VZCZCXYZ0002
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHDG #3321/01 2962100
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 232100Z OCT 06
FM AMEMBASSY SANTO DOMINGO
TO RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES PRIORITY 0142
RUEHSG/AMEMBASSY SANTIAGO PRIORITY 0177
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6476
INFO RUEHZA/WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
RUEHWN/AMEMBASSY BRIDGETOWN PRIORITY 1984
RUEHCV/AMEMBASSY CARACAS PRIORITY 0686
RUEHGE/AMEMBASSY GEORGETOWN PRIORITY 0910
RUEHKG/AMEMBASSY KINGSTON PRIORITY 2661
RUEHPO/AMEMBASSY PARAMARIBO PRIORITY 1044
RUEHPU/AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE PRIORITY 4376
RUEHSP/AMEMBASSY PORT OF SPAIN PRIORITY 1732
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEHC/DEPT OF LABOR WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEATRS/DEPT OF TREASURY WASHDC PRIORITY
RUCPDOC/USDOC WASHDC PRIORITY 1582
RUCOWCV/CUSTOMS CARIBBEAN ATTACHE MIAMI FL PRIORITY
RUEAHLC/HQS DHS WASHDC PRIORITY
RUMISTA/CDR USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL PRIORITY

UNCLAS SANTO DOMINGO 003321 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
CARACAS/SANTIAGO/BUENOS AIRES PASS STAFFDEL; STATE FOR H, 
WHA, WHA/CAR, INR/IAA; USSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD; TREASURY 
FOR OASIA-JLEVINE; DEPT PASS USDA FOR FAS; 
USDOC FOR 4322/ITA/MAC/WH/CARIBBEAN BASIN DIVISION; USDOC 
FOR 3134/ITA/USFCS/RD/WH; DHS FOR CIS-CARLOS ITURREGUI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: DR PGOV PREL OVIP
SUBJECT: STAFFDEL MEACHAM: U.S. ASSISTANCE AND DOMINICAN 
COMMITMENT TO OPERATION ENDURING FRIENDSHIP 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY.  Carl Meacham and Bernard Toon, Senior 
Professional Staff Members of the Senate Committee on Foreign 
Relations, traveled to the Dominican Republic October 13-14. 
The visit's primary focus was Operation Enduring Friendship, 
a U.S. assistance program funded by Section 1206 resources 
and other monies.  Enduring Friendship is intended to build 
maritime security capabilities for partner nations that sit 
along high illicit trafficking lanes.  Staffdel Meacham met 
with senior Dominican military officials, who voiced strong 
support for the program.  The Chief of Naval Operations 
requested additional U.S. support for fuel expenses 
associated with Enduring Friendship, and also discussed the 
prevalence of clandestine air traffic originating in 
Venezuela.  In a series of internal briefings for the 
Staffdel, Embassy officers emphasized how structural 
deficiencies currently plague Dominican land, sea, and air 
border control efforts and how these vulnerabilities are 
exploited by traffickers.  END SUMMARY. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The Staffdel's Embassy briefings included 
presentations from the Economic-Political Section, Military 
Affairs Advisory Group (MAAG), Office of the Defense Attache 
(DAO), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and others. 
MAAG briefed on SOUTHCOM and Embassy plans for implementing 
Operation Enduring Friendship -- a Caribbean-wide assistance 
project for which the Dominican Republic and Panama are the 
first partners -- which is designed to: 
 
-- Neutralize terrorists and their support networks; 
-- Reduce the counter-narco-terrorism task to a law 
enforcement issue; 
-- Assist partner nations to control ungoverned areas; 
-- Achieve effective detection, interdiction, and consequence 
management for weapons of mass destruction; and 
-- Aid partner nations in conducting military operations 
independently and with coalition nations. 
 
