Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08DILI297
2008-11-25 07:04:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Dili
Cable title:  

U.S. PACIFIC FLEET AND U.S. MARINE FORCES PACIFIC EXPLORE

Tags:  PREL ECON MARR EAID TT 
pdf how-to read a cable
VZCZCXRO8807
PP RUEHCHI RUEHCN RUEHHM
DE RUEHDT #0297/01 3300704
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P R 250704Z NOV 08
FM AMEMBASSY DILI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4151
INFO RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 0046
RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0007
RUEHKL/AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR 0053
RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS
RUEHDT/AMEMBASSY DILI 3640
RHMFISS/COGARD CEU HONOLULU HI
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHHMHAA/COMPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI
RHOVVKG/COMSEVENTHFLT
RUSICWK/NAVCRIMINVSERVFO SINGAPORE
RUWICBE/I MEF
RUSICWP/COMLOG WESTPAC
RHMFISS/COMMARFORPAC
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 1013
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1231
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0907
RUEHWL/AMEMBASSY WELLINGTON 0975
RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON 1078
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0090
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0037
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 DILI 000297 

SIPDIS

FOR DOD/OSD FOR DASD CLAD; STATE FOR EAP/MTS DAS MARCIEL; PACOM
FOR ADMIRAL KEATING; PACFLT FOR ADMIRAL WILLARD; MARFORPAC FOR
LTGEN STALDER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/25/2018
TAGS: PREL ECON MARR EAID TT
SUBJECT: U.S. PACIFIC FLEET AND U.S. MARINE FORCES PACIFIC EXPLORE
INCREASED ENGAGEMENT IN TIMOR-LESTE

DILI 00000297 001.2 OF 004


CLASSIFIED BY: Major Ron Sargent, US Defense Representative, US
Embassy, Dili, East Timor, Department of Defense.
REASON: 1.4 (a),(b),(d)



C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 04 DILI 000297

SIPDIS

FOR DOD/OSD FOR DASD CLAD; STATE FOR EAP/MTS DAS MARCIEL; PACOM
FOR ADMIRAL KEATING; PACFLT FOR ADMIRAL WILLARD; MARFORPAC FOR
LTGEN STALDER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/25/2018
TAGS: PREL ECON MARR EAID TT
SUBJECT: U.S. PACIFIC FLEET AND U.S. MARINE FORCES PACIFIC EXPLORE
INCREASED ENGAGEMENT IN TIMOR-LESTE

DILI 00000297 001.2 OF 004


CLASSIFIED BY: Major Ron Sargent, US Defense Representative, US
Embassy, Dili, East Timor, Department of Defense.
REASON: 1.4 (a),(b),(d)




1. (C) Summary. Teams from both U.S. Pacific Fleet (PACFLT)
and U.S. Marine Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC) concluded an
assessment trip to Timor-Leste on November 22 designed to
determine how they can provide additional assistance to
Timor-Leste's security sector. In doing so, members met with a
large number of Timorese government, military, and police
officials, and interacted broadly with members of the
International Stabilization Force, the United Nations Integrated
Mission to Timor-Leste, and several diplomatic missions to
include Australia, Japan, and Portugal. Potential areas of
enhanced engagement include the basing of a Seabee Civil Affairs
Team in Timor-Leste; providing a legal advisor to the commander
of Timor's military; joining a Portuguese review of Timor's
maritime legal framework in early 2009; providing human rights
training to the Timor-Leste Defense Force (F-FDTL); conducting
hydrographic surveys; and determining the feasibility of a
Acquisition Cross-Servicing Agreement and bilateral
military-to-military memorandum of understanding between the
U.S. Department of Defense and the GOTL Ministry of Defense and
Security. MARFORPAC will explore the possible visit of the 11th
Marine Expeditionary Unit in September 2009 to provide training
opportunities to F-FDTL, the Australian Defense Force, and the
New Zealand Defense Force. Throughout the assessment visit,
emphasis was placed on the importance of donor coordination.
Poor Timorese capabilities and weak capacity will affect all
future assistance. Nevertheless, the Timorese clearly desire
U.S. engagement here, and in some cases, even want the U.S. to
play the lead role. End summary.

