RECORD YEAR FOR U.S. NAVY SHIP VISITS UNDERSCORES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 MANILA 000141 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/16/2017 TAGS: MARR MAS MCAP PREL RP SUBJECT: RECORD YEAR FOR U.S. NAVY SHIP VISITS UNDERSCORES U.S. COMMITMENT REF: A. 07 MANILA 03964 ¶B. 07 MANILA 02591 ¶C. 07 MANILA 00630 Classified By: Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney, reasons 1.4(b) and (d) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The year 2007 brought a dramatic rise in U.S. Navy ship visits to the Philippines, as 81 U.S. Navy vessels visited 9 ports throughout the Philippines -- the most since the closure of U.S. military bases in 1992 -- and underscored our strong bilateral relationship, making the Philippines one of the leading destinations for U.S. Navy ports of call in the region. A far cry from traditional former "liberty" ports of call, U.S. Navy ship visits to the Philippines evolved into a highly effective public diplomacy tool in ¶2007. Playing an increasingly visible role in the continuing USG commitment to the Philippines and coordinated closely with the Mission, such visits allow U.S. Navy personnel to engage with Philippine political and military leadership at the local and national level and have proven valuable in promoting the Mission's agenda to use community relations and humanitarian projects to build goodwill and future access, as well as to provide traditional military training. In addition to their training and humanitarian value, ship visits have an important direct economic impact, putting an estimated USD 8 million into the Philippine economy in 2007, much of it in impoverished and under-served areas. Recent ship visits have gained such prominence that during the Ambassador's December 17 meeting with Foreign Secretary Alberto Romulo, he mentioned he looked forward to the return visit of the USNS Mercy in 2008 and asked if a U.S. aircraft carrier could visit the Philippines soon, as he would "love a chance to get on board" (ref A). Such enthusiasm on the part of Philippine officials for U.S. Navy presence stands in contrast to skepticism among a small group of elites and leftists who are suspicious of U.S. intentions in the Philippines and of U.S. military personnel's respect for Philippine law. Because of their temporary, short-term nature and the many benefits they bring, continued, frequent U.S. Navy ship visits to the Philippines help counter that criticism, and the Mission remains very committed to supporting them in the future. END SUMMARY. -------------- -------------- COMMUNITY RELATIONS TAKES A FRONT SEAT DURING VISITS -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) The 81 U.S. Navy ships that made visits to 9 ports throughout the Philippines in 2007 are the most since the Subic Bay Naval Base closure in 1992 and highlight U.S. progress in rebuilding our political and defense relationship with the Philippines. Port visits spanned the entire range of the Philippine Archipelago, from Subic Bay north of Manila to Cebu, Legazpi City, and Dumaguete in central Philippines, and Zamboanga, and General Santos City in southern Mindanao. In addition to the traditional military training such as ship boarding techniques and amphibious landings conducted with their Philippine counterparts, U.S. Navy personnel undertook numerous community relations activities. Working with Philippine officials to identify neglected areas, sailors and Marines renovated schools, conducted medical projects, and donated needed supplies to local residents. As a result of these efforts, the Philippines ranks first in southeast Asia in the number of humanitarian and infrastructure projects conducted by the U.S. Navy and Marines during ship visits. We strongly believe that these relatively inexpensive activities are critical to ensuring future access to these ports and deflecting leftist and elitist critiques of U.S.- Philippine military engagement. Apart from the value of military training and humanitarian programs, the ships pumped an estimated USD 8 million this year into the local economies while in port. -------------- SHOWCASING U.S. MILITARY PROFESSIONALISM -------------- ¶3. (C) Several of the ship visits were conducted in support of three successful and well-received major training exercises with the Philippine military: Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training 2007, Balikatan 2007, and Philippine Bilateral Exercise 2007. Just as these exercises and the accompanying ship visits helped the U.S. Navy sustain its MANILA 00000141 002 OF 003 long-time role in training the Philippine military forces in surface, air, and amphibious operations, the less- traditional humanitarian assistance missions conducted by thousands of sailors and Marines provided an effective platform to showcase U.S. military professionalism to Philippine officials. Working with U.S. Navy personnel to maximize the impact of the visits, the Ambassador and DCM have accompanied senior Philippine officials such as President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, the Philippine Secretary of National Defense, and Filipino Congressmen on board the vessels, allowing Philippine officials a chance to experience the Navy's hospitality and to have first-hand contact with sailors, Marines, and officers. -------------- SUPPORTING MISSION EFFORTS IN MINDANAO -------------- ¶4. (C) U.S. engagement with the Philippines in strife-torn Mindanao benefited from two ports of call, in particular. In February 2007, the USS Blue Ridge became the first U.S. Navy vessel to pay a port call to the southern Mindanao city of General Santos in 15 years. Linking up with local civic groups and the Philippine military, the crew conducted community relations activities in the immediate vicinity, renovating two schools and completing construction of a third. At each location, the Ambassador and U.S. Seventh Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Crowder presented educational and recreational equipment to local charities. USS Blue Ridge personnel, along with USAID and JSOTF-P personnel, conducted a medical civil action program that provided free treatment to over 600 patients. The Ambassador