VZCZCXRO0274
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHVN #0725/01 2611027
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 181027Z SEP 07
FM AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1530
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0175
RHMFIUU/CDR JPAC HICKAM AFB HI
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RHHMUND/COMMARFORPAC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 VIENTIANE 000725 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MLS (BESTIC); 
STATE FOR EAP/RSP (RUNNING); 
DOD FOR OSD-POLICY (STERN, SHUBERT); 
DOD FOR DSCA (JUDKINS) 
PACOM FOR J52 (MILLER, LACY); 
PACOM FOR J45 (NICHOLLS); 
PACOM FOR PACAF/SGZ (CINCO, DUONG, PALMER); 
PACOM FOR POLAD (MCADEN); 
MARFORPAC FOR LTC JACKMAN; 
JPAC FOR MUNIPALLI 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID LA MARR MASS MOPS PREL
SUBJECT: MIL-MIL RELATIONS WITH LAOS: EXCHANGING DEFENSE 
ATTACHES; IMET 
 
REF: A. VIENTIANE 0092 
     ¶B. VIENTIANE 0625 
     ¶C. VIENTIANE 0720 
     ¶D. SOMERS-LACY E-MAILS OF 09/17/07 
     ¶E. SOMERS-GRAGASIN E-MAIL OF 09/18/07 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Moving forward with the exchange of defense 
attaches during the coming year and training opportunities 
for Lao military personnel under the International Military 
Education and Training (IMET) and other programs were key 
topics discussed during the visit of DOD OSD-Policy Lao Desk 
Officer Tom Shubert to Vientiane.  These discussions are a 
useful prelude to the second round of mil-mil talks scheduled 
for mid-October in Vientiane.  Although we were warned that 
mil-mil ties could only expand at a pace acceptable to the 
Lao side, that pace has proved faster than we expected since 
the first round of mil-mil talks held this past January.  End 
summary. 
 
Defense Attache Exchange 
------------------------ 
¶2. (SBU) In September 17 meetings with Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs (MFA) Europe and America Department Director General 
Southam Sakonhninhom and Ministry of National Defense (MND) 
Permanent Secretary (Chief of Staff) Brigadier General 
Sisophonh Bang-One Sengdet, visiting DOD OSD-Policy Lao Desk 
Officer Tom Shubert highlighted that DOD (DIA) is moving 
forward with the Defense Attache process, expecting to set up 
the DATT office at the Embassy by summer 2008 and working to 
identify the best individual to be the DATT as soon as 
possible.  Until that individual is available, Shubert noted, 
a current U.S. DATT in the region could help cover Laos 
temporarily.  Sisophonh said that MND is prepared to send a 
DATT and a Deputy to Washington, D.C. as soon as the USG is 
ready to move the exchange forward. 
 
¶3. (SBU) NOTE: the USG has proposed the exchange of defense 
attaches for several years.  The first indication the 
Government of Laos (GOL) is ready for the process to move 
forward came during then-COL Sisophonh's ten-day visit to the 
United States for a Distinguished Visitors Orientation Tour 
(DVOT) in June.  The DVOT is the first step in moving forward 
with an International Military Education and Training Program 
for Laos.  Mr. Shubert accompanied the Lao delegation during 
the DVOT.  COL Sisophon, the third most senior officer in the 
MND hierarchy, was promoted to brigadier general after his 
return from the United States.  End Note. 
 
IMET and Medical Training 
------------------------- 
¶4. (SBU) Apparently enthusiastic from his visit to the 
Defense Language Institute facility and Fort Sam Houston in 
San Antonio during the DVOT, BG Sisophonh was keen to 
identify how many English-language training slots as well as 
medical training slots the USG would be offering Laos under 
the IMET Agreement.  The Ambassador and Mr. Shubert both 
responded that the two sides needed to work closely together 
to identify what types of medical personnel the GOL is 
interested in sending to U.S. training. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Shubert said he expected English language training 
during the coming year would begin with two Lao military 
officials being invited to attend DLI/San Antonio.  One might 
be the MND DATT to be posted in DC to upgrade English 
language skills and to learn military terminology and 
language usages.  The second miloff might be at DLI for a 
longer period of training and then return to Laos as a 
certified English language teacher.  Once a certified English 
language instructor had completed the training, Shubert said 
he thought that IMET funding could be used for a language lab 
set-up in Vientiane to allow the certified teacher to train 
more military students locally. 
 
 
VIENTIANE 00000725  002 OF 003 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) BG Sisophonh expressed strong interest in having 
senior MND medical officers receive opportunities to attend 
DLI to enhance English language skills and then go on to 
specialized medical training to enhance their medical skills. 
 The discussion included specialities such as surgery, 
orthopedics, and radiology among others.  While the U.S. side 
suggested MND identify the medical specialities in which it 
would like to have personnel trained, BG Sisophonh urged the 
U.S. side to identify a short list of training opportunities, 
and MND would choose appropriate personnel to send. 
 
