VZCZCXRO9593
RR RUEHPB
DE RUEHDT #0290/01 2990536
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 260536Z OCT 09
FM AMEMBASSY DILI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4586
INFO RUEKJCS/OSD WASHINGTON DC
RUHEMCW/NAVFAC PACIFIC PEARL HARBOR HI
RHHMUNA/USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHBY/AMEMBASSY CANBERRA 1345
RUEHJA/AMEMBASSY JAKARTA 1074
RUCNARF/ASEAN REGIONAL FORUM COLLECTIVE
RUSICWK/NAVCRIMINVSERVFO SINGAPORE
RUEHDT/AMEMBASSY DILI 4137

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 DILI 000290 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PREL MOPS MASS ASEC TT
SUBJECT: USS BONHOMME RICHARD AND 11TH MEU VISIT TIMOR-LESTE 
 
DILI 00000290  001.2 OF 003 
 
 
¶1.  (U) Summary: The USS Bonhomme Richard and the 11th Marine 
Expeditionary Unit visited Timor-Leste October 13-23 and 
conducted highly successful exercises, provided medical 
services, completed humanitarian engineering projects, and 
engaged in community relations activities in coordination with 
the Timorese armed forces and the Australian-led International 
Stabilization Force.   This visit, its exercises, and activities 
represent the most dramatic and visible U.S. interaction with 
this country in its 10-year history.  Despite some initial 
trepidation about the scale of the visit and activities, the 
President, Prime Minister, Secretary of State for Defense, and 
the F-FDTL Commander were all favorably impressed, effusive in 
their public praise for the U.S., and resolute in their desire 
for more such training in the future.  The results were 
spectacularly successful and have helped to advance key Mission 
objectives and improve bilateral relations between the U.S. and 
Timor-Leste.  End Summary. 
 
 
 
The Visit in Numbers 
 
-------------------- 
 
¶2.  (U) The USS Bonhomme Richard, the world's largest amphibious 
aircraft carrier, and the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) 
visited Timor-Leste October 13-23 for a series of joint 
exercises with the Timorese armed forces (F-FDTL) and the 
Australian-led International Stabilization Force (ISF).  This 
visit by over 2,500 Navy Sailors and Marines represented the 
largest-ever presence of Americans in Timor-Leste, effectively 
increasing the existing American population here for the 
duration of the visit by 20 fold.  This number of participating 
U.S. military personnel was triple the entire size of the 
trained Timorese armed forces. 
 
 
 
Marine Exercises and Medical Clinics 
 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶3. (U) The military exercises and medical and engineering 
projects took place in towns and training facilities spread 
throughout the country.  The military training exercises 
conducted by the U.S. Marines included a multi-day guerilla 
insurgency exercise in Gleno, urban warfare training in 
Manatuto, close air support training in Baucau, and jungle 
training in Seisal.  In addition, the Marines opened medical and 
dental clinics to the communities in Oecussi, Maubara, and Laga, 
treating almost 800 patients.  Finally, the Marines completed a 
major engineering/construction project to replace the roof and 
walls of a school in Maubara.  At our request, the Marines also 
conducted a realistic non-combatant evacuation operation (NEO) 
exercise at the Embassy, in which over three dozen private and 
official American citizens participated and were "evacuated" by 
helicopter to the USS Bonhomme Richard, thereby providing an 
invaluable service by enhancing Embassy Dili's emergency 
readiness (see Septel for a more detailed account of this 
exercise). 
 
 
 
Navy Community Relations Activities 
 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) Meanwhile, the U.S. Navy conducted several community 
relations activities including a donation of medical supplies in 
Dili to the Ministry of Health and local NGOs, visits to two 
Dili orphanages, and a soccer match between the ship's team and 
the Timorese Under-17 national team at the National Stadium in 
Dili (we were gracious in defeat, losing 4 - 0).  The Navy also 
refurbished another school in Manatuto.  Although the USS 
Bonhomme Richard traveled up and down the coast of Timor-Leste 
over the course of the ten days to support the exercises and 
activities, it spent three days anchored in the Dili port in 
full view of the local population, hosted a large diplomatic 
reception for local dignitaries, including President 
Ramos-Horta; private visits by Prime Minister Gusmao and F-FDTL 
Commander Taur Matan Ruak; and dispatched about 900 Navy 
personnel ashore for liberty in and around Dili. 
 