Trip Overview

--------------



2. (SBU) Teams from both U.S. Pacific Fleet (PACFLT) and U.S.
Marine Forces Pacific (MARFORPAC) visited Timor-Leste on
November 16-22 for the purpose of assessing how they could
assist in the development of both Timor's maritime security
capability and the Timor-Leste Defense Force (F-FDTL),and in
exploring further mil-to-mil opportunities with Australia.
Timorese officials engaged included representatives of the
Office of the President; Commission B of the National
Parliament; Deputy Prime Minister Jose-Luis Guterres; Minister
of Infrastructure Pedro Lay; staffers from the Ministry of
Education, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of
Health; Secretary of State for Defense Julio Tomas Pinto;
Secretary of State for Security Francisco Guterres; Brigadier
General Taur Matan Ruak; Interim National Police Commander,
Inspector Afonso de Jesus; the National Hospital Director; the
National Customs Director, and finally, the National Port
Director. There was broad interaction with the Australian
Embassy, the International Stabilization Force (ISF),and
engagement with the Japanese, Portuguese, New Zealand, and
European Union diplomatic missions. There was also a call on
Deputy SRSG Takahisa Kawakami of the United Nations Integrated
Mission to Timor-Leste (UNMIT). Outreach was also made to the
Chinese, Indonesian, Malaysian and South Korean diplomatic
missions in conjunction with a security sector donor
coordination breakfast hosted by the Ambassador, but none
participated.


3. (C) A recurring theme throughout the visit was the poor
capabilities and weak capacity within all relevant Timorese

DILI 00000297 002.2 OF 004


agencies at all levels. This was the view of not only
international interlocutors, but also of the Timorese on a
uniform basis. With respect to specific Timorese requests for
U.S. assistance, Pinto and Ruak collectively expressed a desire
for increased opportunities for F-FDTL officers and soldiers to
attend professional military education courses in the U.S;
assistance in developing training ranges which could be used by
F-FDTL, the U.S., and other allied defense forces; and providing
a legal advisor to F-FDTL headquarters, preferably one with
competence in both common law and the Portuguese language. Ruak
said that in the past, requests had been made of both Portugal
and Brazil for a legal advisor but that neither had provided
one. He added that the development of F-FDTL's maritime
security capability was his top priority, and that providing his
force with a broad humanitarian assistance / disaster response
capability followed. He emphasized that F-FDTL strongly desires
assistance in developing the ability to participate in
peacekeeping missions abroad in order to repay to the
international community some of the goodwill and assistance
provided to Timor-Leste since 1999. Naval component chief
Commander Donaciano Gomes requested assistance in developing the
infrastructure of the Navy base at Hera, and expressed interest
in emulating some of MARFORPAC's amphibious capability. In
addition, his Portuguese naval advisor said that the component
was badly in need of maps based on new hydrographic studies, and
that existing Australian maps were not detailed enough to be
used in coastal operations.


4. (C) During the teams' call on Commission B of the National
Parliament, Member of Parliament Ana Pessoa said that she
strongly desires U.S. participation in the December 11-12
Security Sector Reform and Development Symposium being organized
by the Office of the President. In response, PACFLT plans to
send a U.S. Coast Guard captain to make a presentation on
"maritime security". During a sidebar meeting with Pessoa, she
added that members of the national leadership desire U.S.
assistance in founding a think tank which could assist
Timor-Leste's policymakers in considering solutions to national
strategic challenges. She went on to say that "we" want the
U.S. to have the lead role in developing Timor-Leste's maritime
security capability - a point that was underscored in a later
meeting with Secretary of State for Security Guterres.


5. (C) Deputy Prime Minister Guterres mentioned that while the
U.S. gives much more to Timor-Leste in terms of overall support,
China continues to be engaged in several high visibility
projects which inflate positive Timorese perceptions of Beijing
relative to its true contribution. Guterres noted that while
Cuba's medical assistance to Timor-Leste is welcome, Cuba's
capabilities were lacking and failing to keep up with 21st
Century standards due to that nation's isolation. He also
inquired whether USG agencies could provide remedial medical
training to the 600 Timorese students currently being trained in
Cuba prior to their service in Timor as medical professionals.


6. (C) Throughout the visit of both teams, cooperation from
both the Australian Embassy and the ISF was extraordinary. The
Embassy hosted an inbrief and outbrief in which information was
exchanged openly, and the Australian Defense Attachi generously
hosted an evening reception which included military
representatives from several diplomatic missions, the ISF, and
visiting officials from Canberra. The ISF's planners and
executors engaged with their counterparts from PACFLT and
MARFORPAC on several occasions, building relationships that will
form the functional basis of future visits, deployments and
exercises which likely will involve U.S. forces working
side-by-side with the ISF. In addition, meetings with defense
advisors from New Zealand resulted in interest in possible

DILI 00000297 003.2 OF 004


future broadened engagement with the New Zealand Defense Force.

