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. 
 
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