VZCZCXYZ0009
RR RUEHWEB

DE RUEHBH #0753/01 3521626
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 181626Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY NASSAU
TO RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/CCGDSEVEN MIAMI FL
RHMFISS/COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC
RHMFISS/COMLANTAREA COGARD PORTSMOUTH VA
RHMFISS/DIRJIATF SOUTH
RHMFISS/HQ USNORTHCOM
RHMFISS/HQ USSOUTHCOM MIAMI FL
RUEABND/DEA FORT LAUDERDALE FL
RUEABND/DEA HQS WASHINGTON DC
RUEABND/DEA MIAMI FL
RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 0095
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHINGTON DC
RUWDQAC/US INTERDICTION COORD WASHINGTON DC
INFO RUEHBH/AMEMBASSY NASSAU

C O N F I D E N T I A L NASSAU 000753 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/12/18 
TAGS: SNAR PGOV PREL BF
SUBJECT: Pirates, Projects and Wish Lists: NORTHCOM Visit to The 
Bahamas Constructive 
 
REF: NASSAU 139 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: Timothy Zuniga-Brown, Deputy Chief of Mission; REASON: 
1.4(B), (D) 
 
¶1.  (C)  SUMMARY:  NORTHCOM officials representing 12 different 
sub-units visited Nassau from November 17-19 to discuss NORTHCOM 
engagement.  The delegation's activities consisted of a one-day 
Piracy conference, meetings with Royal Bahamas Defense Force (RBDF) 
and with the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA).  GCOB 
officials warmly welcomed NORTHCOM's engagement with The Bahamas, 
stressed desire to take advantage of training opportunities and 
requested resources to boost its maritime, air, intelligence and 
drug interdiction capabilities.  END SUMMARY. 
 
 
 
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Piracy: A Growing Threat To Bahamian Trade 
 
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¶2.  (SBU)  The Bahamas maintains the third largest ship registry in 
the world.  Bahamian-flagged vessels suffered 12 pirate attacks 
between January and December 2008.  NORTHCOM discussed various 
prevention techniques that could protect Bahamian vessels from 
becoming victims of pirate attacks, stressing improved 
communication between merchants and the Navy.  NORTHCOM advised 
mariners not to discuss ship routes while in port and provided 
guidance the GCOB can pass on to ship registrants to distinguish 
between pirate vessels and Yemeni fishing vessels, which are very 
similar in appearance.  They recommended use of the Internationally 
Recognized Trade Corridor for travel through the Gulf of Aden, and 
presented effective maneuvers mariners can use if under attack. 
NORTHCOM officials conveyed  their desire to conduct regional and 
tabletop exercises on piracy with the GCOB. 
 
 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  NORTHCOM encouraged The Bahamas to review its laws on 
piracy and explore whether the GCOB had the capacity to prosecute 
pirates in criminal courts.  NORTHCOM noted countries such as the 
Seychelles who have had to release known pirates because they had 
no capacity to prosecute them.  GCOB Participants were asked to 
consider their existing immigration laws as well.  As international 
laws become more codified on piracy issues, the GCOB was told that 
Bahamians may need to travel back to countries where the crimes 
occurred in order to testify.  The Bahamians requested a 
recommendation for companies that provide on-board ship protection 
and inquired on the cost of tower receivers and Automated 
Identification System equipment. 
 
 
 
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A Wish List from the RBDF: Naval Assets and Intelligence Gathering 
 
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---------------- 
 
 
 