The specific U.S. assistance to be provided to the Dominican 
Republic is four interceptor boats with trailers, a 
comprehensive training program, communications devices, and 
other support equipment. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Briefing also cited the vulnerability of Dominican 
entry points and how illegal traffickers exploit them.  Both 
the Dominican Army and Navy suffer from major structural 
deficiencies that impede their ability to guarding the land 
border with Haiti and patrol coastal waters.  They spend an 
estimated 75-85 percent of their budget on salaries (fewer 
than half their employees perform traditional military 
functions), leaving little for operating expenses such as 
modern equipment and fuel.  While corruption is a serious 
problem, the recent appointment of Vice Adminiral Ivan Pena 
Castillo as Chief of Naval Operations is encouraging. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Finally, Embassy Officers commented that the 
vulnerability of Dominican entry points to clandestine 
traffic has been exploited by a variety of groups including 
undocumented Haitian immigrants, human smugglers, narcotics 
traffickers, and others.  Of particular interest to Staffdel 
Meacham was the documented increase of clandestine flights 
originating in Venezuela, which are assumed to be carrying 
illegal drugs.  Such flights normally drop their cargo to 
small boats at points between 15 and 50 miles off the 
Dominican southern coast. 
 
¶5. (SBU) In the Staffdel's meeting with Vice Admiral Pena 
 
Castillo at the Navy chief's headquarters, the Dominican 
Government expressed strong support for Operation Enduring 
Friendship.  Pena Castillo expressed his concern over the 
"intelligence gap" created by the Navy's current lack of 
command and control and by the "rustic" manner in which it 
operates.  The problem of clandestine flights originating 
from Venezuela was a "very serious and very continuing" one; 
however, due to its structural limitations the Dominican Navy 
is currently unable to adequately respond.  Although 
terrorism is not currently a significant issue facing the 
Dominican Republic, Pena Castillo said, he has no doubt that 
trafficking lanes and Dominican vulnerabilities currently 
exploited by the narcotics gangs and human smugglers could 
also be used by terrorists.  He asserted that the country 
must take steps to ensure they are ready to combat this 
weakness. 
 
¶6. (SBU) Pena Castillo said that while Enduring Friendship 
was an important first step in addressing these problems, 
purchasing the fuel the vessels would require could prove 
difficult for the Navy since the gasoline budget had just 
been cut by 40 percent.  This being the case, he requested 
that the U.S. Government add ongoing assistance for fuel 
expenses to Enduring Friendship's operating budget.  After 
some discussion of the fuel issue, the Staffdel asked whether 
the Dominicans would be able to use the Enduring Friendship 
vessels effectively without the additional fuel assistance 
being requested.  Pena Castillo responded that, while the 
lack of fuel would present a challenge, the Navy would find a 
way to get the job done. 
 
¶7. (SBU) At the following meeting, the Dominican J-3 
(Director of Operations), Brigadier General Luis Ramon Payan 
Areche, demonstrated a strong understanding of Enduring 
Friendship.  Payan Areche engaged with the Staffdel on the 
timeline for the program's realization, played down his 
country's relationship with Venezuela.  The J-3 contrasted 
Dominican military cooperation with Venezuela, which he 
termed "traditional," with the military's engagement with the 
United States, which he described as his country's "closest 
relationship; one that is permanent." 
 
¶8. (U) The Staffdel's final event was a dinner hosted by the 
Charge d'Affaires -- attended by a former Ambassador to the 
U.S., a Vice-Presidential candidate, and other opinion-makers 
-- in which key non-defense-related issues in the 
U.S.-Dominican bilateral relationship were discussed. 
 
¶9. (U) COMMENT:  The Dominican military clearly appreciated 
the visit of Staffdel Meacham and the opportunity it provided 
to engage with the United States Senate.  The Embassy was 
pleased that the Navy chief avowed his commitment to Enduring 
Friendship and to overcoming obstacles such as the shortage 
of fuel.  Embassy Santo Domingo would welcome a follow up 
visit from Mr. Meacham and Mr. Toon as the Enduring 
Friendship project reaches its middle and latter stages. 
 
¶10. (U) Staffdel Meachem cleared this report. 
 
¶11. (U) This report and extensive other material can be 
consulted on our SIPIRNET site, 
http://www.state.sgov.gov/p/wha/santodomingo/  
HERTELL