THE TPDF PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE: FROM THE OPTIC

C O N F I D E N T I A L DAR ES SALAAM 000114

NOFORN
SIPDIS

STATE FOR AF/E JTREADWELL, INR/AA

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/12/2019
TAGS: MARR MCAP PGOV PREL TZ
SUBJECT: THE TPDF PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE: FROM THE OPTIC
OF THE U.S. DEFENSE ATTACHE

Classified By: DCM Larry Andre for Reasons 1.4 b,c, and d.

NOTE: This message retransmits DAO/Dar es Salaam IIR 6959
0116 10 in DOS channel for the benefit of the full
interagency.


1. (C) Summary. Over the past two years, the Tanzanian
Peoples Defense Force has taken a significantly more active
role in regional and international issues while
simultaneously implementing broad structural changes within
its own organization. End summary.

Tanzanian Military Activities in the Past Two Years
-------------- --------------


2. (C) The Tanzanian People's Defense Force (TPDF) has
recently taken a significantly more active role in regional
and international issues while simultaneously implementing
broad structural changes within its own organization. Since
2007, the TPDF has deployed forces to the United Nations
Interim Mission in Lebanon (UNIFIL),the United Nations-
African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID),and will soon
deploy trainers to the United Nations Mission in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC). Furthermore, in
April 2008 the TPDF spearheaded an African Union (AU)
sanctioned coalition mission to re-establish the authority
of the elected government of one of the Comoran Islands.
Upon the successful completion of the mission, the TPDF
left over 200 soldiers in the Comoros for the next nine
months to assist the Comoran government in re-establishing
control on the island. At the regional level, Tanzania has
played a large role in both the Southern African
Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community
(EAC). In September 2009, the TPDF deployed to a SADC
stand-by brigade exercise while simultaneously hosting the
EAC's first military field training exercise, Exercise
Mount Kilimanjaro. Internally, over this same two-year
period the TPDF implemented a significant structural change
with the establishment of a land forces command.
Additionally, it recently announced an ambitious 15-year
modernization program focused on upgrading the TPDF's aging
military hardware. A committee composed of high-ranking
military and government officials has been formed to assist
in the development of the modernization program and an
official way forward is expected some time in 2010.

Leadership and Vision within the TPDF
--------------


3. (C/NF) In September 2007, General Davis Mwamunyange
became the TPDF's seventh Chief of Defense Forces. Under
his watch, the TPDF made two significant philosophical
changes. First, as described above, the TPDF decided to
become more involved in regional matters to include
international Peacekeeping Operations (PKO). Second, it
decided to extend military-to-military cooperation beyond
its traditional partners such as China and Russia to other
nations, especially the United States. But while General
Mwamunyange has presided over these changes, it would be a
mistake to attribute the changes to him alone. The
philosophical shift started two years prior when Jakaya
Kikwete became the President of Tanzania. However, General
Mwamunyange's predecessor, General George Waitara, resisted
President Kikwete's push for the TPDF to become involved in
PKO operations and to engage with non-traditional partners.
Rather than openly court a disagreement with his Chief of
Defense Forces, President Kikwete, in keeping with African
leadership principles, astutely chose to wait until
Waitara's pending retirement to implement his desired
philosophical changes. (Field comment. General Waitara
had two cultural "advantages" over President Kikwete.
First and foremost, he was Kikwete's elder. Second, as a
retired military officer, President Kikwete used to work
for General Waitara. In an African context, the
combination of these two factors presented problems for
Kikwete.) President Kikwete then hand-picked General
Mwamunyange, a person with whom he has maintained a close
professional relationship with for years, to succeed
General Waitara.

Relations with the United States
--------------



4. (C/NF) Prior to September 2007, the U.S. - Tanzania
military-to-military relationship was limited in scope.
The U.S. only recently established a U.S. Defense
Attache Office in Tanzania (2000),and for much of the
early part of the relationship, Tanzania's unwillingness
to sign an Article 98 agreement with the U.S. further
limited U.S. military engagement with the TPDF. However,
within ten days of General Mwamunyange's assumption of
command, U.S. - Tanzanian military relations shifted
noticeably when the TPDF approached the U.S. government
and requested peacekeeping training under the African
Contingency Operations and Training Assistance (ACOTA)
program for their forces preparing to deploy to Lebanon
and Darfur. ACOTA's ability to quickly and professionally
respond to this short notice request went a long ways
towards establishing credibility with the TPDF. U.S.
credibility was further enhanced in the spring of 2008
when the U.S. provided logistical assistance to the TPDF
in support of the AU military operation in the Comoros.
Over the next 18 months senior leader engagement visits by
U.S. military leaders from Africa Command (AFRICOM),Naval
Forces Africa (NAVAF),U.S. Army Africa, Marine Forces
Africa (MARFORAF),and in particular the Combined Joint
Task Force-Horn Of Africa (CJTF-HOA) served to further
strengthen the bilateral relationship. In April 2009,
General Mwamunyange made the first official visit by a
TPDF Chief of Defense Forces to the United States, and
in September 2009 President Kikwete visited the United
States Military Academy at West Point where he said,
"U.S. - Tanzanian military relations have never been
better."

