VISIT OF ADMIRAL FITZGERALD: HOW BEST TO ADVANCE

UNCLAS LUANDA 000174 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: OTRA MAAR PREL AO SUBJECT: VISIT OF ADMIRAL FITZGERALD: HOW BEST TO ADVANCE OUR MILITARY ENGAGEMENT WITH ANGOLA REF: LUANDA 172 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Admiral Fitzgerald's visit to Angola comes three months after the successful visit of Africom Commander General Ward in December of 2007. The Angolans will expect Admiral Fitzgerald to deliver a similar message concerning the role of Africom in the U.S. military strategy in Africa. The Admiral's visit will build trust between our militaries and reinforce the benefits of a stronger bilateral relationship. The Admiral's meetings in Angola will likely be more successful if they focus on taking small steps with the Angolans toward the creation of a more mature bilateral relationship down the road. We urge the Admiral to advocate within the DOD for the establishment of an Office for Defense Cooperation within the U.S. Embassy Luanda. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) We've seen with past visits by high-level U.S. military leaders (e.g. Africom Commander General Ward) that the Angolans are easily overwhelmed by offers of broad cooperation from the USG. Prior solicitations of Angolan interest in their participation in a myriad of beneficial U.S. programs generally have been ignored. ¶3. (SBU) As Admiral Fitzgerald interacts with Angolan officials, we suggest that the Angolans would appreciate an opportunity to describe to the Admiral their view of a bilateral military relationship with the United States. In addition, the Angolans seem to respond more favorably to offers of assistance that require no commitment on their part to a long-term relationship with the United States. ¶4. (SBU) We offer the following suggested talking points, based on discussions with the DATT. These points will be most effective if they can be presented as our response to the Angolans' vision of a bilteral relationship. -- African Partnership Station (APS): Even if the Admiral raises this issue with the Minister of Defense, the Embassy assesses that Angola will not generate an official request to participate in APS. To move our relationship forward, the Admiral could offer specific slots for ship riders or training/observation opportunities within the APS schedule. -- MSSIS: Each independent element of the MSSIS program should be explained and discussed with Angola to build trust and confidence with the military leadership on the issue. They will be suspicious, for example, of the prerequisite need for a field study. -- Hydrographic Survey: This offer should be packaged as a deliverable out of the Admiral's visit. He could offer the survey and try to draw out an agreement from the Angolan government. If we ask for Angola to request this, it will likely never happen. ¶5. (SBU) We also urge the Admiral to advocate within the DOD for the establishment of an Office of Defense Cooperation within the U.S. Embassy Luanda. Our fledgling bilateral relationship with this complex but strategically important partner requires a full time position to further develop our outreach efforts. FERNANDEZ