COUNTERTERRORISM -- IN REACTION TO MUMBAI ATTACKS,

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 JAKARTA 002317 SIPDIS DEPT FOR DS/ATA, DS/DSS, DS/IP/EAP, DS/ITA/EAP, EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/MLS, CA, CA/OCS, S/CT, S/ES, O/CMS, INL, INR AND S/CT INL FOR BARCLAY/ROESS/BUHLER/CARLON DOJ FOR CRIM AAG SWARTZ, DOJ/OPDAT FOR LEHMANN/ALEXANDRE/BERMAN DOJ/CTS FOR MULLANEY, ST HILAIRE FBI FOR ETTUI/SSA ROTH NCTC WASHDC NSC FOR E.PHU E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/23/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER ASEC ID SUBJECT: COUNTERTERRORISM -- IN REACTION TO MUMBAI ATTACKS, GOI STAGES LARGE-SCALE EXERCISE Classified By: Pol/C Joseph L. Novak, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On the orders of President Yudhoyono, Indonesian police and military units staged counterterrorism drills in six locations on December 21, including in Jakarta and Bali. The large-scale national exercise was held in response to the Mumbai attacks, with police and military units practicing coordinated responses to simulated attacks on various targets, including hotels, key tourist sites and ships, etc. The exercise had air, land, and sea elements, and received widespread media coverage. ¶2. (C) SUMMARY (Con'd): The GOI's Detachment 88--which is USG-trained--was the primary tactical police unit involved in the drill. The fact that the Indonesian government moved so quickly to hold the exercises indicates its continued awareness of the terrorist threat--as starkly highlighted by the Mumbai attacks--and the need for vigilance and training to counter that threat. END SUMMARY. PRESIDENT ORDERS EXERCISE ¶3. (SBU) Indonesia has held a large-scale anti-terrorist exercise. Shortly after the Mumbai attacks, President Yudhoyono ordered that police, military and first responders engage in a nationwide exercise to test the GOI's capabilities. Working quickly, Indonesian police, military and emergency response teams held joint counterterrorism exercises in six locations throughout Indonesia on December 21, including: -- Jakarta; -- Semarang in central Java; -- Yogyakarta in central Java; -- Surabaya in east Java; -- Denpasar, Bali; and, -- the Straits of Malacca off of Sumatra Island. VARIOUS SCENARIOS ¶4. (SBU) Police, military and response personnel practiced several counterterrorism scenarios. In one simulation, anti-terrorism police responded to a mock attack and hostage-taking involving a five-star hotel. At Jakarta's Halim airport, military units overpowered mock militants who had hijacked an airplane. (Note: Halim is a military airbase with a civilian component located in east Jakarta. The major airport in the Jakarta region is Sukarno-Hatta International Airport.) The simulations also covered several hostage taking scenarios--in an airport in Surabaya, in a powerplant in Semarang, and a passenger ship in the Straits of Malacca off of Sumatra. PARTICIPATION BY KEY UNITS ¶5. (C) The primary tactical forces deployed by the police were the U.S.-trained Detachment 88 Crisis Response Teams. The primary tactical units for the military were from Detachment 81. The two detachments alternated taking the lead in several exercises. Additional perimeter support was provided by police patrol units and traffic police. The military were the primary units in the Halim Airport exercise. More than 7,000 military, police, and emergency response personnel were involved in the exercises. JAKARTA 00002317 002 OF 002 ¶6. (SBU) The joint drills demonstrated preparedness. Some of the drills were watched by guests, including diplomats and senior leadership of the government, including the military and police. The military spokesperson said the GOI would take the lessons learned from the Mumbai attacks and apply those lessons in Indonesia. The exercises would also serve as deterrent to would-be terrorists from targeting Indonesia. Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo Adi Sucipto said evaluating the coordination between the police and military was the most valuable aspect of the exercises. USG SUPPORT KEY ¶7. (C) The anti-terrorism exercise also demonstrated the benefits of international support--especially U.S. support--to Indonesia's security sector. As noted, U.S.-trained and equipped units played a leading role in the exercise and are Indonesia's most effective CT forces. The exercise also demonstrated excellent coordination between the police and military--a key goal of our security assistance here. While Indonesia has made impressive strides combating terrorism, continued U.S. engagement is necessary to maintain that success. HUME