Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
08VIENTIANE645
2008-12-15 03:31:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Vientiane
Cable title:  

U.S. DEFENSE ATTACHE OFFICE OPENS IN VIENTIANE

Tags:  LA MARR MOPS PINR PREL MASS 
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VZCZCXRO5882
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHVN #0645/01 3500331
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 150331Z DEC 08
FM AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 2317
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 2339
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1086
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0136
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0165
RUEHUL/AMEMBASSY SEOUL 0650
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 1269
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC
RHHMUNS/COMSOCPAC HONOLULU HI
RUEADWD/USDOARMY WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHHMUND/COMMARFORPAC
RUEHBK/USDAO BANGKOK TH
RUEHBK/CHJUSMAGTHAI BANGKOK TH
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 VIENTIANE 000645 

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/MLS (EMERY),
SECDEF FOR OSD POLICY (CLAD, LAI),
PACOM FOR J52 (MILLER, KELLY, LACY),
JPAC FOR MUNIPALLI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/11/2018
TAGS: LA MARR MOPS PINR PREL MASS
SUBJECT: U.S. DEFENSE ATTACHE OFFICE OPENS IN VIENTIANE

REF: VIENTIANE 0562

Classified By: Ambasador Ravic Huso for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d).

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 VIENTIANE 000645

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP/MLS (EMERY),
SECDEF FOR OSD POLICY (CLAD, LAI),
PACOM FOR J52 (MILLER, KELLY, LACY),
JPAC FOR MUNIPALLI

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/11/2018
TAGS: LA MARR MOPS PINR PREL MASS
SUBJECT: U.S. DEFENSE ATTACHE OFFICE OPENS IN VIENTIANE

REF: VIENTIANE 0562

Classified By: Ambasador Ravic Huso for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: The new U.S. Defense Attache (DATT) to Laos,
LTC Jamie McAden, was warmly welcomed by senior Lao military
and Foreign Affairs officials December 5 to mark the opening
of the U.S. Defense Attache Office in Vientiane. This
restores the bilateral defense relationship with Laos broken
at the end of the Indochina conflict in 1975. Exchanging
DAOs had been proposed by the United States for many years
and was finally agreed to by the Lao side in mid-2007 as part
of our first International Military Education and Training
(IMET) exchange. LTC McAden becomes the eighth DATT to be
resident in Vientiane -- joining five ASEAN members, China
and Russia. The Vice Defense Minister welcomed the
"face-to-face" relationship with the U.S. military, something
he said was possible because of the increasing political
stability of Laos. End Summary.


2. (U) The U.S. Defense Attache Office (DAO) officially
opened on December 5 at the U.S. Embassy in Vientiane. The
Ambassador introduced U.S. Defense Attache (DATT) Lieutenant
Colonel James "Jamie" McAden in courtesy calls with the Vice
Minister of National Defense Major General Somphet Thipmala
and Vice Foreign Minister Phongsavath Boupha that day to mark
the DAO opening. LTC McAden was introduced to the broader
Government of Laos (GOL),diplomatic, and international
organization communities at a ceremonial reception that same
evening at the Ambassador's Residence. The Lao Ministry of
Foreign Affairs (MFA) had formally accepted the DAO opening
by issuing a diplomatic note on December 1 saying that the
Ministry of National Defense (MND) "is agreeable to the
appointment" of LTC McAden as DATT. The United States
becomes the eighth country with a resident DATT in Vientiane;
the others are Vietnam, Russia, China, Thailand, Indonesia,
Cambodia, and Burma. The Indonesian DATT is currently dean

of the Attache corps.

MND
---


3. (C) MG Somphet was unusually relaxed at the formal
courtesy call at MND, warmly welcoming LTC McAden to
Vientiane just after the celebration of the 33rd anniversary
year of the Lao People's Democratic Republic (LPDR) on
December 2 and just before the 60th anniversary of the Lao
People's Army (LPA) on January 20, 2009. According to MG
Somphet, now that the military has helped achieve political
stability in Laos, it is now able to take new steps and also
has time to improve its structure, ideology, and technical
issues such as living conditions, accomodations, and salaries
for military personnel. Somphet referred to the more than 25
years of U.S.-Lao MIA cooperation as helping overcome the
legacy of the war years and pledged continued GOL cooperation
to bring back remains of the missing to the United States.
He then highlighted the need of the Lao military to upgrade
English language skills and said he hoped there would be
opportunities for Lao military personnel to study English in
the United States. MG Somphet noted that both militaries
would benefit from having a positive and face-to-face
relationship, a significant improvement from earlier points
in which one side had criticized the other "from afar" via
newspapers, radio, and television.


4. (C) COMMENT: Before assuming his current position, MG
Somphet was from 1998-2005 Governor of the Saysomboun Special
Zone, a large military-administered region northeast of
Vientiane Municipality that contained the locus of insurgency

VIENTIANE 00000645 002 OF 003


action in Laos. From 2005-2007 he was then Governor of
Vientiane Province which absorbed the majority of the
Saysomboun Special Zone when the zone was rescinded and the
territory returned to the civilian control of the surrounding
provinces. In this context, post understood MG Somphet's
reference to achieving political stability as indicating that
the GOL no longer regards insurgent action as a significant
threat. End comment.


