TURKMENISTAN: USCENTCOM COMMANDER ADMIRAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000155

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SCA/CEN, EUR/ACE, INL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/30/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL PINR MARR MASS SNAR IR AF RS TX
SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: USCENTCOM COMMANDER ADMIRAL
FALLON'S JANUARY 25 VISIT TO ASHGABAT - MILITARY ISSUES

Classified By: CHARGE RICHARD E. HOAGLAND FOR REASONS 1.4 (B),(D)


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: USCENTCOM Commander Admiral William J.
Fallon, discussed with Defense Minister General Agageldi
Mammetgeldiyev and State Border Service Chief General-Major
Bayram Alovov Turkmenistan's security situation, ongoing
military reforms, and regional issues during separate
meetings on January 25. Alovov provided additional detail on
two border incidents that President Gurbanguly
Berdimuhammedov had raised in his earlier meeting with
Admiral Fallon (reftel). The president also gave permission
for the defense minister to attend a CENTCOM Commander-hosted
conference in February in Tampa. END SUMMARY.

DEFENSE MINISTER IMPRESSED BY VISIT TO USS HARRY S TRUMAN


2. (SBU) Defense Minister Agageldi Mammetgeldiyev welcomed
Commander, U.S. Central Command, Admiral William J. Fallon,
to Turkmenistan and thanked him for a superb trip to Bahrain
to NAVCENT Headquarters that included a visit to the AIRCRAFT
carrier USS Harry S Truman. Mammetgeldiyev described his
experience of landing and taking off of the CARRIER as
fantastic. He was impressed by the professionalism of the
sailors and bravery of the aviators.


3. (SBU Admiral Fallon informed General Mammetgeldiyev that
President Berdimuhamedov had approved the defense minister's
attendance at the Central Asian States' Chief of Defense
(CHOD) conference in Tampa in February. During the earlier
meeting, Admiral Fallon had explained to the president that
the consultative conference would allow for a good exchange
of views and provide opportunities to improve regional
security through closer cooperation. Berdimuhamedov agreed,
then sighed and added, "We have bureaucracy here, too.
Please send me a diplomatic note about it."


4. (SBU) Mammetgeldiyev said his focus was on improving the
capabilities of the military to defend the country. He
expressed interest in getting price and construction timeline
details for a "rocket-equipped cutter," roughly a 500T-600T
vessel equipped with ship-to-ship or ship-to-shore missiles.
He thought the level and type of U.S. education and training
programs were very good. He was not interested in developing
an NCO corps, saying "conscription allows the youth to serve
the country, learn skills, and express their patriotism."
They had no trouble getting young people to compete for seats
in the Military Institute or to stay past their two-year
conscription period.

BORDER SERVICE CHIEF FOCUSED ON IMPROVING BORDER PROTECTION
CAPABILITIES AND STOPPING DRUGS


5. (SBU) With the trip to Bahrain still fresh in his mind,
State Border Service (SBS) Chief Alovov started the meeting
by describing his visit to "U.S. territory" - the visit to
the CARRIER - as simply unforgettable. He said the NAVCENT
HQ visit gave him a good opportunity to see U.S. vessels. The
SBS's priority areas of development are to get more practical
training opportunities and to increase the number of more
qualified, contract personnel needed to operate the new
equipment the SBS is purchasing. Alovov said he had already
placed newly purchased equipment in the
Turkmenistan-Iran-Afghanistan tri-border area and had
effectively shut down the drug flow. He thanked Admiral
Fallon for U.S. support for the SBS's efforts to secure
Turkmenistan's borders and specifically sought U.S.
assistance on the Caspian maritime border.

AFGHANISTAN BORDER-RELATED INCIDENTS


ASHGABAT 00000155 002 OF 002



6. (C) During Admiral Fallon's meeting with President
Berdimuhamedov, at the start of their discussion on
Afghanistan Berdimuhamedov noted two incidents involving
Turkmenistan had occurred in 2007. The first involved
Taliban fighters who had attacked Afghan police near the
border. The police fled into Turkmenistan in the Tagtabazaar
area. Turkmenistan's SBS soldiers responded and provided
security, aid, fuel, and food to the police. The Taliban
were close enough to shout demands that they wanted $10,000.
Berdimuhamedov said he gave instructions for the SBS not to
talk to them and to deal only with official Afghanistan
government representatives. Alovov provided no further
details on this incident during his meeting.


7. (C) Berdimuhamedov called to Admiral Fallon's attention -
but not as a complaint, he emphasized - an incident from 2007
in which Turkmenistan had confirmed air incursions from
Afghanistan into its airspace. He said President Karzai had
apologized, but he'd received contradictory responses from
ISAF and from the U.S. side. He noted again he was not
complaining but concluded, "This should not happen." Admiral
Fallon agreed and undertook to look into the issue.


8. (C) During ADM Fallon's meeting with Alovov, the SBS
Chief said the SBS, Ministry of Defense's air defense system,
and state civil aviation radars all had registered the
multiple incursions. He passed a map that indicated three
separate incursions - one on August 10, 2007, and two on
September 11, 2007, the anniversary of formation of the SBS.
He said they had specific flight track details, but none were
provided. He said the incursions went between two and 20
kilometers into Turkmen airspace. Admiral Fallon encouraged
Alovov to provide the details through Embassy Ashgabat's
Defense Attache so that this could be cleared up with ISAF
and prevented in the future.


9. (SBU) COMMENT: The Defense Attache Office previously had
sent a diplomatic note on the CHOD Conference, but received a
negative reply from the Cabinet of Ministers. We are
encouraged that Berdimuhamedov said he would support the
invitation. This would be Defense Minister General
Mammetgeldiyev's first trip to the United States. END
COMMENT.


10. (U) CENTCOM has cleared this cable.
HOAGLAND