VZCZCXYZ0004
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHVN #0094/01 0421021
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 111021Z FEB 08
FM AMEMBASSY VIENTIANE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1814
INFO RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 7610
RUEHHI/AMEMBASSY HANOI 2906
RUEHPF/AMEMBASSY PHNOM PENH 1927
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHINGTON DC
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHMFIUU/CDR JPAC HICKAM AFB HI
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUEHBK/USDAO BANGKOK TH
RUEHBK/CHJUSMAGTHAI BANGKOK TH
RHHMUND/COMMARFORPAC

UNCLAS VIENTIANE 000094 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP DAS MARCIEL, 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS (BESTIC), 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/RSP (RUNNING), 
DOD FOR OSD-POLICY (STERN, SHUBERT), 
DOD FOR DSCA (JENKINS), 
PACOM FOR J52 (LACY, MA), 
PACOM FOR J45 (NICHOLLS, SCHULER), 
PACOM FOR PACAF/SGZ (CINCO, OH, PALMER), 
PACOM FOR POLAD, 
JPAC FOR MUNIPALLI, 
PHNOM PENH ALSO FOR DATT (NORTON), 
HANOI ALSO FOR DATT, 
MARFORPAC FOR NOREN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: LA MARR MASS MOPS PREL
SUBJECT: SERIES OF BREAKTHROUGHS WITH LAO MILITARY 
 
REF: A. 07 VIENTIANE 0092 
     ¶B. 07 VIENTIANE 0625 
     ¶C. 07 VIENTIANE 0725 
     ¶D. 07 VIENTIANE 0790 
     ¶E. 07 VIENTIANE 0840 
     ¶F. 07 VIENTIANE 0914 
     ¶G. 08 VIENTIANE 0061 
     ¶H. 08 VIENTIANE 0083 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Ambassador called on Ministry of 
National Defense (MND) Chief of Cabinet (Permanent Secretary) 
Brigadier General Sisophonh Bang-one-seng-det February 8 to 
deliver recently-received materials from the PACOM Chiefs of 
Defense Conference which BG Sisophonh had attended.  At the 
meeting, BG Sisophonh provided answers to several pending 
mil-mil issues.  The discussion included the pending 
first-ever exchange of Defense Attachs, English Language 
training (ELT) at the Defense Language Institute (DLI) for 
Lao military officers, a DLI survey of Lao ELT capabilities, 
and MND attendance at the Asia Pacific Military Medicine 
Conference (APMMC) in Singapore in April.  Most interesting 
is the possibility that the two Lao MND officials named for 
DLI ELT will be the new Lao Defense Attache and his Deputy to 
be posted to the Lao Embassy in Washington, D.C. this summer. 
 End Summary. 
 
English Language Training (ELT) 
------------------------------- 
¶2. (SBU) BG Sisophonh checked to ensure that DLI would be 
willing to offer two types of English language courses under 
the Interntional Military Education and Training (IMET) 
program for 2008: a two-month General English Course 
(scheduled for June 4-August 15) as well as a longer Language 
Instructor Course.  He then told the Ambassador unofficially 
that COL Khammy Labounthanh, currently MND Deputy Chief of 
Cabinet, and MAJ Sonephet Phomlouangsy, currently a desk 
officer in the MND External Relations Department, have been 
selected to attend the General English Course (and not the 
follow-on Instructor Course).  According to BG Sisophonh, COL 
Khammy -- previously a helicopter pilot trained on MI-8s and 
MI-17s -- has "some English," while MAJ Sonephet has studied 
in Australia.  BG Sisophonh said he was happy with the 
June-August course dates for the two students.  (COMMENT: 
Although BG Sisophonh did not say so explicitly, we believe 
it is likely that COL Khammy and MAJ Sonephet have been 
selected by MND to open the DATT Office in the Lao Embassy in 
Washington, D.C. following their English Language training. 
End Comment) 
 
¶3. (SBU) DLI Survey: We mentioned that DLI wants to send a 
specialist to undertake an English language survey in Laos -- 
possibly during March.  BG Sisophonh said that MND welcomed 
the specialist's visit.  He added that the specialist could 
test the English language levels of COL Khammy and MAJ 
Sonephet before they go to DLI. 
 
¶4. (SBU) BG Sisophonh inquired how many "scholarships" DLI 
would be able to provide Laos this year.  (NOTE: DLI had 
originally discussed offering two Lao students both the 
General English Course followed by the Instructor Course. End 
Note.)  Since MND was nominating COL Khammy and MAJ Sonephet 
only for the two-month General English Course, we told BG 
Sissophonh that funding for two slots at the six-month 
Instructor Course (August 18-February 20) might/might be 
separately available -- but we would have to check with DLI 
to be sure.  The ability of two other students to go directly 
into the Instructor Course (without the General English 
 
Course lead-in) would depend very much on their English 
language levels.  This could be discussed with the DLI 
specialist.  BG Sisophonh said he would be happy to have the 
DLI specialist coming to do a survey in March test the 
English levels of staff members to see if they would qualify 
for the Instructor training -- and MND would work to better 
prepare these staff members to be qualified for the 
Instructor course. 
 
