Vietnam Supportive but Cautious on GPOI

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 HANOI 000185

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE for EAP/MLS, PM/PPA, PM/RSAT

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREL KPKO MARR MASS VM

SUBJECT: Vietnam Supportive but Cautious on GPOI

HANOI 00000185 001.2 OF 002



1. (SBU) Summary: Meeting with Ministry of Defense and Foreign
Affairs counterparts February 12, U.S. Pacific Command officials
encouraged Vietnam to participate more actively in international
peacekeeping operations through the GPOI program and reiterated the
invitation for Vietnam to participate, not just observe, the
upcoming Global Peace Operations (GPOI) exercise in Indonesia. They
also pushed Vietnam to develop a coherent country plan for engaging
in PKO-related training and activities. GVN officials expressed
general support for GPOI, but asked the U.S. side to be patient,
highlighting constitutional restrictions on deploying Vietnamese
forces abroad as well as continuing deficiencies in manpower and
English-language aptitude. The MOD confirmed that it would send
four officers to Garuda Shield, but declined a request to have one
of them participate in the command staff exercise. The GVN did,
however, voice interest in training, conferences, and courses on
international peacekeeping, and welcomed the upcoming March APCSS
workshop as an opportunity to develop a country strategy for
participating in international peacekeeping operations. End
summary.

Legal Issues are the Primary Obstacle
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2. (SBU) The PACOM team, headed by Robert Sweeney and accompanied
by DAO officers and Poloff, met February 12 with the Director
General of the MFA's Americas Division, Nguyen Ba Hung, and senior
officials from the MOD External Relations Department, including
Senior Colonel Nguyen Dinh Huy. In both meetings, Sweeney provided
a detailed brief on GPOI, highlighting the international nature of
the program and the fact that participation in GPOI does not
necessarily obligate a country to provide peacekeeping forces. The
U.S. side commented that as a non-permanent member of the UN
Security Council, Vietnam has an increased responsibility -- though
not a legal obligation -- to assist with the Security Council's
peacekeeping efforts. The team noted that countries with much
smaller militaries, such as Fiji and Tonga, are making substantive
contributions to PKO.


3. (SBU) The Vietnamese side repeated earlier arguments that a lack
of capability and experience precludes more active involvement in
peacekeeping operations; however, when pushed Sr. Col. Huy agreed
that experience could be gained relatively quickly with tailored
training. A lack of English language skills was a more serious
problem, he said, but conceded that this was a hurdle that could
also be overcome. The main obstacles to Vietnam's participation in
peacekeeping operation are constitutional prohibitions against
deploying forces overseas, both he and the DG Hung insisted. GVN
officials emphasized that this was an issue that only the National
Assembly could fully resolve, but said that the government would
welcome increased cooperation short of actually deploying forces
overseas. Speaking frankly, Sr. Col Huy said that what an activity
is called matters. "Training" is always an easier sell than
"exercises," he said.

No Plan for International PKO . . .
--------------


4. (SBU) MOD officials admitted that the GVN does not have a
coherent national plan for engaging in PKO-related activities,
including GPOI. While the MFA International Organizations
Department has the policy lead, the MOD has no assigned unit or
entity to deal with PKO. Both MFA and MOD, however, expressed
interest in PKO missions involving humanitarian assistance,
logistics, transportation, medical programs, and demining. They
readily agreed that it would make sense to put this in the form of a
national plan and would be keen to participate in an upcoming
international peacekeeping workshop sponsored by the Asia Pacific
Center for Security Studies (APCSS) to help the GVN develop its
plans.

. . . But Eager for More Training
--------------


5. (SBU) The MOD noted that it had already participated in training
courses in Nepal and Bangladesh, and confirmed that Vietnam is
committed to sending more soldiers to UNPKO courses such as the UN
Staff Officer Course, Logistics Course, and Observer Course. Noting
their at-times cumbersome process for approving international
cooperative activities, the officials requested that PACOM provide a
yearly GPOI training schedule as soon in the year as possible. With
sufficient advance notice, Vietnam could even host in-country GPOI
PKO seminars, workshops, or training events. The PACOM team
reviewed the schedule of upcoming GPOI events and emphasized that
the United States welcomes Vietnam as a more active participant.

Observers Only for GARUDA SHIELD

HANOI 00000185 002.2 OF 002


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6. (SBU) The PACOM team explained how GPOI is funded and stressed
that Vietnam would be more competitive for GPOI's finite funds if it
could demonstrate a firmer commitment to being a more active partner
in GPOI training and exercises. Reiterating past U.S. requests for
active participation in the June 2009 GPOI CAPSTONE Exercise GARUDA
SHIELD in Indonesia, the team made a specific pitch for an officer
to participate as a staff officer, not as an observer, in the staff
exercise portion of GARUDA SHIELD and for an officer to be a
participant in the leadership cell of the field training portion of
the event.


7. (SBU) MOD responded that Vietnam is committed to sending four
officers to GARUDA SHIELD as observers - one capable officer from
its General Staff, one officer from its Special Forces, and two
additional officers. However, MOD does not yet have a capable
officer to be part of the exercise at GARUDA SHIELD due to
differences in language, training, and experience. As a way to
provide higher-level exposure the event, the PACOM team offered to
fund a high-level visit by VM Military (General level) to visit the
GARUDA SHIELD CAPSTONE event in Indonesia. MOD officials agreed to
pass the invitation to their superiors.

MFA Advocates Increased IMET
--------------


8. (SBU) At the conclusion of the MFA meeting, DG Hung suggested
that GPOI and IMET should go "hand in hand." For Vietnam to be able
to do more, Hung suggested, it must be better trained; and to be
better trained, Vietnam needs more IMET. DAO agreed that more
training would be helpful, but noted that the more willing Vietnam
is to participate actively, the better the case is for increased
IMET funding.

Comment
--------------


9. (SBU) Despite the Prime Minister's commitment to GPOI last
summer, the MOD has not yet demonstrated the commitment and planning
required to participate in PKO training, exercises, and eventual
deployment. While political will apparently exists at the top, at
least in principle, the MOD -- never the most nimble institution --
continues to struggle to shift its inward-looking military doctrine.
As one MOD official recently put it, "We don't do international
cooperation on defense and security issues." In this sense,
constitutional prohibitions on the deployment of forces overseas
reflect an attitude that is still pervasive in the military. The
MFA appears to be more open to cooperation and enjoys the backing of
the Prime Minister, who has stated publicly that Vietnam will
participate in peacekeeping-related activities. This has made it
more difficult for the MOD to sit on its hands. The MOD
increasingly appears to be finding itself in the position of having
to participate in an effort it is still uncertain about or lose
control of the planning process. We will continue to push for more
active participation.

PALMER