VZCZCXRO5422
RR RUEHBZ RUEHDU RUEHJO RUEHRN
DE RUEHMR #0107/01 1140913
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 230913Z APR 08
FM AMEMBASSY MASERU
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3636
RHMFISS/AFRICOM
INFO RUCNSAD/SOUTHERN AF DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY COLLECTIVE
RUEHMR/AMEMBASSY MASERU 4052

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MASERU 000107 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT ALSO FOR AF/RSA, AF/S; PRETORIA ALSO FOR DAO (GARRISON, SCHULTZ)  AND ODC 
(SMITH, PANZERA); AFRICOM (KNIGHT, SMITH, AND BEN 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL MASS MCAP MOPS MARR LT
SUBJECT: LESOTHO: A DEFENSE FORCE WORTH SUPPORTING 
 
MASERU 00000107  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1.  SUMMARY:  Lesotho's growth as an emerging regional military 
partner is significant.  Senior military leaders have publicly 
embraced AFRICOM and its objectives; the Lesotho Defense Force 
(LDF) participates fully in all USG training opportunities, 
encourages professionalism within its ranks and respect for rule 
of law and human rights, and serves as the logistical backbone 
of the nation's domestic crisis response; Lesotho supports 
regional peacekeeping operations (including Sudan and the SADC 
standby brigade); Lesotho signed an Article 98 Agreement in 
2006; and the nation plays a helpful military/security 
leadership role within regional organizations (including the 
Southern African Development Community). 
 
¶2.  U.S. Mission Maseru concludes that further military 
cooperation with Lesotho would be productive and beneficial to 
key U.S. national security interests in the region.  In order to 
broaden support for AFRICOM and to cooperate more closely with a 
reliable African military partner, we recommend a substantial 
increase in IMET funding; new Foreign Military Financing (FMF) 
assistance for the LDF's effective Air Wing; participation in 
State Partnership programs; implementation of MEDFLAG and 
similar military-civilian exercises; and appropriate flag-level 
visits.  END SUMMARY. 
 
-------------------------------- 
International Military Education 
Training (IMET) Program 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  Since the resumption of an IMET program in 2007, following 
the signing in 2006 of an Article 98 Agreement, Embassy Maseru 
has sent four Lesotho Defense Force (LDF) officers to 
specialized U.S. military schools.  This training exposes 
Lesotho's military personnel to the U.S. professional military 
establishment and democratic values, respect for human rights, 
and adherence to the rule of law.  The State Department 
allocated Lesotho $45,000 of IMET training in FY 07/08, and, 
according to EUCOM/AFRICOM, will allocate $50,000 for Lesotho in 
FY 08/09. 
 
¶4.  The Lesotho Defense Force has been highly receptive to IMET 
training, and has expressed interest in additional programs in 
the areas of medical records, aircraft maintenance, and HIV/AIDS 
prevention.  An increased IMET budget for Lesotho to 
approximately $100,000 would allow the LDF to receive 
substantive training in these areas. 
 
-------------------------------- 
Foreign Military Financing (FMF) 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  The LDF does not receive Foreign Military Financing (FMF), 
though it has submitted requests.  FMF assistance would ensure 
that the LDF's effective, though resource poor, Air Wing is 
adequately equipped and trained to work toward common goals. 
The Air Wing's primary missions are border patrols to combat 
transnational crime, search/rescue operations, disaster/medical 
response, and transportation of emergency food, education, and 
election-related materials to remote regions.  The Air Wing is 
uniquely poised to play a significant role in the national 
response to one of the world's worst HIV/AIDS pandemics. 
 
¶6.  The Air Wing has several U.S. Army-trained technicians and 
pilots and uses the Army maintenance management systems as a 
model for its own maintenance program.  Lesotho's Air 
Wing--comprised of a small rotor wing fleet (six helicopters) 
and a fixed wing fleet (three transport airplanes)--is under 
stress and in need of additional helicopters, light aircraft, 
and aircraft replacement parts.  FMF funding for helicopter 
pilot training and training on specific military hardware 
systems such as aircraft night vision goggles would also assist 
the Air Wing in its mission. 
 
------------------------------------ 
Department Of Defense 
Humanitarian Assistance Program (HA) 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶7.  The LDF's engineering company provides labor for the 
DHAP-funded renovation of health centers and schools identified 
by the GOL.  Lesotho's FY06 HA allocation was diverted to 
provide post-earthquake assistance to Pakistan.  Under the HA 
program, however, DoD earmarked $100,000 for FY 07/08 projects 
in Lesotho.  Submitted projects include renovations to the 
Sehlabathebe Health Center in Qacha's Nek District ($50,000), 
Ntlo-Kholo Primary in Thaba Bosiu ($30,000), and Loreto Primary 
at Qoaling ($20,000). 
 
¶8.  To date, DOD has also funded HA projects at clinics in 
Matukeng, Thaba-Tsoeu, Mpharane, Tsaeeng, and Litsoeneng. 
 