¶5. (SBU) Apparently interested in local English Language 
preparatory courses, BG Sisophonh asked the Ambassador 
generally about the Lao-American College (LAC).  The 
Ambassador responded that this is a private college in 
Vientiane.  He mentioned that the Embassy has provided some 
"scholarships" to send some local Lao officials for English 
language training courses at schools like the LAC.  (NOTE: 
the Embassy Public Diplomacy Office has provided some grants 
to the Foreign Ministry's Institute of Foreign Affairs and to 
Lao National Radio to send some staff members to English 
language courses at two local schools -- although not 
actually at LAC.  End Note.)  BG Sisophonh said he would be 
interested in discussing this further.  (COMMENT:  BG 
Sisophonh appeared to have been hinting at a bit of 
pre-training for COL Khammy, MAJ Sonephet, and the two 
proposed English instructors.  Since the local colleges 
charge something in the range of $250/term per student, this 
may be well worth considering -- and finding a way to offer 
MND.  End Comment.) 
 
APMMC 
----- 
¶6. (SBU) APMMC: BG Sisophonh announced that MND was pleased 
to accept PACOM's invitation for MND Medical Department 
Director General COL Dr. Bounteun Bandavong to attend the 
April Asia-Pacific Military Medicine Conference in Singapore 
with a second officer (to be identified later) to accompany 
to act as interpreter.  (NOTE: COL Dr. Bounteun had expressed 
interest during discussions with PACAF International Health 
Affairs staff during a January 14-18 PACAF International 
Health Affairs co-organized Avian Influenza workshop in 
Vientiane.  End Note.) 
 
DATT Exchange 
------------- 
¶7. (SBU) BG Sisophonh asked about the possibility that the 
first U.S. DATT would be at the O-5 (LTC) level.  He 
highlighted an MND regulation requiring that any Lao DATT in 
any country had to be at the O-6 (COL) level.  The Ambassador 
responded that the United States has attaches at the BG level 
(in Moscow and Beijing) as well as at both the O-6 and O-5 
level throughout the world.  However, attaches from other 
countries in Washington, D.C. tended to be 0-6 or 0-7 
officers.  Having the Lao DATT in DC at the O-6 level seemed 
appropriate. 
 
¶8. (SBU) The Ambassador specified that our DATT position 
would be created at the O-6 level.  However, we were 
interested in having an O-5 officer as our first DATT.  The 
Ambassador said he had a strong candidate -- an officer the 
Ambassador has worked with in the past.  The Ambassador has 
great confidence that this officer will be able to work 
closely with MND to ensure our military-military relationship 
develops smoothly and comfortably.  Our intention is that the 
subsequent DATTs would be at the rank of Colonel.  BG 
Sisophonh said he understood the need to have personal 
confidence in one's colleagues and added that he personally 
agreed with this approach for the first U.S. DATT.  BG 
Sisophonh added his view that the DATT exchange, first 
mentioned in 2000 and now possible as part of the rapid 
improvement in our bilateral mil-mil relationship following 
25 years of cooperation on the MIA accounting issue, was a 
historical step forward. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶9. (SBU) Progress in our military-military relations has 
proceeded quickly during the past year.  Following our first 
mil-mil talks in January 2007 (ref a), then-COL Sisophonh 
participated in a Distinguished Visitors Orientation Tour to 
implement IMET cooperation in June.  While in Washington, 
D.C., he told U.S. counterparts that the Government of Laos 
(GOL) had agreed to a long-standing U.S. request to exchange 
defense attaches.  We have pushed the exchange during the 
visit of OSD-Policy Desk Officer Shubert in September (ref 
c), our second round of mil-mil talks in October (ref d), 
PACOM Admiral Keating's visit in December (ref f), and our 
Second U.S.-Lao Comprehensive Bilateral Dialogue in January 
2008 (ref h).  During the year, MND has also participated in 
two major avian influenza training programs -- supported by 
MARFORPAC in August (ref b) and co-organized by PACAF 
International Health Affairs in January 2008 (ref g) -- 
opening up military medicine as a new area for cooperation. 
For MND to now be willing to move forward with sending 
students to DLI training and to welcome a DLI survey marks 
another significant step forward for the Lao military -- 
which has been more isolated from international cooperation 
than most other parts of the GOL.  As General Sisophonh 
noted, finally being able to make progress on our general 
mil-mil relationship is clearly possible because of the past 
25 years of strong bilateral cooperation on the MIA 
accounting process. 
Huso