U.S. Coast Guards Begins Training the Vietnam Marine Police

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 001198 SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP, ISN/ECC E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL SNAR KNNP MASS VM SUBJECT: U.S. Coast Guards Begins Training the Vietnam Marine Police HANOI 00001198 001.2 OF 002 ¶1. (U) Summary. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) kicked off its partnership program with the Vietnam Marine Police (VMP) under the Export Control and Related Border Security (EXBS) program by conducting two sessions of the Maritime Law Enforcement Boarding Officer course in Haiphong and Phu Quoc, October 12-23. Vietnamese participants received practical instruction and hands-on training on a range of issues, including interdiction and boarding procedures, and a briefing by the Embassy's acting Drug Enforcement Agency Attache. The participants were active, posed questions, and offered favorable feedback reviews. Overall, the training was not only beneficial for the participants, but highlighted opportunities for more in-depth future training in specific subject areas. End summary. ¶2. (U) A 4-person team from USCG visited Vietnam October 12-23 to conduct two training sessions as part of the partnering program established earlier this year between the USCG and VMP. The sessions, conducted in Haiphong and Phu Quoc, consisted of two days of classroom instruction, followed by three days of practical hands-on training. Classroom subjects covered international law, boarding preparation and procedures, use of force, stopping uncooperative vessels, tactical concepts and tactical procedures, smuggling trends and hidden compartment detection, occupational hazards, drug identification, introduction on explosives and improvised explosive devices, alien migration interdiction operations and the use of personal radiation detection devices ("pagers"). At the end of each class, radiation pagers were handed over to VMP Regions 1 and 5 and several more will be transferred to VMP Headquarters to help strengthen their non-proliferation capacity. Hands-on training, including easy weapon removal, frisking, handcuffing, and boarding exercises, allowed students an opportunity to apply the lessons in simulated boarding situations. The Acting DEA Attache joined the session in Phu Quoc, where he gave an overview of the DEA counternarcotics mission in Vietnam, discussed the overall narcotics smuggling situation in Southeast Asia, and explained new methods used by drug criminals in the region. ¶3. (SBU) The VMP Headquarters and their regional offices organized the training at their facilities, providing classrooms as well as boats for the practical exercises for the 45 VMP students who attended the two classes. The Ministry of Defense (MOD) limited this initial training event to the VMP, and the VMP leadership easily filled all of the available slots with students with various experience and expertise. Customs and Navy officials have also expressed a desire to send their officers to such training, and the MOD and VMP have agreed to include these agencies in future events. (Comment: We suspect the MOD limited the initial offering to VMP officers only as this fit the scope of the agreed partnership proposal and this was their first opportunity to see what the training entailed. We are hopeful that MOD is now more comfortable with the training and will allow other agencies to participate in future. End comment.) ¶4. (U) During the two courses, students posed questions concerning the USCG's organizational structure, U.S. laws and regulations, USCG investigation authority, cooperation and coordination between USCG and other relating agencies, and information collection and sharing, as well as how USCG handles different situations at sea, especially when a foreign vessel is involved. The students of the second class, comprised of younger officers with greater English capability than the first, were particularly enthusiastic and engaged in the training activities. The Acting DEA Attache also reported great interest in counternarcotics issues from the second class, particularly in how the U.S. undertakes such operations on the sea. ¶5. (U) Despite differences in U.S. and Vietnamese laws and regulations and the relative level of experience of the two forces, the students' evaluated the training highly and said it was a valuable opportunity to improve their knowledge and skills. They were impressed with the combination of theory and practical exercises and were also complimentary of the instructors, who got high marks for being dedicated, enthusiastic, and friendly, yet disciplined and professional. HANOI 00001198 002.2 OF 002 ¶6. (U) The students shared their ideas for improving future training, including lengthening the course, adding more advanced courses and specialized courses in drug interdiction, search and rescue, and international law, and offering specialized English language training. As the VMP is still in the planning process to develop its own training facility, both the students and the VMP leadership asked for additional USCG training opportunities for more attendees. The senior VMP officials present also requested additional equipment, including contraband detection tools, narcotic field test kits, and fraudulent document detection machines. ¶7. (SBU) Comment. This was the first USCG engagement with the VMP under their new partnership program. Its positive results bode well for future cooperation between the two forces. The training courses received a great deal of attention from the VMP leadership, as well as the Ministry of Defense, with senior representatives from MOD both attending the opening and closing ceremonies, and hosting farewell lunches and dinners. The VMP leadership's recommendations for future training will not only be very useful for planning purposes, but represent clear signals that they are eager for further cooperation. Continuing the partnership plan, the USCG has invited one VMP officer to attend the 15-week International Maritime Officer Course starting in March 2010 at the USCG Training Center in Yorktown, Virginia. Palmer