JAKARTA USAID-USPACOM CONFERENCE ADVANCES

UNCLAS JAKARTA 001298 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/RSP PLEASE PASS TO AID DOD FOR OSD E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PREL EAID MARR ID SUBJECT: JAKARTA USAID-USPACOM CONFERENCE ADVANCES DEFENSE-DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION ¶1. USAID Mission Indonesia and the Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) Jakarta jointly hosted the USAID-U.S. Pacific Command Civil Military Synchronization Planning Workshop in Jakarta July 27-30. The conference's objective was to expand civil-military cooperation between USAID and USPACOM throughout USPACOM's area of responsibility (AOR), with particular focus on Indonesia. The conference was the third Synchronization Meeting held, following those in Cambodia (November 2008) and Sri Lanka (April 2009). ¶2. In his keynote remarks, Ambassador Hume emphasized the overarching global development areas of higher education, climate change and energy, and democracy and governance, all of which are key areas of the proposed U.S.-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership. He noted the productive partnership between USAID and USPACOM and stressed that advancements in health fields are particularly important in Indonesia. USAID and USPACOM presenters followed, providing briefings on the priority sectors and structures of their respective organizations. ¶3. The four-day conference worked to identify common focus areas for coordination of development and defense efforts and to improve the ways in which USAID and USPACOM work to common objectives. To those ends, conference attendees conducted extensive information-sharing on both development and military activities conducted in Indonesia. Participants developed a concept plan to operationalize USAID civil-military cooperation policy and created a planning framework to coordinate development and defense activities in Indonesia. Attendees also conferred on strategic planning, USAID budgeting and contracting, and development of standard operating procedures for coordination of USAID and DOD activities. NEXT STEPS ¶4. Internal Mission Jakarta meetings for detailed plan development will begin the week of August 3. Additional steps recommended by the conference include: -- coordination of USPACOM headquarters' civil-military plans and activities through a standing Civil-Military Working Group; -- continued expansion of USAID-USPACOM cooperation to additional countries in the AOR; and -- a regional workshop co-hosted by the USAID Regional Development Mission for Asia and USPACOM. ¶5. Primary conference attendees included: -- USAID Office of Military Affairs and Office of Transition Initiatives -- USPACOM (J07,J45, J72, USAID Senior Development Advisor, SOCPAC SOJ38, COE) -- ODC Jakarta -- PACOM Augmentation Team Jakarta -- USAID Indonesia -- USAID Regional Development Mission Bangkok -- Embassy Jakarta POL HUME