The TPDF's Historical Role
--------------


5. (C/NF) To better understand the TPDF, one must
appreciate how the TPDF sees itself. The TPDF was
established in 1964 after the disbandment of the Tanganyika
rifles in response to a mutiny. From its inception it was
ingrained in the soldiers of the TPDF that they were a
people's force under civilian control, and since that time
Tanzania has enjoyed relative peace both within its borders
and with its neighbors. (Field comment. Only once in its
history has the TPDF been involved in a war, and that was
in 1978 when an Idi Amin-led Uganda invaded the Kagera
Region of Tanzania. Tanzania then invaded Uganda and
overthrew Idi Amin.) Furthermore, the TPDF played a large
role in supporting and training the southern African
freedom movements. In the 1970s Tanzania was the home of
the African National Congress (ANC),and the TPDF provided
military training and assistance to freedom fighters from
South Africa, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Zambia. (Field
comment. RO once attended a national day event where a
Defense Attache assigned to Tanzania from a SADC country
became teary-eyed when talking of the pride the officer
felt to represent his country in Tanzania after having been
trained in Tanzania as a young lieutenant.) Throughout the
late 1970s and early 1980s many Ugandans, to include
President Yoweri Museveni, lived in Tanzania. The TPDF
also participated in the training of the New Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DRC) army, and DRC President Joseph
Kabila attended primary school in Tanzania. Furthermore,
beginning in the 1970s, Tanzania welcomed several hundred
thousands of refugees due to conflicts in the Great Lakes
Region and Mozambique.


6. (C/NF) The TPDF's past colors its perspective in many
ways. First, the TPDF is rightly proud of its history as a
professional military. The TPDF is proud of its role as a
guarantor of national security, and is firmly committed to
civilian control of the military. Second, the TPDF is
proud of the historical role it played in providing
military training and assistance to the freedom movements
of many of its neighbors. It is this historical legacy
with the SADC countries that is primarily responsible for
the TPDF's participation in the AU's Southern Stand-by
Brigade instead of its Eastern Brigade (EASBRIG). Third,
the TPDF sees involvement in regional PKO missions as a
natural extension of its historical role in providing
training and assistance to neighboring African countries.
Finally, as a by-product of Tanzania's status as a member

of the non-aligned and front line states, the TPDF has
close historical ties with both China and the Former Soviet
Union; many of the TPDF's senior officers were and continue
to be trained in China or Russia. This historical link
affects not only the TPDF's perspective towards engagement
with the U.S., but also its military culture.

Strengths
--------------


7. (C/NF) The TPDF is a professional military that enjoys a
good reputation with the general public. In many ways, the
TPDF reflects Tanzania as a nation. It is a national
military, drawing its enlisted soldiers from all of the
country's 26 administrative regions. Like Tanzania in
general, the TPDF is relatively free of tribal and
religious conflicts. TPDF soldiers, like most Tanzanian
civilians, see themselves as Tanzanians first, considering
their ethnic and religious identities second/third.
Additionally, Muslims and Christians each comprise roughly
half of the military. (Field comment. In Tanzania 62
percent of the population are labeled as Christian, 35
percent as Muslims, and the remaining three percent as
having traditional African beliefs.) While not a written
policy, the TPDF traditionally rotates the position of
Chief of Defense forces between Muslims and Christians.
When the Chief of Defense Forces is Muslim, the Chief of
Staff, the second-highest ranking person in the military,
will be Christian, and the opposite is also true.
Similarly, the TPDF appears to be ahead of both Tanzanian
society and the average African military in terms of the
integration of women into its work force. As an
organization, the TPDF values education and professional
development. TPDF soldiers are generally well-disciplined,
intelligent and motivated. In November 2008 a UN military
representative in Tanzania to inspect the TPDF for
suitability as a UN Troop Contributing Country (TCC) to the
UNAMID Mission in Darfur described his perception of
Tanzania prior to his arrival in the country as, "like a
black hole. We had no idea what to expect. But we have
been extremely impressed." In so many ways, this comment
typifies working with the TPDF. The TPDF's insular culture
masks a largely competent, professional military.

Weaknesses
--------------


8. (C/NF) The TPDF is an extremely hierarchical, secretive
organization. Due to the historical importance placed on
information, in particular Human Intelligence (HUMINT),the
TPDF is an intelligence-driven military. This has resulted
in the TPDF developing an insular culture in which
information is not freely shared. A by-product of this
culture is a bureaucratic organization that does not reward
initiative at the lower ranks. Similarly as an
organization the TPDF is very conservative. While typical
of most large bureaucracies, the TPDF's insular, secretive
nature exacerbates its resistance to change. Another issue
is that while most senior TPDF leaders speak English well,
the average TPDF soldier speaks English poorly. In
general this is a reflection of the poor educational system
throughout Tanzania, as well as a conscious decision by the
state to de-emphasize English in favor of Swahili. However,
this impacts on the TPDF's ability to participate as
effectively as possible in PKO and other international
military operations. Perhaps more importantly, like
Tanzanian society in general, the TPDF appears to lack the
capacity, to include human capital, to leverage donor
support effectively or to implement change within the
organization. The Chief of Defense Forces recently stated
that the TPDF has the will and the manpower, but not the
right equipment, to complete all of the missions it would
like to undertake.


