MIL-MIL RELATIONS WITH LAOS: EXCHANGING DEFENSE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 VIENTIANE 000725 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS (BESTIC); STATE FOR EAP/RSP (RUNNING); DOD FOR OSD-POLICY (STERN, SHUBERT); DOD FOR DSCA (JUDKINS) PACOM FOR J52 (MILLER, LACY); PACOM FOR J45 (NICHOLLS); PACOM FOR PACAF/SGZ (CINCO, DUONG, PALMER); PACOM FOR POLAD (MCADEN); MARFORPAC FOR LTC JACKMAN; JPAC FOR MUNIPALLI E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID LA MARR MASS MOPS PREL SUBJECT: MIL-MIL RELATIONS WITH LAOS: EXCHANGING DEFENSE ATTACHES; IMET REF: A. VIENTIANE 0092 ¶B. VIENTIANE 0625 ¶C. VIENTIANE 0720 ¶D. SOMERS-LACY E-MAILS OF 09/17/07 ¶E. SOMERS-GRAGASIN E-MAIL OF 09/18/07 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Moving forward with the exchange of defense attaches during the coming year and training opportunities for Lao military personnel under the International Military Education and Training (IMET) and other programs were key topics discussed during the visit of DOD OSD-Policy Lao Desk Officer Tom Shubert to Vientiane. These discussions are a useful prelude to the second round of mil-mil talks scheduled for mid-October in Vientiane. Although we were warned that mil-mil ties could only expand at a pace acceptable to the Lao side, that pace has proved faster than we expected since the first round of mil-mil talks held this past January. End summary. Defense Attache Exchange -------------- ¶2. (SBU) In September 17 meetings with Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Europe and America Department Director General Southam Sakonhninhom and Ministry of National Defense (MND) Permanent Secretary (Chief of Staff) Brigadier General Sisophonh Bang-One Sengdet, visiting DOD OSD-Policy Lao Desk Officer Tom Shubert highlighted that DOD (DIA) is moving forward with the Defense Attache process, expecting to set up the DATT office at the Embassy by summer 2008 and working to identify the best individual to be the DATT as soon as possible. Until that individual is available, Shubert noted, a current U.S. DATT in the region could help cover Laos temporarily. Sisophonh said that MND is prepared to send a DATT and a Deputy to Washington, D.C. as soon as the USG is ready to move the exchange forward. ¶3. (SBU) NOTE: the USG has proposed the exchange of defense attaches for several years. The first indication the Government of Laos (GOL) is ready for the process to move forward came during then-COL Sisophonh's ten-day visit to the United States for a Distinguished Visitors Orientation Tour (DVOT) in June. The DVOT is the first step in moving forward with an International Military Education and Training Program for Laos. Mr. Shubert accompanied the Lao delegation during the DVOT. COL Sisophon, the third most senior officer in the MND hierarchy, was promoted to brigadier general after his return from the United States. End Note. IMET and Medical Training -------------- ¶4. (SBU) Apparently enthusiastic from his visit to the Defense Language Institute facility and Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio during the DVOT, BG Sisophonh was keen to identify how many English-language training slots as well as medical training slots the USG would be offering Laos under the IMET Agreement. The Ambassador and Mr. Shubert both responded that the two sides needed to work closely together to identify what types of medical personnel the GOL is interested in sending to U.S. training. ¶5. (SBU) Shubert said he expected English language training during the coming year would begin with two Lao military officials being invited to attend DLI/San Antonio. One might be the MND DATT to be posted in DC to upgrade English language skills and to learn military terminology and language usages. The second miloff might be at DLI for a longer period of training and then return to Laos as a certified English language teacher. Once a certified English language instructor had completed the training, Shubert said he thought that IMET funding could be used for a language lab set-up in Vientiane to allow the certified teacher to train more military students locally. VIENTIANE 00000725 002 OF 003 ¶6. (SBU) BG Sisophonh expressed strong interest in having senior MND medical officers receive opportunities to attend DLI to enhance English language skills and then go on to specialized medical training to enhance their medical skills. The discussion included specialities such as surgery, orthopedics, and radiology among others. While the U.S. side suggested MND identify the medical specialities in which it would like to have personnel trained, BG Sisophonh urged the U.S. side to identify a short list of training opportunities, and MND would choose appropriate personnel to send. October Mil-Mil Talks -------------- ¶7. (SBU) The two sides agreed discussions of these training programs, and other possible issues such as unexploded ordnance (UXO) training for the Lao military as well as the broader PACOM Humanitarian Assistance program, should be continued in more detail during next month's mil-mil talks. DG Southam