How might PACFLT and MARFORPAC assist?

-------------- --------------


7. (C) Prior to departing, the teams outlined the following
options regarding enhanced engagement in Timor, subject to their
headquarters' review and approval. First, PACFLT is considering
providing support via a Seabee Civil Affairs Team (CAT) that
could conduct humanitarian assistance projects, assist F-FDTL in
developing a capability similar to its own, and offer
apprenticeship programs to teach engineering skills to Timorese
youth. Second, U.S. Pacific Command (PACOM) may be able to
assist on multiple fronts: the legal advisor request made by
Brigadier Ruak; providing human rights and rules of engagement
training to F-FDTL; and possible assistance to the Portuguese
who may conduct a maritime sector legal assessment in
early-2009. PACFLT also believes that the Naval Criminal
Investigative Service will be able to provide basic skills
training to the National Police and the National Customs
Department, and that the Navy Oceanographic Office may be able
to support Commander Gomes' advisor's request for maps based on
a new hydrographic study in the vicinity of Timor-Leste.

(Note: In a November 25 conversation, the Portuguese Ambassador
told us that he was unaware of this legal survey; while
welcoming U.S. participation conceptually, he stressed that in
the end the Timorese would have to concur and make such a
request. End note.)


8. (C) As for assistance in helping F-FDTL's naval component
with equipment maintenance, upcoming PACFLT ship visits - such
as that of the USS LASSEN in late-September - could provide
subject matter expert exchanges which could offer assistance in
outboard engine maintenance and other maritime-related
operations both ashore and aboard vessel. Lastly, the PACFLT
team mentioned that it would look into the possibility of its
Naval Medical Research Unit (NAMRU) conducting activities in
Timor-Leste. Bringing NAMRU to Timor could potentially be a
watershed event in light of the pathogenic research potential
which exists here, and possible remedial training that could be
provided to Timorese medical professionals educated in Cuba.


9. (C) The MARFORPAC team indicated that its best opportunity
for engagement in 2009 was the possible stopover of the 11th
Marine Expeditionary Unit in September. Such a visit would
bring unprecedented capacity for engagement in Timor-Leste both
with host-nation entities and the ISF, and would be warmly
welcomed by the GOTL and Embassy Dili. Possible engagement
activities mentioned include both engineer and medical civil
action projects in remote parts of the country - something that
would be facilitated by the 11th MEU's airlift capability and
opportunities for broad engagement with both F-FDTL and the ISF.
Additionally, MARFORPAC has submitted an Asia-Pacific Regional
Initiative proposal to PACOM headquarters that would fund
orientation travel for several F-FDTL leaders to visit the
Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, and the Marine Corps
Base in Camp Pendleton, to expose them to how the Marines train
and develop their soldiers and leaders. Lastly, it was
indicated that the visit of the 11th MEU could enable bilateral
engagement with the New Zealand Defense Force.

Nothing but upside in Timor-Leste

--------------


10. (C) Embassy Dili is grateful to both PACFLT and MARFORPAC

DILI 00000297 004.2 OF 004


for performing their assessment and encourages other subordinate
units of U.S. Pacific Command to visit Timor-Leste to similarly
reconsider their potential for engagement here. In particular
and resources permitting, there would seem to be great scope for
the U.S. Coast Guard to increase its engagement in light of
Brigadier Ruak's emphasis on developing the country's maritime
security capabilities. In terms of its mission, the U.S. Coast
Guard provides the best approximation for what F-FDTL's naval
component ultimately may resemble. We also see great need and
opportunity for further coordination of donor assistance to
Timor-Leste's military, especially its maritime sector.
Currently, Portugal, Australia, China, India, Germany, New
Zealand, Japan and Malaysia have offered or explored various
forms of assistance, and strategic discussions are set to begin
between Indonesia and Timor-Leste. During PACFLT Commander,
Admiral Willard's July 2008 visit to Dili, Secretary of State
for Defense Pinto encouraged U.S. facilitation of a maritime
donor coordination process. We will continue to explore this
with Washington agencies and PACOM.
KLEMM