 
 
Media Coverage 
 
DILI 00000290  002.2 OF 003 
 
 
 
-------------- 
 
¶5. (U) The Embassy and the advance team of the 11th MEU engaged 
in an aggressive public relations campaign to provide detailed 
briefings of the planned activities to senior GOTL officials and 
Members of Parliament, as well as to inform the Timorese public 
about what to expect.  Additionally, the Embassy arranged for 
VIP participation in and extensive media coverage of several 
events, including the arrival and unloading of large landing 
hovercraft  in Maubara, the reception on board the USS Bonhomme 
Richard, and visits to the training exercises in Gleno, 
Manatuto, Baucau, and Seisal.  The media also covered the 
donation of several pallets of medical supplies and the visits 
to the orphanages.  The soccer match at the National Stadium on 
October 18 was attended by over 3,000 Timorese, including 
President Ramos-Horta. 
 
 
 
Comment, Kudos & Recommendation 
 
------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) This visit was spectacularly successful.  The variety 
of multi-day opportunities for direct engagement and training 
with the F-FDTL dramatically reinforced one of our principal 
objectives in Timor-Leste - namely, that stability is dependent 
on the need to develop and maintain a professional military with 
clearly-defined roles and responsibilities under civilian 
leadership.  Despite some initial trepidation about the scale of 
the visit and activities, the President, Prime Minister, 
Secretary of State for Defense, and the F-FDTL Commander were 
all favorably impressed, effusive in their praise for the U.S., 
and resolute in their desire for more such training in the 
future.  Indeed, in a presentation in Dili on October 26 to an 
assemblage of ambassadors and Timorese security sector 
officials, Secretary of State for Defense Pinto asked that 
large-scale U.S. Marine exercises in Timor-Leste become an 
annual event and suggested the next round include a trilateral 
component with Indonesia.  The high degree of professionalism 
and respect exercised by all of our military personnel made a 
deep and profound impression on the Timorese public and has 
established a model and high standard to which their own 
military can aspire.  Similar results were achieved in helping 
us to build relations with key officials and to enhance our 
Embassy's emergency preparedness. 
 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) Embassy Dili is extremely grateful to the U.S. Navy, 
the U.S. Marines, and the U.S. Pacific Command for giving us 
this excellent opportunity to advance our Mission objectives and 
improve bilateral relations with Timor-Leste.  We would also 
like to extend special thanks to the commanders of the Bonhomme 
Richard Amphibious Ready Group, the Bonhomme Richard itself, and 
the 11th MEU for their exceptional professionalism, decisive 
leadership, keen political savvy, and for accommodating so many 
of our requests.  We want to commend Lt. Col. Derek Montroy, the 
MEU Executive Officer and Officer-in-Command of the Forward 
Command Element for his invaluable advice and liaison work, as 
well as Captain Brennan Simi for the superb job he did in 
advancing the visit and briefing President Ramos-Horta and 
Secretary Pinto, and Captain Michael Manning for leading the 
Embassy NEO exercise.  We also commend John Belliveau from NCIS 
in Singapore for the terrific job he did handling force 
protection issues and liberty arrangements for 900 sailors from 
the USS Bonhomme Richard.   Finally, we commend Chief Warrant 
Officer Josilito Sarmiento for his work on the advance team in 
preparing for and making the Navy's community relations 
activities a success. 
 
 
 
¶8. (SBU) Looking forward to the next visit, we offer only a few 
suggestions.  This visit involved a lot of complex, moving parts 
and it only went smoothly as a result of excellent planning and 
foresight.  We recommend that future MEUs continue to provide an 
officer to carry the project from the planning stages (including 
site visits and negotiations) to the advance work (on the ADVON 
team) to the implementation (including participating in the 
Forward Command Element).  In addition, the Forward Command 
Element (FCE) itself was an indispensable part of making this 
visit a success.  We strongly recommend that future MEUs also 
continue to dedicate an FCE to supporting the visit and 
exercises.  Perhaps the only shortcoming during this visit was 
 
DILI 00000290  003.2 OF 003 
 
 
the presence of only one Navy person versus ten Marines on the 
advance team.  The level of activity and the force protection 
requirements probably should have necessitated at least two or 
three Navy representatives. 
KLEMM