LESOTHO: A DEFENSE FORCE WORTH SUPPORTING

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MASERU 000107 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPT ALSO FOR AF/RSA, AF/S; PRETORIA ALSO FOR DAO (GARRISON, SCHULTZ) AND ODC (SMITH, PANZERA); AFRICOM (KNIGHT, SMITH, AND BEN E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL MASS MCAP MOPS MARR LT SUBJECT: LESOTHO: A DEFENSE FORCE WORTH SUPPORTING MASERU 00000107 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. SUMMARY: Lesotho's growth as an emerging regional military partner is significant. Senior military leaders have publicly embraced AFRICOM and its objectives; the Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) participates fully in all USG training opportunities, encourages professionalism within its ranks and respect for rule of law and human rights, and serves as the logistical backbone of the nation's domestic crisis response; Lesotho supports regional peacekeeping operations (including Sudan and the SADC standby brigade); Lesotho signed an Article 98 Agreement in 2006; and the nation plays a helpful military/security leadership role within regional organizations (including the Southern African Development Community). ¶2. U.S. Mission Maseru concludes that further military cooperation with Lesotho would be productive and beneficial to key U.S. national security interests in the region. In order to broaden support for AFRICOM and to cooperate more closely with a reliable African military partner, we recommend a substantial increase in IMET funding; new Foreign Military Financing (FMF) assistance for the LDF's effective Air Wing; participation in State Partnership programs; implementation of MEDFLAG and similar military-civilian exercises; and appropriate flag-level visits. END SUMMARY. -------------- International Military Education Training (IMET) Program -------------- ¶3. Since the resumption of an IMET program in 2007, following the signing in 2006 of an Article 98 Agreement, Embassy Maseru has sent four Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) officers to specialized U.S. military schools. This training exposes Lesotho's military personnel to the U.S. professional military establishment and democratic values, respect for human rights, and adherence to the rule of law. The State Department allocated Lesotho $45,000 of IMET training in FY 07/08, and, according to EUCOM/AFRICOM, will allocate $50,000 for Lesotho in FY 08/09. ¶4. The Lesotho Defense Force has been highly receptive to IMET training, and has expressed interest in additional programs in the areas of medical records, aircraft maintenance, and HIV/AIDS prevention. An increased IMET budget for Lesotho to approximately $100,000 would allow the LDF to receive substantive training in these areas. -------------- Foreign Military Financing (FMF) -------------- ¶5. The LDF does not receive Foreign Military Financing (FMF), though it has submitted requests. FMF assistance would ensure that the LDF's effective, though resource poor, Air Wing is adequately equipped and trained to work toward common goals. The Air Wing's primary missions are border patrols to combat transnational crime, search/rescue operations, disaster/medical response, and transportation of emergency food, education, and election-related materials to remote regions. The Air Wing is uniquely poised to play a significant role in the national response to one of the world's worst HIV/AIDS pandemics. ¶6. The Air Wing has several U.S. Army-trained technicians and pilots and uses the Army maintenance management systems as a model for its own maintenance program. Lesotho's Air Wing--comprised of a small rotor wing fleet (six helicopters) and a fixed wing fleet (three transport airplanes)--is under stress and in need of additional helicopters, light aircraft, and aircraft replacement parts. FMF funding for helicopter pilot training and training on specific military hardware systems such as aircraft night vision goggles would also assist the Air Wing in its mission. -------------- Department Of Defense Humanitarian Assistance Program (HA) -------------- ¶7. The LDF's engineering company provides labor for the DHAP-funded renovation of health centers and schools identified by the GOL. Lesotho's FY06 HA allocation was diverted to provide post-earthquake assistance to Pakistan. Under the HA program, however, DoD earmarked $100,000 for FY 07/08 projects in Lesotho. Submitted projects include renovations to the Sehlabathebe Health Center in Qacha's Nek District ($50,000), Ntlo-Kholo Primary in Thaba Bosiu ($30,000),and Loreto Primary at Qoaling ($20,000). ¶8. To date, DOD has also funded HA projects at clinics in Matukeng, Thaba-Tsoeu, Mpharane, Tsaeeng, and Litsoeneng. MASERU 00000107 002.2 OF 003 Renovations at Mohokare Primary School in Maseru will be completed soon. In addition, DoD has donated excess property to schools and hospitals, including $20,000 worth of