and Vice-Admiral Crowder co-hosted a reception aboard the USS Blue Ridge that was well attended by a diverse group of local officials, including the Governor of Sulu, who traveled from Jolo Island to plead his case for a similar ship visit to his province, an area that has been a stronghold for Muslim terrorists from the Abu Sayyaf Group. Other local and provincial leaders emphasized that sustained U.S involvement in the social and economic improvement of Mindanao has led to increased peace and stability in the region (ref C). ¶5. (C) A second Mindanao visit in July 2007 by the USS Peleliu off the coast of Cotabato, a location not normally visited by U.S. Navy vessels, also garnered tremendous positive publicity for U.S. involvement. The USS Peleliu, part of the U.S. Navy's Pacific Partnership for Peace initiative, built on the success of the 2006 USNS Mercy visit. During the visit, the Ambassador and USS Peleliu commander hosted a reception aboard the vessel and local officials (largely Muslim) and their spouses were flown by helicopters to the USS Peleliu's offshore anchorage. Initial nervousness quickly gave way to wide smiles as the passengers enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime, low-level flight that helped forge a closer bond between the U.S. military and their civilian Philippine counterparts (ref B) -- a bond that continues to pay dividends for Joint Special Operations Task Force-Philippines and USAID personnel working in the area. Ship visits to Mindanao with strong humanitarian and community relations components powerfully underscore U.S. support for peace and prosperity in that conflict and terrorist ridden region. -------------- ENHANCING OUR BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP -------------- ¶6. (C) Other standout visits in 2007 included the USS Connecticut to Subic Bay in October, the first U.S. Navy nuclear submarine to visit the Philippines in seven years, and the USS Reuben James to Dumaguete in the central Philippines in November, the first U.S. Navy vessel to make a port of call there since 1995. To capitalize on the opportunity to invite Philippine government officials aboard a U.S. nuclear vessel, the Ambassador hosted a lunch aboard the submarine with Undersecretary of Defense Antonio Santos and Undersecretary Edilberto Adan, head of the Commission on Visiting Forces Agreement (VFA). As the VFA has been a contentious issue with some Philippine elites, Adan's interaction with U.S. Navy officers and crew was invaluable in reinforcing our message that our military holds itself to the highest standards of professional conduct. The local impact of the ship visits was seen clearly during the USS MANILA 00000141 003 OF 003 Reuben James visit to Dumaguete. While the commander of the USS Reuben James hosted a reception for local leaders that was widely covered in the local press, the crew was feted by residents during an ongoing local holiday celebration with a luncheon in their honor and invitations to participate in festival activities. -------------- LEADING BY EXAMPLE -------------- ¶7. (C) The medical mission of the USNS Mercy in the southern Philippines from May to June 2006 was a watershed event, reaching some of the poorest and most under-served areas of the country, and attracting front page news across the country. The outstanding medical care and humanitarian assistance provided during the visit directly served some 50,000 local patients in Zamboanga, Jolo, and Tawi-Tawi, and was a huge boon to efforts by JSOTF-P, USAID, and other U.S. agencies to encourage the Philippine military to adopt civil-military relations in the Mindanao region as an effective deterrent to terrorist recruitment. Since the success of the USNS Mercy visit, the Philippine military and JSOTF-P have continued their civil-military efforts, conducting 97 medical assistance projects serving more than 44,000 people in the Mindanao region in 2007. Taking a page from their U.S. counterparts, the Philippine Armed Forces established the National Development Support Command in October 2007 to conduct civil-military operations throughout the country (septel). The Mission looks forward to the return of the USNS Mercy to the Philippines in 2008, and Foreign Secretary Romulo recently expressed his desire for USNS Mercy's return visit to the Ambassador (ref A). -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶8. (C) As evidenced by the many productive ship visits to the Philippines in 2007, the U.S. Navy has demonstrated a creative and innovative approach towards engagement with the Philippine government. A far cry from traditional "liberty" ports of call of the past, in 2007 Navy ship visits to the Philippines evolved into a highly effective public diplomacy tool, playing a key role in promoting our bilateral relationship and complementing the Philippine and U.S. efforts to use soft and hard power to bolster the Philippine fight against terrorism. Analysis of recent opinion polling and public commentary makes clear the Philippine public is strongly supportive of the current security relationship with the United States, especially joint military exercises and port visits. At the same time, small but influential minorities remain deeply suspicious that the United States intends to reestablish permanent bases in the Philippines, a step that these groups oppose vigorously. There also is skepticism among the general public that U.S. service personnel respect the laws and customs of the Philippines, a persistent holdover from an earlier era. For precisely these reasons, the Mission believes that continued, frequent U.S. Navy visits to the Philippines are valuable -- their temporary, short-term nature and the many positive benefits that the communities near the ports of call enjoy provide a strong counter-argument to the skeptics. The community relations events conducted by the U.S. Navy and Marines, coupled with exemplary behavior by the crews in the last year, made the 2007 ship visits a resounding success. As a result of the significant positive feedback in 2007, the U.S. Navy is considering a further increase in the number of Philippine port visits this year, which the Mission fully supports. END COMMENT. KENNEY