advised strongly against trying to change the dates, as PACOM had suggested, to October 24-25. According to Southam, MND has been preparing to hold the talks as the USG originally requested on October 18-19, and any attempt to change the dates would be very difficult for MND. LTC Khamsing later agreed October 18-19 are the preferred dates, and the Embassy has passed this information to PACOM J52 (ref D). Southam also noted Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Thongloun looks forward to discussing bilateral relations including mil-mil ties with senior State Department officials in New York at the UNGA. Lao CHOD Attendee -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Mr. Shubert mentioned CDRPACOM ADM Keating's interest in visiting Laos in December to help press for a GOL response on attending the CHOD in Honolulu October 30-November 2, since ADM Keating would be the host. DG Southam said he was sure the Defense Minister would welcome a visit by the PACOM Commander to Laos. The Ambassador subsequently provided BG Sisophonh with background on the content of CHOD meetings. BG Sisophonh informed the visitors that the Defense Minister would not be able to attend and promised MND would provide the name of the alternate as soon as possible. (NOTE: PACOM's deadline for response to the CHOD invitation was September 14.) ¶9. (SBU) At the informal working-level dinner, Mr. Shubert was told that MND would most likely nominate BG Sisophonh to attend the CHOD meeting, with LTC Khamsing accompanying as interpreter. The Embassy has also passed this preliminary information to PACOM via e-mail (ref E). With the Minister unavailable, and the Deputy Defense Minister, Major General Somphet Thipmala, formerly Governor of Vientiane Province, just appointed to his position in July and not ready for international travel, BG Sisophonh is a logical choice. COMMENTS -------------- ¶10. (SBU) Both DG Southam and BG Sisophonh congratulated the Ambassador on his lengthy discussion with President Choummaly Sayasone during last week's presentation of credentials ceremony (ref C) and were well aware the President had expressed his support for expanding mil-mil ties during the discussion of bilateral relations. We are pleased that BG Sisophonh confirmed MND is preparing to send a DATT and an Assistant to Washington, D.C. as soon as DOD is ready to assign a permanent DATT to Embassy Vientiane. The Embassy hopes funding will be available so that both the MND DATT and the Assistant can spend 2-3 months at DLI/San Antonoio for English language training. We expect the Assistant will be selected to have relatively good English and act as interpreter in DC; having this person exposed to the opportunity to upgrade skills and master military terminology will make communication easier. We expect in contrast the VIENTIANE 00000725 003 OF 003 DATT candidate may have a less solid English language background, so some basic English training, and exposure to the international military culture at DLI/San Antonio not only would build goodwill but would also broaden the DATT's world view -- to our advantage. ¶11. (SBU) We look forward to the October mil-mil talks to examine more closely BG Sisophonh's interest in advanced training for military medical officers. We are pleased that bilateral mil-mil relations have made significant progress since our opening talks in January of this year (ref A),at which time we appeared to be limited to "Subject Matter Expert Exchanges" (SMEEs) as the level of training we might be able to offer MND. Perhaps in addition to the range of training opportunities that BG Sisophonh and his DVOT colleagues saw at Fort Sam Houston, the highly successful MARFORPAC/PACAF Avian Influenza Workshop in early August (ref B) -- attended by MND Medical Department Director General COL Dr. Bounteun Bandavong -- has helped to move MND thinking forward on improving bilateral mil-mil ties, especially in the medical field. While we remain careful to say these improvements will be "at a pace acceptable to the Lao side," MND appears comfortable with a somewhat more rapid pace than we had first expected. ¶12. (SBU) We are pleased MND is considering sending a representative to the CHOD meeting and believe that BG Sisophonh would be a good choice. MND has relatively few officers at the rank of general. Even fewer have had a positive relationship with the United States. BG Sisophonh, Permanent Secretary (Chief of Staff) in MND, is not only one of the highest ranking MND officials available, he was one of the group of MND officials involved in the POW/MIA accounting process more than two decades ago when it began and continues to support our Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) Detachment 3 program of activities. Representing MND during the DVOT tour and being able to visit Washington, D.C., San Antonio, and San Francisco as part of the program gives him more recent exposure to the United States than any other senior MND officer. Finally, his support for the exchange of defense attaches, which he announced during the DVOT visit, is another positive element. HUSO