9. (C/NF) Despite the importance the TPDF places on
military education the TPDF has shortfalls in its
professional military education and training for officers
and senior NCOS. Like most African militaries, the TPDF
lacks the ability to project military power. The TPDF's
navy consistsprimarily of six small patrol craft, and the
logistical and budgetary challenges of operating a navy
make it difficult for the TPDF to project even littoral

presence on a routine basis. Similarly, the TPDF air
force lacks strategic lift and mobility capability.

Predictions
--------------


10. (C/NF) It is likely that the TPDF will continue to
place a priority on strengthening its military ties with
the U.S. However, while doing so the ever pragmatic TPDF
will also continue to pursue military assistance wherever
it is available, including China, Russia, Iran, Sudan,
Israel, the UAE and a growing number of Arab states.


11. (C/NF) The TPDF will continue on its recent path of
more active participation in regional and international
PKO operations. The government and people of Tanzania are
proud to see their military involved in PKO operations, and
the TPDF sees PKO operations as a viable means to develop
and maintain military proficiency. However, the TPDF's
willingness to participate in PKO operations will continue
to be hampered by its lack of capacity in terms of military
hardware to meet the international standards required for
PKO deployments.


12. (C/NF) The TPDF will likely expand and improve its
National Service Program, which is called 'Jeshi La Kujenga
Taifa' (JKT),or "military for building the nation". There
has been a public discussion about whether to re-instate
mandatory JKT service for all secondary school graduates,
with some sectors of Tanzanian society saying that JKT
provides not just good employment opportunities for
Tanzanian youth, but also structure and discipline.
(Field comment. See past USDAO Dar es Salaam reporting
for more information on the background and history of
Tanzania's national service program.) As the JKT program
expands, the government of Tanzania is considering a
mandate that all future applicants for police and
government servicejobs must be national service graduates.


13. (C/NF) The TPDF will continue to place a priority on
professional military education, with a focus on
improvements to its Command and Staff College (CSC) located
in Monduli, near Arusha. The CSC has been co-located with
the Tanzania Military Academy (TMA) for several years, and
the TPDF has long wanted to separate the two institutions
in order to provide more focused instruction for cadets and
officers alike. The TPDF also wants to build better and
larger officer housing so that CSC students can bring their
families to Monduli while they complete the year-long CSC
course. New dormitories were completed in late 2008/early
2009, and construction on new CSC classrooms and
administrative buildings has already begun at a location
closer to Arusha. (Field comment. See USDAO Dar es Salaam
IIR 6 959 0171 08 for more details on this new facility.)
However, completion of the new CSC is entirely dependent on
available funding, and given the TPDF's many PKO
commitments, it is probable that construction on the CSC
buildings will be delayed and will take many years to
complete.


14. (C/NF) The TPDF will look to increase and strengthen
regional ties with the EAC. The recent successful
completion of Exercise Kilimanjaro, which was hosted by
Tanzania, demonstrates Tanzania's commitment to the EAC.
Military engagement is a vital component of Tanzania's
participation in the EAC, and the TPDF will most likely
work to strengthen its ties with the EAC by increasing
activities and cooperation with its fellow EAC member
states. In the long run, a stronger, more effective EAC
with an independent military arm would likely make the TPDF
reconsider its military commitment to SADC. However, in the
near term the ever pragmatic TPDF will likely remain active
in both the EAC and SADC.

Zanzibar and Religions
--------------


15. (C/NF) Zanzibar has historically been over-represented
(relative to its 3% share of the population) in the
government and leadership of the ruling CCM party. The
unofficial rotation of mainland/Zanzibar presidents was
broken with the election of President Kikwete in 2005.

However, as a native of Bagamoyo, a coastal town once under
the Zanzibar Sultanate, Kikwete is culturally close to
Zanzibaris. Kikwete's election continued the traditional
rotation between Christian and Muslim presidents (matching
military practice on the mainland). The fact that a similar
rotation policy does not exist within the TPDF regarding
Zanzibar highlights that Zanzibaris are not
disproportionally represented within the TPDF, and
suggests that the TPDF does not play a large role in the
internal security of the Zanzibar archipelago.

East African Community (EAC)
--------------


16. (C/NF) Tanzania has been an ambivalent partner in the
EAC's movement towards greater economic (and ultimately
political) integration, mainly over concerns that Kenya
(and Kenyans) will take economic advantage of increased
Tanzanian openness. While professing commitment to the
EAC, the government has also stressed the need to move
forward at a pace its people will accept. Given the TPDF's
positive reputation among the Tanzanian public, closer
military cooperation within the EAC may be an avenue for
the government to build support for greater integration in
other areas.



LENHARDT