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