UK ON CARIBBEAN SECURITY EFFORTS

C O N F I D E N T I A L LONDON 001478 SIPDIS WHA/CAR FOR MICHAEL FORTIN AND GIOVANNI SNIDLE E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/28/2018 TAGS: MOPS PREL PTER UK XL MASS SUBJECT: UK ON CARIBBEAN SECURITY EFFORTS REF: STATE 51747 Classified By: Poloff Leslie Tsou, reason 1.4, b/d. ¶1. (C) In response to reftel request, Embassy assesses that HMG has shown long-standing support for Caribbean regional integration to tackle transnational crime, terrorism and natural disasters, believing that Caribbean countries are more likely to build effective capacity together than separately. FCO has promoted this effort in the EU-Latin America framework. ¶2. (C) The Royal Navy deploys ships to the area on a routine, but not continuous, basis, routinely deploying a BAYLEAF class logistics ship and a frigate to support the UK interests in the area. Although British ships are not deployed for a specific Counter-Narcotics (CN) mission, they conduct regular surveillance patrols and assist with CN type operations when possible. MOD also deploys NIMROD Maritime Surveillance aircraft when available. The next NIMROD deployment is in June 08. The NIMROD is the best platform to detect semi-submersibles which have recently been deployed to move illicit drugs. ¶3. (C) The UK Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA) has a liaison officer with Joint Interagency Task Force - South (JIATF-S) to coordinate Law Enforcement information and operations, and UK MoD also has a liaison officer assigned to JIATF-S to coordinate operational issues. The UK is anxious to stem the flow of illicit trafficking (drugs, personnel, and weapons) into the UK, but MoD assets are limited and the CT and CN missions are law enforcement missions, not MoD missions. MoD has no dedicated or structural partnership for resources to support the law enforcement missions of SOCA, Met Police, and MI6, including in the Caribbean. With respect to piracy, MoD would like to have authority to intervene anywhere at anytime but needs international legitimacy (e.g. UNSCR, SOFA) before it can act in territorial waters. Visit London's Classified Website: http://www.intelink.sgov.gov/wiki/Portal:Unit ed_Kingdom TUTTLE