Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08MASERU107
2008-04-23 09:13:00
UNCLASSIFIED
Embassy Maseru
Cable title:  

LESOTHO: A DEFENSE FORCE WORTH SUPPORTING

Tags:  PGOV PREL MASS MCAP MOPS MARR LT 
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VZCZCXRO5422
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHRN
DE RUEHMR #0107/01 1140913
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 230913Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY MASERU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3636
RHMFISS/AFRICOM
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHMR/AMEMBASSY MASERU 4052
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


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