October Mil-Mil Talks 
--------------------- 
¶7. (SBU) The two sides agreed discussions of these training 
programs, and other possible issues such as unexploded 
ordnance (UXO) training for the Lao military as well as the 
broader PACOM Humanitarian Assistance program, should be 
continued in more detail during next month's mil-mil talks. 
DG Southam advised strongly against trying to change the 
dates, as PACOM had suggested, to October 24-25.  According 
to Southam, MND has been preparing to hold the talks as the 
USG originally requested on October 18-19, and any attempt to 
change the dates would be very difficult for MND.  LTC 
Khamsing later agreed October 18-19 are the preferred dates, 
and the Embassy has passed this information to PACOM J52 (ref 
D).  Southam also noted Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign 
Minister Thongloun looks forward to discussing bilateral 
relations including mil-mil ties with senior State Department 
officials in New York at the UNGA. 
 
Lao CHOD Attendee 
----------------- 
¶8. (SBU) Mr. Shubert mentioned CDRPACOM ADM Keating's 
interest in visiting Laos in December to help press for a GOL 
response on attending the CHOD in Honolulu October 
30-November 2, since ADM Keating would be the host.  DG 
Southam said he was sure the Defense Minister would welcome a 
visit by the PACOM Commander to Laos.  The Ambassador 
subsequently provided BG Sisophonh with background on the 
content of CHOD meetings.  BG Sisophonh informed the visitors 
that the Defense Minister would not be able to attend and 
promised MND would provide the name of the alternate as soon 
as possible.  (NOTE: PACOM's deadline for response to the 
CHOD invitation was September 14.) 
 
¶9. (SBU) At the informal working-level dinner, Mr. Shubert 
was told that MND would most likely nominate BG Sisophonh to 
attend the CHOD meeting, with LTC Khamsing accompanying as 
interpreter.  The Embassy has also passed this preliminary 
information to PACOM via e-mail (ref E).  With the Minister 
unavailable, and the Deputy Defense Minister, Major General 
Somphet Thipmala, formerly Governor of Vientiane Province, 
just appointed to his position in July and not ready for 
international travel, BG Sisophonh is a logical choice. 
 
COMMENTS 
-------- 
¶10. (SBU) Both DG Southam and BG Sisophonh congratulated the 
Ambassador on his lengthy discussion with President Choummaly 
Sayasone during last week's presentation of credentials 
ceremony (ref C) and were well aware the President had 
expressed his support for expanding mil-mil ties during the 
discussion of bilateral relations.  We are pleased that BG 
Sisophonh confirmed MND is preparing to send a DATT and an 
Assistant to Washington, D.C. as soon as DOD is ready to 
assign a permanent DATT to Embassy Vientiane.  The Embassy 
hopes funding will be available so that both the MND DATT and 
the Assistant can spend 2-3 months at DLI/San Antonoio for 
English language training.  We expect the Assistant will be 
selected to have relatively good English and act as 
interpreter in DC; having this person exposed to the 
opportunity to upgrade skills and master military terminology 
will make communication easier.  We expect in contrast the 
 
VIENTIANE 00000725  003 OF 003 
 
 
DATT candidate may have a less solid English language 
background, so some basic English training, and exposure to 
the international military culture at DLI/San Antonio not 
only would build goodwill but would also broaden the DATT's 
world view -- to our advantage. 
 
¶11. (SBU) We look forward to the October mil-mil talks to 
examine more closely BG Sisophonh's interest in advanced 
training for military medical officers.  We are pleased that 
bilateral mil-mil relations have made significant progress 
since our opening talks in January of this year (ref A), at 
which time we appeared to be limited to "Subject Matter 
Expert Exchanges" (SMEEs) as the level of training we might 
be able to offer MND.  Perhaps in addition to the range of 
training opportunities that BG Sisophonh and his DVOT 
colleagues saw at Fort Sam Houston, the highly successful 
MARFORPAC/PACAF Avian Influenza Workshop in early August (ref 
B) -- attended by MND Medical Department Director General COL 
Dr. Bounteun Bandavong -- has helped to move MND thinking 
forward on improving bilateral mil-mil ties, especially in 
the medical field.  While we remain careful to say these 
improvements will be "at a pace acceptable to the Lao side," 
MND appears comfortable with a somewhat more rapid pace than 
we had first expected. 
 
¶12. (SBU) We are pleased MND is considering sending a 
representative to the CHOD meeting and believe that BG 
Sisophonh would be a good choice.  MND has relatively few 
officers at the rank of general.  Even fewer have had a 
positive relationship with the United States.  BG Sisophonh, 
Permanent Secretary (Chief of Staff) in MND, is not only one 
of the highest ranking MND officials available, he was one of 
the group of MND officials involved in the POW/MIA accounting 
process more than two decades ago when it began and continues 
to support our Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) 
Detachment 3 program of activities.  Representing MND during 
the DVOT tour and being able to visit Washington, D.C., San 
Antonio, and San Francisco as part of the program gives him 
more recent exposure to the United States than any other 
senior MND officer.  Finally, his support for the exchange of 
defense attaches, which he announced during the DVOT visit, 
is another positive element. 
HUSO