AS MILITARY, ISSUES IN THE CONTINENT. AMBASSADOR NOTED THAT
THREE ADDITIONAL UH-1 HELICOPTERS WERE BEING REFURBISHED IN
RESPONSE TO THE TUNISIAN MILITARY'S BORDER SURVEILLANCE
NEEDS. MORJANE EXPRESSED HIS APPRECIATION FOR US EFFORTS TO
RESPOND TO THESE NEEDS.


5. (C) DURING THE GROUP MEETING, MORJANE SAID THAT HE AND HIS
MILITARY COLLEAGUES WERE CONCERNED ABOUT DECREASING FMF
FUNDING AND SURPRISED BY THE DECISION. HE SAID THAT THE
TUNISIAN MILITARY'S PRIORITY IS OPERATIONS AND TRAINING
RELATED TO THE FIGHT AGAINST TERRORISM. WHILE THE MINISTRY
OF INTERIOR IS IN CHARGE OF THIS FIGHT, MORJANE SAID THAT THE
JOB OF THE MILITARY IS TO HELP AND SUPPORT THE SECURITY
FORCES. MORJANE ADDED THAT THE TUNISIAN ARMY IS RESPONSIBLE
FOR THE INTEGRITY OF TUNISIA'S BORDERS AND IS FIGHTING "A
COMMON ENEMY," SPECIFICALLY AL-QAEDA IN THE ISLAMIC MAGHREB
(AQIM). THE MILITARY, PARTICULARLY THE AIR FORCE, IS
DEPENDENT ON CONTINUED SUPPORT FROM THE UNITED STATES.


6. (C) ADM GIAMBASTIANI TOLD MORJANE THAT HE, THE AMBASSADOR
AND THE COUNTRY TEAM SUPPORT FMF AT A LEVEL REQUIRED TO
MAINTAIN TUNISIAN MILITARY EFFECTIVENESS. THE ADMIRAL SAID

THAT THE USG APPRECIATES THE STRONG MILITARY-TO-MILITARY
COOPERATION AND IS CONCERNED ABOUT AQIM. GEN BEN M'HAMED
SAID THAT HE HOPED FMF WOULD INCREASE, AS TUNISIA HAD
SCHEDULED SOME ACQUISITIONS BASED ON FMF VALUES THAT DID NOT
MATERIALIZE. HE COMPLAINED ABOUT THE DELAYS RELATED TO THE
UH1 DELIVERIES, AND MORJANE ADDED THAT THE GOT APPRECIATED
THE ADMIRAL'S AND AMBASSADOR'S EFFORTS ON DELIVERY TIMES.
MORJANE SAID THAT THE MILITARY IS PARTICULARLY CONCERNED
ABOUT TUNISIAS SOUTHERN AND WESTERN BORDERS AND THAT IT IS
"IMPORTANT TO HAVE MAXIMUM SUPPORT FROM YOU."


7. (U) THE VICE CHAIRMAN OF THE JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF CLEARED
THIS MESSAGE.
GODEC