U.S. AMBASSADOR AND IMATT COMMANDER MEETING

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 FREETOWN 000447

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR AF/W (JHUNTER)

E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/10/2018
TAGS: PGOV PREL MASS SL UK
SUBJECT: U.S. AMBASSADOR AND IMATT COMMANDER MEETING

Classified By: CLASSIFIED BY: U.S. AMBASSADOR JUNE CARTER
PERRY FOR REASONS 1.4(B) AND (D)


1. (C) Summary: On July 28, 2008, Ambassador June Carter
Perry and Defense Attache Leslie Bryant met with Brigadier
General Jonathan Powe to discuss the International Military
Advisory Training Team to Sierra Leone (IMATT) mission,
progress to date on the professionalization of the Republic
of Sierra Leone Armed Forces and equipping needs of the
Maritime Wing. The meeting highlighted IMATT's evolution to
training tactics at the company and battalion levels to
operational and strategic advising at the brigade level. The
UK led mission looks to downsize from 69 to 49 personnel over
the next year. The projected reduction of the Republic of
Sierra Leone Armed Forces from 16,000 in 2001 to 8,500 by
April 2009 has been difficult due to reductions in the budget
from 11M in 2005 to less than 1M in 2008 eliminating ready
cash for retirement packages. Successes include the creation
and standup of a courts-martial system that prosecutes
serious crimes rather than discharges the perpetrators, and a
more effective Maritime Wing - if fuel is provided. End
Summary.


2. (C) Brigadier Powe told Ambassador Perry that the United
Kingdom led International Military Advisory Training Team to
Sierra Leone (IMATT),in place since 2001, looks to downsize
from a force of what was 130 plus personnel in 2001 to what
is expected to be 25 personnel by 2012 when the mission ends.
The IMATT is pulling back from authority and control over all
decision making in the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces,
promoting Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces senior
leaders to assume more control and authority over decision
making on personnel, missions, budgets, etc. Brigadier Powe
highlighted that IMATT members are working more closely at
the Brigade level on operational and strategic planning,
personnel, and finance, and pulling away from tactics
training at the company and battalion levels. Brigadier Powe
highlighted US contributions to peacekeeping and expressed
his appreciation at having three Americans assigned to the
staff in the positions of a US Army logistics officer, a
Marine Corps brigade level advisor and a Navy medic brigade
level advisor. Brigadier Powe requested the Ambassador and
the United States continue to provide personnel to the
International Military Advisory Training Team mission until

2012.


3. (C) Brigadier Powe stated that the Republic of Sierra
Leone Armed Forces are making slow but steady progress in
their professionalization. He noted the major achievements
to be downsizing from 16,000 troops in 2001 to the projected
level of 8,500 troops in 2009, with similar levels of
equipment and better discipline. He also described the
military as moving away from a focus on internal threats
which led to coupes in the 1980s and 1990s to more focus on
external threats including assisting police with patrols at
the borders. Brigadier Powe highlighted the military's
superb work with the Sierra Leone Police in the 2007
Presidential and 2008 local elections, both of which were
considered free and fair, and for the most part non violent
with a few incidences of intimidation reported in Kono. He
noted the biggest obstacles to effective leadership continued
to be corruption, cronyism and patronage, with many leaders
feeling they were owed something for their sacrifices during
years of fighting during the Civil War of 1991-2002.
Brigadier Powe also noted the military was challenged by a
culture that ignored preventative maintenance, resulting in
most of their equipment being non operable, or the practice
of using their equipment until it is no longer operable and
hoping for donor largesse for replacements. He cited a number
of vehicle contributions over the past year that had resulted
in the military having hundreds of vehicles but none of them
are currently operable.


4. (C) In response to a question, Brigadier Powe described
IMATT's greatest accomplishments were creating a
Courts-Martial system and the training and professionalizing
of the Maritime Wing. Brigadier Powe noted that prior to a
Courts-Martial system, military personnel that committed
serious crimes were either discharged, or theoretically being
turned over to the police for investigation and further
prosecution, which in practice left them to quietly escape
the overburdened judiciary system before they faced
punishment. The new system offers commanders a myriad of
options from non-judicial punishment with extra hours of work
to jail sentences for offenders, making military justice more
fair and equitable. Brigadier Powe noted the Maritime Wing
was benefiting from the largesse of multiple donors, with
both the Chinese and United States donating boats for
maritime enforcement and from the British and United States
in training on enforcement capabilities. Brigadier Powe noted

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that a number of Maritime Wing members had turned down bribes
offered by fishing fleets , which Powe characterized as the
real mark of a professional. He went on to note that the
Maritime Wing was challenged by fuel rations that mean the
boats can only be operated for three or four hours a day,
three days a month versus an optimum of 21 days a month, and
also lack sufficient spare parts for keeping the boats
operational 24/7.


5. (C) Comment: The Brigadier's discussion of the Maritime
Wing was particularly interesting. The USG has been
approached several times by both military and civilian high
level officials to provide cutters to interdict illegal drug
shipments and to help prevent piracy of Sierra Leone's rich
fishing resources, most of which end up in Europe and deprive
the country of up to $100 million according to UK experts.
End Comment.

PERRY