JORDAN'S TRANSFER TO LEBANON OF M60A3 TANKS

C O N F I D E N T I A L AMMAN 000579

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/ELA, PM/RSAT

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/02/2019
TAGS: ASEC MCAPS PGOV PREL LE AE JO
SUBJECT: JORDAN'S TRANSFER TO LEBANON OF M60A3 TANKS

Classified By: Ambassador R. Stephen Beecroft for reasons 1.4 (b) and (
d).


1. (SBU) Background: At the USG's request, Jordan agreed in
November to upgrade and provide 66 M60A3 tanks to Lebanon to
enhance the abilities and image of the Lebanese Armed Forces
(LAF) as a national fighting force. As part of efforts to
strengthen the LAF in advance of the June parliamentary
elections, Jordan agreed that once funding was provided it
would upgrade the first tranche of ten tanks with the Thermal
Tank System (TTS) for delivery to the LAF in May. Jordan
further agreed that once additional outside funding was
secured for the remaining 56 tanks, it would upgrade them
with the Integrated Fire Control System (IFCS) and deliver
them to Lebanon 18-24 months later. The initial ten TTS
tanks would then be sent back to Jordan to be further
upgraded with IFCS to satisfy the LAF's requirement of 66
upgraded M60A3 IFCS tanks. The total cost was estimated to
be USD 114 million.


2. (SBU) In a good faith effort to meet the May delivery date
for the first ten tanks, the Jordan Armed Forces (JAF)
approached Raytheon in November 2008 to identify the
necessary parts to complete the upgrade. Raytheon, however,
told the JAF that it could not acquire the necessary parts
for the upgrade until it had a signed agreement with Jordan
to supply them. The JAF has been waiting for the promised
funds before signing such an agreement.


3. (C) As of March 3, Jordan has still not received USD 17
million for the initial tranche of ten tanks. Senior figures
in the JAF have informed Post that the continuing delay has
prevented them from securing the necessary parts from
Raytheon to upgrade the tanks in time to transfer them to
Lebanon before the Lebanese elections. They are concerned
that Jordan will be blamed for not meeting this deadline,
which they now consider "impossible."


4. (C) DATT asked General Khaled Sarayreh, Chairman of the
Joint Chiefs of Staff, if he could pull ten operational M60A3
IFCS tanks deployed with JAF units and transfer them to
Lebanon, but Sarayreh refused citing the JAF's own
operational requirements. The JAF's Director of Strategic
Planning, Brigadier General Mohammad Farghal, has proposed
two options for a way forward: 1) abandon the TTS upgrade of
the initial ten tanks and proceed to upgrade all 66 with
IFCS; 2) use the USD 17 million once secured from the UAE to
provide alternative equipment from Jordan to Lebanon in
advance of the June elections.


5. (C) The first option of proceeding to upgrade the 66 IFCS
tanks would not provide the LAF with the pre-election boost
that the tank transfer was originally intended to achieve.
It would require the USG to look for the full USD 114 million
from other third-country sources. On the second option, Post
is unaware of other equipment that the LAF would be
interested in acquiring from Jordan but posits that it would
require agreement from the UAE once funding is secured, as
well as USG approval of any third-party transfer of U.S.
equipment.


6. (C) Post believes the only way to ensure the transfer of
ten upgraded M60A3 tanks to Lebanon by May would be to
redeploy operational tanks from JAF units. Given Sarayreh's
refusal, this would require direct intervention from the
King, which Ambassador and DATT are prepared to seek if
funding is forthcoming and Washington so instructs. This,
however, might increase the cost of the first ten tanks
because they would be IFCS instead of TTS.

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