5. (C) During an October visit (reftel) MG Somphet had told
OASD DASD James Clad that the Lao DATT to the United States,
COL Kenekeo Pholsena, would arrive in Washington, D.C. at the
end of February, 2009. With enthusiasm, MG Somphet updated
this information, telling the Ambassador and LTC McAden that
COL Kenekeo would now arrive in "early February." COL
Kenekeo is currently the Lao DATT in Beijing and will stay in
Beijing to organize the LPA 60th anniversary ceremony there
on January 20 before returning briefly to Laos and then
proceeding to the United States. Both sides agreed the
exchange of DATTs marked a historic step and a new chapter in
our bilateral relationship.


6. (U) MG Somphet took note that LTC McAden would be
returning the United States for Lao language training and
arrive back in Vientiane in June to take up his position
permanently. In the interim, the U.S. DAO will be managed by
DAO Operations Coordinator Senior Master Sergeant Georgia
Royster. MG Somphet invited SMSGT Royster to call upon MND
officials for any assistance she might require during this
period.


7. (U) The Ambassador and LTC McAden also called on the
Acting Director General of MND's External Relations
Department, Colonel Phouthieng Kingkeo. At this meeting, the
two sides reviewed in more detail mil-mil cooperation that
has already begun, including military health training
programs and other exchanges. COL Phouthieng affirmed that
LTC McAden's experience would make our bilateral cooperation
"even better." He promised that his Department would assist
moving forward programs in those areas in which MND had
approval to cooperate with the United States. For new progam
areas, the External Relations Department would request the
required approval from MND's senior levels. COL Phouthieng
also hosted lunch for the new U.S. DAO personnel and officers
from his Department to provide an additional opportunity for
the two sides to get to know each other.

MFA
---


8. (SBU) The Ambassador presented LTC McAden to Vice Foreign
Minister Phongsavath Boupha and to Ambassador Khouanta
Phalivong, Director General of MFA's Europe and Americas
Department. The VFM Phongsavath asked about the relationship
between the new DAO and Detachment 3 of the Joint POW/MIA
Accounting Command which already exists at the Embassy. The
Ambassador specified that there would be no changes in JPAC's
role in working with the GOL on MIA accounting; the DATT
would be responsible for military cooperation including
education and training, humanitarian assistance, medical and
health exchanges, visits of U.S. military officials, and the
travel of Lao military officials to conferences in the United
States and the region.


9. (SBU) VFM Phongsavath raised the important issue of
unexploded ordnance in Laos. He noted that Laos faced an
enormous UXO problem -- with tons of "bombies" remaining from
the war years -- and lacked the funding to clear the land
resulting in continuing casualties. The Vice Foreign

VIENTIANE 00000645 003 OF 003


Minister expressed hope that there could be an exchange of
U.S. military UXO experts with their MND counterparts to seek
ways for future cooperation.

COMMENTS
--------------


10. (C) LTC McAden is the first U.S. DATT to the Lao People's
Democratic Republic (LPDR),the regime established after the
war in 1975. Despite the legacy of many war issues --
including the huge UXO issue -- and the fact that most of the
senior Lao party leaders still in power fought against the
United States in that conflict, the GOL has decided that the
time has come to strengthen bilateral military relations with
us. Mil-mil training programs during the past two years,
principally led by the Pacific Air Force's Office of
International Health on areas such as avian influenza,
medical first responder training, CPR, and nursing, have been
carried out smoothly and have been very well-received. More
Lao military officers are attending programs in the United
States and in the region, including the Chiefs of Defense
(CHODs) conferences in 2007 and 2008, the 2008 Asia-Pacific
Military Medicine Conference, as well as numerous programs
offered by the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies
(APCSS) and the Center for Excellence in Disaster Relief
(COE),both based in Honolulu. Two Lao military officers
spent the summer of 2008 studying English at the Defense
Language Institute (DLI) in San Antonio, the first Lao
military students since 1975 under the International Military
Education and Training (IMET) Program. One or both officers
may wind up as staff members at the Lao DAO in Washington,
D.C. in February 2009.


11. (C) The Lao DATT-designate for Washington D.C., COL
Kenekeo, educated as a medical doctor, is not only very
experienced, having been the Lao DATT in Burma and Indonesia
before China, he is also a member of one of the most
prominent families of Vientiane. He is one of twelve
siblings who include among them:

a brother, Sommad, who is Minister of Public Works and
Transport;

a sister, Khempheng, who is Minister to the Prime Minister's
Office and Chair of the newly-established Water and
Environment Administration as well as Minister for Economic
Cooperation in the Greater Mekong Sub-region;

a sister, Khemmani, who is Vice Minister of Industry and
Commerce,

a brother, Sopone, who is Deputy Director General of the Lao
Railway Organization, and

a sister, Khemphet, who has been Vice President of the Lao
Women's Union, one of the three party mass organizations.
HUSO