medical supplies in 2006 to the national referral hospital and school furniture worth $8,000 in 2007 to Itumeleng Community Primary and Bataung Secondary Schools in Mohale's Hoek District. As a result, the LDF's engineering corps has increased its capacity, improved the quality of life for rural communities, and fostered the mil-mil relationship between the U.S. and Lesotho. ¶9. The HA program is vital to mil-mil cooperation and to fostering a positive image of the U.S. military in Lesotho. In this regard, we request an increase to bring the total HA budget in Lesotho to $150,000. With these funds, we can qualitatively improve the services offered, including the installation of solar electricity capability in schools and medical storage facilities in clinics, attracting more attention than traditional renovations and more goodwill for DoD and AFRICOM. -------------- Department of Defense HIV/AIDS Prevention Program (DHAPP) -------------- ¶10. Through DHAPP, Lesotho's Makoanyane Military Hospital (MMH) received equipment and supplies worth over $127,000 during FY 07/08 and sent four of its staff for HIV/AIDS training to Uganda. To reduce the burden at MMH, in January 2008 Ambassador Nolan handed over a wellness center medical facility valued at over $161,000 to the LDF. In 2007, the Embassy handed over a mobile clinic for use by the military hospital in providing medical services to military personnel and local communities at remote army bases. ¶11. Lesotho has the one of the world's highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rates. DHAPP efforts under Lesotho's PEPFAR program have had a significant impact, especially in light of HIV vulnerability within the military. In recent years, the LDF has experienced a sea change in its attitude towards HIV/AIDS and now readily discusses the problem and eagerly solicits U.S. support to grapple with it. In order to further PEPFAR goals, Embassy Maseru requests additional DHAPP funding to: 1) focus attention within the military health community on the benefits of male circumcision; and 2) increase the outreach of LDF health service into remote rural areas. -------------- National Guard State Partnership Program -------------- ¶12. In coordination with ODC Pretoria we seek a National Guard State Partnership between Lesotho and a U.S. state. U.S. state national guards are much closer in size to the Lesotho Defense Forces than the U.S. military branches, thus this relationship can yield special rewards, as it does in Swaziland, including bilateral training events, exercises, fellowship-style internships, and civic leader visits. LDF commanders have already indicated they would support a MEDFLAG or similar military-civilian exercise. -------------- African Contingency Operations Training and Assistance Program (ACOTA) -------------- ¶13. Despite Lesotho's continuing involvement in peacekeeping operations on the African continent in difficult operating areas such as Darfur, the Lesotho Defense Force is not part of the ACOTA program. The LDF would benefit from peacekeeping training support through this program. -------------- The Africa Center for Strategic Studies (ACSS) and other DoD policy programs -------------- ¶14. During FY 07/08, Embassy Maseru sent eight LDF Officers, Ministry of Defense civilians, and National Security officers to ACSS courses. Lesotho designated dozens of personnel for ACSS participation in previous years, and also participated in other DoD-hosted programs in Washington and the region, including Exercise Africa Endeavor, service-specific conferences, and Pentagon/State briefings and seminars on AFRICOM. ¶15. Embassy Maseru encourages Lesotho participation in ACSS operations. A visit to Maseru in 2007 of the ACSS Africa Region Director improved the cohesiveness of ACSS alumni and encouraged their collective participation in activities of benefit to U.S. interests and the U.S.-Lesotho bilateral relationship. We recommend a similar, flag-rank, visit from AFRICOM in response MASERU 00000107 003.2 OF 003 to the LDF's unequivocal support for the new U.S. military command. -------------- Lesotho: Ripe for MIL-MIL Engagement -------------- ¶16. COMMENT: In light of Lesotho's receptivity to engagement with the U.S. military, the nation's leadership role within regional organizations, the LDF's public embrace of AFRICOM, and the military's increasing professionalism, the Mountain Kingdom is ripe for increased military-to-military engagement. For an African nation of its size, Lesotho's defense force demonstrates a remarkable desire and growing capacity to play a positive role on the international stage. Further military cooperation would be productive and beneficial to key U.S. national security interests in the region, particularly by supporting the LDF's growing respect for the rule of law and increasing capacity to contribute to regional peacekeeping and domestic humanitarian crisis response. END COMMENT. NOLAN