¶4.  (C)  The delegation, including representatives from the Center 
for Naval Analysis, met with RBDF Commander Samuel Evans and his 
staff to discuss The Bahamas' existing communications and 
surveillance architecture.  The RBDF said while their 
"insufficient" naval and air assets were equipped with satellite 
telephone technology, they lacked a centralized, secure system in 
which to communicate intelligence to the GCOB or other Caribbean 
nations.  They noted that their nine ships were unable to cover the 
2,000 square miles of Bahamian ocean on a twenty-four hour basis; 
this limited the RBDF's capabilities to respond to poachers and 
migrant vessels.  The GCOB, they complained, does "not appreciate 
 
 
what it takes to protect an archipelago" and provides minimal 
funding to expand and maintain the surface fleet.  Evans also 
remarked that the RBDF does not receive adequate intelligence 
information for counter-narcotic operations through Operation 
Bahamas, Turks and Caicos (OPBAT) and  the Royal Bahamas Police 
Force.  He cited a historical lack of trust due to problems 
associated with particular RBDF personnel in the past.  He made 
clear to the delegation that the Commodore has worked hard to 
restore the RBDF image and that any impropriety would not be 
tolerated under the current command.  He attributed some of the 
lack of information flow to a lack of intelligence officers in 
other countries. 
 
 
 
¶5.  (C)  Evans requested NORTHCOM assistance to a) increase the 
number of naval assets; b) to provide resources and technical 
assistance that would improve intelligence gathering and c) provide 
resources and technical assistance to communicate (in real time) 
with the Royal Bahamas Police Force, OPBAT, and the defense forces 
of other CARICOM nations.  He and other RBDF officers expressed 
some interest in conducting table-top exercises with NORTHCOM and 
noted that officers found the TRADEWINDS exercise very useful.  A 
representative from Coast Guard acquisitions then gave a brief on 
naval assets available to the RBDF for discounted prices through 
the Coast Guard Acquisition program. 
 
 
 
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NORTHCOM Observations:  Training and Equipment Needed 
 
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¶6.  (C)  The delegation held several individual meetings and 
breakout sessions with GCOB and RBDF officials to assess 
opportunities for NORTHCOM engagement.  Officials identified 
additional training opportunities in the areas of public affairs, 
air support (maintenance and flight training), anti-terrorism 
planning and tactical intelligence, military police support 
(through the existing partnership with the Rhode Island National 
Guard) and medical technician training.  The RBDF and GCOB were 
receptive to NORTHCOM's offer to make available excess defense 
articles to The Bahamas, particularly cameras, binoculars and night 
vision devices.  NORTHCOM officials further recommended 
professional development opportunities, participation in 
counter-terrorism planning and maritime conferences and exchange 
programs through the Rhode Island National Guard. 
 
 
 
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Long-standing Civil-Military Projects Revived 
 
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¶7.  (SBU)  Representatives from the Defense Support of Civil 
Authorities (DSCA) unit at NORTHCOM met with representatives from 
the GCOB National Emergency Management Agency to discuss 
outstanding, SOUTHCOM-initiated humanitarian assistance projects. 
These projects include an emergency operations center (EOC) and 
disaster warehouses located on Great Inagua and Grand Bahama.  NEMA 
Director Captain Russell noted that the GCOB was prepared to 
provide up to USD 600,000 in matching funds to begin construction 
of an EOC in the Spring of 2010.  In addition, Russell said that he 
would facilitate the land acquisition process in Great Inagua and 
Grand Bahama in order to begin construction of the two warehouses. 
 
 
NORTHCOM engineers are expected to arrive in The Bahamas in January 
2010 to do land assessments. 
 
 
 
¶8.  (SBU)  DSCA officials also requested Embassy support to 
facilitate two NORTHCOM-funded projects operated by the U.S. 
Geological Survey (USGS):  a Satellite and Geo-spatial Imagery 
System Flood Mapping and Workshop project totaling approximately 
USD 147,000 as well as a Freshwater Monitoring and Management 
program on North Andros Island totaling approximately USD 477,000. 
Post is working with the Ministry of Environment to develop letters 
of intent for both projects. 
 
 
 
¶9.  (C)  COMMENT:  The RBDF and the GCOB warmly received the 
NORTHCOM delegation and used the opportunity to restate requests 
previously made to SOUTHCOM for additional resources and technical 
support.  The RBDF's single greatest need is capacity building, and 
the visit served as a constructive opportunity for NORTHCOM to 
assess needs and offer ample training and resource opportunities to 
fulfill the Defense Force's requirements. 
AVANT