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Cablegate: Regional Maritime Security 1206 Proposal for South And

VZCZCXYZ0000
OO RUEHWEB

DE RUEHML #4150/01 2742357
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 012357Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY MANILA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 3196
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK IMMEDIATE 1488
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO IMMEDIATE 2838
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA IMMEDIATE 6532
RUEHKL/AMEMBASSY KUALA LUMPUR IMMEDIATE 0522
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC IMMEDIATE
RHHMUNS/COMSOCPAC HONOLULU HI IMMEDIATE
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC IMMEDIATE
RHHMUNA/CDRUSPACOM HONOLULU HI

UNCLAS MANILA 004150

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE, SIPDIS

STATE FOR EAP, SCA, PM, S/CT, AND EAP/MTS
USPACOM ALSO FOR JIATF-WEST AND FPA HUSO
JOINT STAFF J5 (WILKES/ROBINSON/CLEMMONS)
DOD FOR ASD/SOLIC (NADANER)
DOD ALSO FOR OSD/ISA/AP (LAWLESS/TOOLAN/BAILEY)

E.O. 12958:N/A
TAGS: PTER PINS PREL PBTS SNAR MASS MARR TH CE ID MY RP
SUBJECT: REGIONAL MARITIME SECURITY 1206 PROPOSAL FOR SOUTH AND
SOUTHEAST ASIA


1. (SBU) SUMMARY. Chiefs of Mission from Manila, Jakarta, Kuala
Lumpur, Bangkok and Colombo fully support the regional maritime
security proposal to be submitted by U.S Pacific Command (PACOM)
under the FY07 authority granted by the National Defense
Authorization Act of 2006. The proposal -- the product of active
coordination among our regional missions -- enhances maritime
security in the waters stretching from the Philippines to the Indian
Ocean. In a prioritized package of programs ranging from a
threshold level of about $50 million to a total of $120 million, the
proposal increases host nation capabilities to monitor ocean going
traffic, builds their capacity to interdict suspect traffic, and
enhances their ability to communicate with each other and with the
United States. Building on successful 1206 submissions from FY06,
this proposal enhances foreign military capacity to combat terrorism
in the triangle surrounding the Sulu and Celebes Seas, protect
shipping in the Strait of Malacca, and safeguard the Andaman Sea.
By giving host nations an ability to operate multi-nationally, it
supports other key counter terrorism programs and is in accord with
the President's National Implementation Plan. END SUMMARY.

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A REGIONAL PROPOSAL AFFECTING THREE KEY AREAS
---------------------------------------------

2. (SBU) DOD and DOS officials from the U.S. Embassies in the
Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Sri Lanka, in
collaboration with U.S. PACOM, have developed a regional 1206
proposal designed to give host nations tools to counter threats
posed by terrorists in South and Southeast Asia. The FY07 proposal
builds on our efforts in FY06 which established a capacity to
protect the Strait of Malacca and the Andaman Sea. The FY07
proposal focuses primarily on the archipelagic triangle enclosing
the Sulu and Celebes Seas in the border region shared by the
Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia. Chiefs of Mission recently
designated this territory as our priority area of concern in South
East Asia for the War on Terror. The FY07 proposal also provides
funds (via Foreign Military Financing and other sources) to make
operational the FY06 initiatives for Indonesia, Thailand, and Sri
Lanka designed to safeguard the Andaman Sea and the Strait of
Malacca.

PROVIDING THREE KEY CAPABILITIES
--------------------------------

3. (SBU) The FY07 proposal is designed to enhance three basic
capabilities of the host nations:

--Domain Awareness. Countries in the region have no clear idea of
the volume or nature of the ship traffic in their waters. The
proposal provides items such as maritime radars in Eastern Malaysia
and Indonesia and equipment for coast watchers in the Philippines as
well as enhanced observation equipment for patrol aircraft
throughout the region to monitor suspect vessels carrying drugs,
weapons or terrorists. These capabilities could be linked with
capabilities already funded by 1206 to provide radar coverage of the
Strait of Malacca, Andaman Sea and Bay of Bengal.

--Interdiction. Countries in the region have only a limited ability
to inspect and interdict suspect ships. The proposal would purchase
small craft and upgrade ship-borne observation equipment for
military forces in the region to board and inspect ships that might
be carrying contraband.

--Communication. These countries only have a nascent ability to
share intelligence and information between host-government military
and police forces, with each other, or with the United States. This
shortcoming makes it nearly impossible to track ships across
maritime borders. The proposal sets up communication centers
throughout the region which will be interoperable with existing U.S.
networks and which can then be used to transfer data from the field,
to national headquarters, to intercept vessels, and with neighboring
countries.

4. (SBU) The regional 1206 proposal contains 23 projects, ranked in
order of priority as agreed upon in consultations among the five
missions. The proposal is presented as a prioritized package of
programs, ranging from a threshold level of about $50 million to a
total of $120 million. The missions have worked closely with host
country officials to identify these projects and ensure host country

endorsement.

BUILDS ON EXISTING PROGRAMS
---------------------------

5. (SBU) The proposal is designed to make maximum use of our
existing exercise programs in the region as well as initiatives
managed by other agencies. We have worked closely with PACOM,
Special Operations Command Pacific, U.S. Pacific Fleet, the Joint
Interagency Task Force-West, and others to ensure that subject
matter experts planning our exercise programs are well-versed in our
1206 efforts and will use our exercise program to assist host
nations test and improve their new capabilities in real-life
scenarios. This proposal will also assist the USG in on-going
efforts aimed at having countries in the region think and act
multilaterally to address common problems. We have designed our
proposal to support other U.S. counterterrorism initiatives
including those being formulated under the aegis of the Secretary of
State's Office for Counterterrorism. For example, parts of the
proposal to be implemented in the Philippines and Indonesia are
designed to secure port facility and ferry terminals and mesh with
the interagency effort under the Border Control Assessment
Initiative in the tri-border area. Various aspects also dovetail
with similar initiatives undertaken by other donor countries
including Japan, Australia and India.

6. (SBU) The proposal envisions using other means, including
Foreign Military Financing (FMF), beyond FY08 to fund necessary
maintenance, training, and support for the equipment provided by
1206. We intend to include these as part of regular FMF submissions
beginning in FY09 since FMF submissions for FY07 and FY08 were
submitted prior to the existence of the 1206 program. We appreciate
Washington's efforts to modify the 1206 funding authority to permit
funding programs for police and other non-military units - doing so
makes our proposal even more flexible as it would allow us to engage
more effectively with units such as the Malaysian and Philippine
Coast Guards and Maritime Police Forces. In Malaysia, the
Philippines, and Indonesia, non-military security forces play
leading roles in counterterrorism and it is in our clear interest to
include them in the 1206 initiatives.

STRATEGIC IN NATURE IN ACCORD WITH KEY U.S. OBJECTIVES
--------------------------------------------- ---------

7. (SBU) Protecting the waters in South and South East Asia and
stopping the terrorist groups operating there are vital U.S.
interests. Assisting countries in the region to work together to
counter threats is a long-term objective. The FY07 1206 proposal
gives countries in the region capabilities they do not presently
have to wage the War on Terror and affords the United States unique
opportunities to influence the shape of a regional counter terrorism
strategy. For these reasons, the U.S. missions in Bangkok, Colombo,
Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur, and Manila strongly encourage Washington's
funding support for the Southeast and South Asia FY07 1206
proposal.
KENNEY

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