MASERU 00000107  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
Renovations at Mohokare Primary School in Maseru will be 
completed soon.  In addition, DoD has donated excess property to 
schools and hospitals, including $20,000 worth of medical 
supplies in 2006 to the national referral hospital and school 
furniture worth $8,000 in 2007 to Itumeleng Community Primary 
and Bataung Secondary Schools in Mohale's Hoek District.  As a 
result, the LDF's engineering corps has increased its capacity, 
improved the quality of life for rural communities, and fostered 
the mil-mil relationship between the U.S. and Lesotho. 
 
¶9.  The HA program is vital to mil-mil cooperation and to 
fostering a positive image of the U.S. military in Lesotho.  In 
this regard, we request an increase to bring the total HA budget 
in Lesotho to $150,000.  With these funds, we can qualitatively 
improve the services offered, including the installation of 
solar electricity capability in schools and medical storage 
facilities in clinics, attracting more attention than 
traditional renovations and more goodwill for DoD and AFRICOM. 
 
------------------------------ 
Department of Defense HIV/AIDS 
Prevention Program (DHAPP) 
------------------------------ 
 
¶10.  Through DHAPP, Lesotho's Makoanyane Military Hospital (MMH) 
received equipment and supplies worth over $127,000 during FY 
07/08 and sent four of its staff for HIV/AIDS training to 
Uganda.  To reduce the burden at MMH, in January 2008 Ambassador 
Nolan handed over a wellness center medical facility valued at 
over $161,000 to the LDF.  In 2007, the Embassy handed over a 
mobile clinic for use by the military hospital in providing 
medical services to military personnel and local communities at 
remote army bases. 
 
¶11.  Lesotho has the one of the world's highest HIV/AIDS 
prevalence rates.  DHAPP efforts under Lesotho's PEPFAR program 
have had a significant impact, especially in light of HIV 
vulnerability within the military.  In recent years, the LDF has 
experienced a sea change in its attitude towards HIV/AIDS and 
now readily discusses the problem and eagerly solicits U.S. 
support to grapple with it.  In order to further PEPFAR goals, 
Embassy Maseru requests additional DHAPP funding to: 1) focus 
attention within the military health community on the benefits 
of male circumcision; and 2) increase the outreach of LDF health 
service into remote rural areas. 
 
---------------------------------------- 
National Guard State Partnership Program 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶12.  In coordination with ODC Pretoria we seek a National Guard 
State Partnership between Lesotho and a U.S. state.  U.S. state 
national guards are much closer in size to the Lesotho Defense 
Forces than the U.S. military branches, thus this relationship 
can yield special rewards, as it does in Swaziland, including 
bilateral training events, exercises, fellowship-style 
internships, and civic leader visits.  LDF commanders have 
already indicated they would support a MEDFLAG or similar 
military-civilian exercise. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
African Contingency Operations 
Training and Assistance Program (ACOTA) 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶13.  Despite Lesotho's continuing involvement in peacekeeping 
operations on the African continent in difficult operating areas 
such as Darfur, the Lesotho Defense Force is not part of the 
ACOTA program.  The LDF would benefit from peacekeeping training 
support through this program. 
 
--------------------------------------- 
The Africa Center for Strategic Studies 
(ACSS) and other DoD policy programs 
--------------------------------------- 
 
¶14.  During FY 07/08, Embassy Maseru sent eight LDF Officers, 
Ministry of Defense civilians, and National Security officers to 
ACSS courses.  Lesotho designated dozens of personnel for ACSS 
participation in previous years, and also participated in other 
DoD-hosted programs in Washington and the region, including 
Exercise Africa Endeavor, service-specific conferences, and 
Pentagon/State briefings and seminars on AFRICOM. 
 
¶15.  Embassy Maseru encourages Lesotho participation in ACSS 
operations.  A visit to Maseru in 2007 of the ACSS Africa Region 
Director improved the cohesiveness of ACSS alumni and encouraged 
their collective participation in activities of benefit to U.S. 
interests and the U.S.-Lesotho bilateral relationship.  We 
recommend a similar, flag-rank, visit from AFRICOM in response 
 
MASERU 00000107  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
to the LDF's unequivocal support for the new U.S. military 
command. 
 
------------------------------------ 
Lesotho: Ripe for MIL-MIL Engagement 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶16. COMMENT:  In light of Lesotho's receptivity to engagement 
with the U.S. military, the nation's leadership role within 
regional organizations, the LDF's public embrace of AFRICOM, and 
the military's increasing professionalism, the Mountain Kingdom 
is ripe for increased military-to-military engagement.  For an 
African nation of its size, Lesotho's defense force demonstrates 
a remarkable desire and growing capacity to play a positive role 
on the international stage.  Further military cooperation would 
be productive and beneficial to key U.S. national security 
interests in the region, particularly by supporting the LDF's 
growing respect for the rule of law and increasing capacity to 
contribute to regional peacekeeping and domestic humanitarian 
crisis response.  END COMMENT. 
NOLAN