CHAD NEWLY CAUTIOUS ON C-130 PURCHASE, AMB BACHIR

UNCLAS NDJAMENA 000594 SIPDIS SENSITIVE STATE FOR AF/C STATE FOR S/USSES OSD FOR DASD HUDDLESTON NSC FOR GAVIN LONDON FOR POL - LORD PARIS FOR POL - BAIN AND KANEDA ADDIS ABABA ALSO FOR AU E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL MARR PREF MASS CD SUBJECT: CHAD NEWLY CAUTIOUS ON C-130 PURCHASE, AMB BACHIR TELLS US HERE REF: NDJAMENA 286 ¶1. (SBU) Chadian Ambassador to the U.S. Adam Bechir told Ambassador and DCM December 11 that his government's authorities were not leaning forward on any purchase of strategic air transport at the moment. Bachir said that at the highest level the GOC favored none of the "strategic left packages" considered up to now, but emphasized that the GOC did very much seek to have a USG technical assessment team visit Chad to help the nation determine what kind of aircraft might best suit its needs and what might prove affordable. ¶2. (SBU) Bechir recalled that during the visit this summer of OSD DASD Huddleston, a long-standing proposal was reiterated to send a group of U.S. planners able to look at Chad's circumstances and help make recommendations (Reftel). Bechir acknowledged that he himself had been eager for C-130Js in the past, but that his leadership did not appear supportive of such an expensive and technically sophisticated package. Bachir did not mention a possible Chadian private sector initiative to Hercules L-100-30 aircraft (a commercial variant of C-130s) for a total price of $28 million from the firm Derco (hich we had heard about separately). -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Bechir was the most circumspect that we have seen him on this issue, making clear that he was not a decisionmaker, and also acknowledging that cost and maintainability were key factors in the Chadian leadership's thinking about how to proceed. ¶4. (SBU) We stronbly support the rapid deployment of a joint DOD/State assessment mission to Chad, as requested in July per Reftel. ¶5. (U) Minimize considered. NIGRO