RELATIONS WITH INDONESIAN NAVY IMPROVING

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 000706 DEPT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EAP/RSP, PM, PM/PPA NSC FOR E.PHU USPACOM FOR ADMIRAL KEATING AND ADMIRAL WILLARD E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/20/2019 TAGS: PREL MARR PGOV MASS ID SUBJECT: RELATIONS WITH INDONESIAN NAVY IMPROVING REF: A. JAKARTA 0261 ¶B. JAKARTA 0385 Classified By: Ambassador Cameron R. Hume, reasons 1.4(b+d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The U.S.-Indonesian navy-navy relationship has improved enormously in the past two years. When senior U.S. Navy leaders come to Indonesia to participate in the Fleet Review in August, they will find a new willingness to listen and engage. Cooperation is still less robust than with other services, but there is solid progress. The maritime radar surveillance network provided with U.S. assistance is on track. The TNI Navy is increasingly active in bilateral activities, educational and training exchanges and flag officer visits. Marine-marine engagement is strong. The Fleet Review offers an excellent opportunity to cement these ties further. END SUMMARY LEADERSHIP MORE OPEN, MORE SERIOUS ¶2. (C) In the past two years, the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) Navy leadership has become more open. They are willing to listen and tQiscuss complex issues. Key change occurred in November 2007 with the replacement of the crotchety, nationalistic Admiral Slamet Soebijanto as Indonesia's Naval Chief of Staff. Vice Admiral Sumardjono, who replaced him for a mere half year, made the decision to proceed with the surveillance radar networks with Section 1206 assistance and incorporated the program into the TNI Navy's planning. Admiral Tedjo Edhy Purdijatno, who succeeded him in July 2008, has allowed the program to proceed and is marshaling the budgetary and personnel resources to maintain and operate the stations once they are installed. ¶3. (SBU) The positive change can be seen in TNI Navy leaders' support for the International Military Education and Training (IMET) program. The TNI Navy now sends an officer annually to the U.S. Naval War College and other schools, totaling ten programs in FY2009. The TNI Navy's nomination of quality candidates is a welcome sign of its seriousness. The improvement is also visible in the steady increase in Flag Officer visits, which reached a peak of ten in 2008. These visits provide an opportunity to exchange views, cultivate personal relationships and strengthen lines of communication. MORE EVENTS BRING CONTACT, BUILD TRUST ¶4. (SBU) The Theater Security Cooperation Plan(TSCP),agreed annually in the Bilateral Defense Discussions (BDD) between PACOM and the entire TNI, now encompasses some 130 events across all services and 32 with the TNI Navy. These activities have rekindled navy-navy engagement, helping to build trust. Previously the TNI Navy had rejected most TSCP activities. ¶5. (SBU) Other recent signs of warming relations include: -- The port visit of the USS LASSEN (DDG 82) to Bali in 2008 was the first by a U.S. naval vessel since the terrorist bombings of 2002. -- Survey operations between NAVOCEANO and the Indonesian Hydrographic and Oceanographic Office (DISHIDROS) were completed in February 2009 in support of Indonesia's upcoming World Ocean Conference in May 2009 and Fleet Review in August ¶2009. -- Although the TNI Navy has not returned to Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT),PACOM's largest annual navy-navy event with Indonesia, the TNI Navy does participate in a scaled-down version called the Naval Engagement Activity (NEA). MARINE-MARINE COOPERATION ¶6. (SBU) The Indonesian Marine Corps and the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) have historically had a strong relationship. Prior to sanctions, the two Marine Corps conducted multiple military exchanges and exercises. Through IMET, Indonesia sends two officer students per year to year-long USMC in-residence schools. Bilateral training occurs at other levels, including full platoon and company exchanges. An Indonesian Marine infantry company participated for the first time in the multi-national RIMPAC Exercise in 2008 in Hawaii. Indonesia welcomes engagement with the USMC, as the training is seldom available elsewhere and the perceived international prestige is unmatched. U.S. ASSISTANCE HELPED BUILD TRUST ¶7. (SBU) Assistance under Section 1206 has been a major factor in changing TNI-Navy attitudes about mil-mil cooperation with the United States. Section 1206 assistance to Indonesia will total $54 million through FY2009, and the TNI-Navy is its main recipient. Although U.S. assistance foots most of the bill, the TNI Navy will need to keep it operational. Foreign Military Financing (FMF) funding is too limited for Navy needs. The Section 1206 assistance is therefore the first major U.S. military assistance to reach the TNI Navy since the lifting of sanctions. LOOKING FORWARD ¶8. (C) We must continue to impress upon the Indonesian Naval leadership our desire to strengthen navy-navy ties. But the TNI Navy will set the pace. As the key defender of Indonesia's territory, the TNI Navy is intensely nationalistic. But they share with us an interest in regional stability and counterterrorism; professionalization and modernization; humanitarian assistance and disaster response; and international peacekeeping operations. These areas of common interest provide ample room to strengthen understanding and deepen our bilateral cooperation. ¶9. (C) The Indonesian Fleet Review will occur on August 12-20, 2009 in Manado, North Sulawesi and will include a Maritime Security Seminar. The U.S. Navy's decision to participate at senior levels in the review is an excellent step toward solidifying this developing relationship. HUME