USS BONHOMME RICHARD AND 11TH MEU VISIT TIMOR-LESTE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DILI 000290 SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL MOPS MASS ASEC TT SUBJECT: USS BONHOMME RICHARD AND 11TH MEU VISIT TIMOR-LESTE DILI 00000290 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (U) Summary: The USS Bonhomme Richard and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit visited Timor-Leste October 13-23 and conducted highly successful exercises, provided medical services, completed humanitarian engineering projects, and engaged in community relations activities in coordination with the Timorese armed forces and the Australian-led International Stabilization Force. This visit, its exercises, and activities represent the most dramatic and visible U.S. interaction with this country in its 10-year history. Despite some initial trepidation about the scale of the visit and activities, the President, Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Defense, and the F-FDTL Commander were all favorably impressed, effusive in their public praise for the U.S., and resolute in their desire for more such training in the future. The results were spectacularly successful and have helped to advance key Mission objectives and improve bilateral relations between the U.S. and Timor-Leste. End Summary. The Visit in Numbers -------------- ¶2. (U) The USS Bonhomme Richard, the world's largest amphibious aircraft carrier, and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) visited Timor-Leste October 13-23 for a series of joint exercises with the Timorese armed forces (F-FDTL) and the Australian-led International Stabilization Force (ISF). This visit by over 2,500 Navy Sailors and Marines represented the largest-ever presence of Americans in Timor-Leste, effectively increasing the existing American population here for the duration of the visit by 20 fold. This number of participating U.S. military personnel was triple the entire size of the trained Timorese armed forces. Marine Exercises and Medical Clinics -------------- ¶3. (U) The military exercises and medical and engineering projects took place in towns and training facilities spread throughout the country. The military training exercises conducted by the U.S. Marines included a multi-day guerilla insurgency exercise in Gleno, urban warfare training in Manatuto, close air support training in Baucau, and jungle training in Seisal. In addition, the Marines opened medical and dental clinics to the communities in Oecussi, Maubara, and Laga, treating almost 800 patients. Finally, the Marines completed a major engineering/construction project to replace the roof and walls of a school in Maubara. At our request, the Marines also conducted a realistic non-combatant evacuation operation (NEO) exercise at the Embassy, in which over three dozen private and official American citizens participated and were "evacuated" by helicopter to the USS Bonhomme Richard, thereby providing an invaluable service by enhancing Embassy Dili's emergency readiness (see Septel for a more detailed account of this exercise). Navy Community Relations Activities -------------- ¶4. (U) Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy conducted several community relations activities including a donation of medical supplies in Dili to the Ministry of Health and local NGOs, visits to two Dili orphanages, and a soccer match between the ship's team and the Timorese Under-17 national team at the National Stadium in Dili (we were gracious in defeat, losing 4 - 0). The Navy also refurbished another school in Manatuto. Although the USS Bonhomme Richard traveled up and down the coast of Timor-Leste over the course of the ten days to support the exercises and activities, it spent three days anchored in the Dili port in full view of the local population, hosted a large diplomatic reception for local dignitaries, including President Ramos-Horta; private visits by Prime Minister Gusmao and F-FDTL Commander Taur Matan Ruak; and dispatched about 900 Navy personnel ashore for liberty in and around Dili. Media Coverage DILI 00000290 002.2 OF 003 -------------- ¶5. (U) The Embassy and the advance team of the 11th MEU engaged in an aggressive public relations campaign to provide detailed briefings of the planned activities to senior GOTL officials and Members of Parliament, as well as to inform the Timorese public about what to expect. Additionally, the Embassy arranged for VIP participation in and extensive media coverage of several events, including the arrival and unloading of large landing hovercraft in Maubara, the reception on board the USS Bonhomme Richard, and visits to the training exercises in Gleno, Manatuto, Baucau, and Seisal. The media also covered the donation of several pallets of medical supplies and the visits to the orphanages. The soccer match at the National Stadium on October 18 was attended by over 3,000 Timorese, including President Ramos-Horta. Comment, Kudos & Recommendation -------------- ¶6. (SBU) This visit was spectacularly successful. The variety of multi-day opportunities for direct engagement and training with the F-FDTL dramatically reinforced one of our principal objectives in Timor-Leste - namely, that stability is dependent on the need to develop and maintain a professional military with clearly-defined roles and responsibilities under civilian leadership. Despite some initial trepidation about the scale of the visit and activities, the President, Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Defense, and the F-FDTL Commander were all favorably impressed, effusive in their praise for the U.S., and resolute in their desire for more such training in the future. Indeed, in a presentation in Dili on October 26 to an assemblage of ambassadors and Timorese security sector officials, Secretary of State for Defense Pinto asked that large-scale U.S. Marine exercises in Timor-Leste become an annual event and suggested the next round include a trilateral component with Indonesia. The high degree of professionalism and respect exercised by all of our military personnel made a deep and profound impression on the Timorese public and has established a model and high standard to which their own military can aspire. Similar results were achieved in helping us to build relations with key officials and to enhance our Embassy's emergency preparedness. ¶7. (SBU) Embassy Dili is extremely grateful to the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Marines, and the U.S. Pacific Command for giving us this excellent opportunity to advance our Mission objectives and improve bilateral relations with Timor-Leste. We would also like to extend special thanks to the commanders of the Bonhomme Richard Amphibious Ready Group, the Bonhomme Richard itself, and the 11th MEU for their exceptional professionalism, decisive leadership, keen political savvy, and for accommodating so many of our requests. We want to commend Lt. Col. Derek Montroy, the MEU Executive Officer and Officer-in-Command of the Forward Command Element for his invaluable advice and liaison work, as well as Captain Brennan Simi for the superb job he did in advancing the visit and briefing President Ramos-Horta and Secretary Pinto, and Captain Michael Manning for leading the Embassy NEO exercise. We also commend John Belliveau from NCIS in Singapore for the terrific job he did handling force protection issues and liberty arrangements for 900 sailors from the USS Bonhomme Richard. Finally, we commend Chief Warrant Officer Josilito Sarmiento for his work on the advance team in preparing for and making the Navy's community relations activities a success. ¶8. (SBU) Looking forward to the next visit, we offer only a few suggestions. This visit involved a lot of complex, moving parts and it only went smoothly as a result of excellent planning and foresight. We recommend that future MEUs continue to provide an officer to carry the project from the planning stages (including site visits and negotiations) to the advance work (on the ADVON team) to the implementation (including participating in the Forward Command Element). In addition, the Forward Command Element (FCE) itself was an indispensable part of making this visit a success. We strongly recommend that future MEUs also continue to dedicate an FCE to supporting the visit and exercises. Perhaps the only shortcoming during this visit was DILI 00000290 003.2 OF 003 the presence of only one Navy person versus ten Marines on the advance team. The level of activity and the force protection requirements probably should have necessitated at least two or three Navy representatives. KLEMM