US embassy cable - 05CARACAS53

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 CARACAS 000053 
 
SIPDIS 
 
NSC FOR CBARTON 
HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/22/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KDEM, VE 
SUBJECT: CHAVEZ SPEECH SHOWS MILITARY "CUBANIZATION" AFOOT 
 
REF: A. A) IIR 6 902 9910 05 
     B. B) IIR 6 902 9878 05 
     C. C) CARACAS 00020 
 
Classified By: ACTING POLITICAL COUNSELOR MARK WELLS FOR 1.4 (D) 
 
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Summary 
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1.  (C)  Summary:  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on 
December 27 addressed the armed forces in an over two hour 
pep rally and romanticized Venezuelan history lesson that 
glorified the military's growing role in society.  Peppering 
his remarks with anti-US rhetoric, he unveiled to the public 
a retro, olive-drab uniform for Venezuelan troops and 
announced a change in military doctrine that he said would 
hail back to Venezuela's independence-era "roots."  He 
outlined the growth of domestic military manufacturing and 
reminded the troops of spending increases aimed at increasing 
their standard-of-living.  The press reported opposition 
criticism of Chavez's attempts to emulate the Cuban armed 
forces in both doctrine and appearance.  Although the media 
analysis is not far off the mark, the Venezuelan Armed Forces 
will be unlikely to translate doctrine into military 
readiness.  In both timing and content, the speech shows 
Chavez's grip over the military is strengthening.  End 
summary. 
 
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Back to the Roots:  New Look, New Doctrine 
-------------------------------------------- 
 
2.  (C)  Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez addressed troops at 
Fuerte Tiuna, Caracas's principal military base, in a 
longer-than-usual (two hours and 15 minutes) year-end salute 
on December 27.  Employing his usual histrionic cadence of 
calculated pauses and crescendos, Chavez announced the armed 
forces would return to its "roots" after a century of being 
hijacked by "imperialist" interests.  Venezuelan history, 
recounted through his perspective of military heroes who 
resisted the designs of "imperial" powers, littered his 
speech.  In particular, he singled out the exploits of 
independence hero Francisco de Miranda, although he glossed 
over Miranda's downfall at the hands of Simon Bolivar, who 
surrendered him to the Spanish.  Chavez referred inaccurately 
to US history on two occasions, calling Alexander Hamilton 
president and mentioning Lincoln as a contemporary of 
Washington and Jefferson.  Later, he faulted "colonialist" 
interests with trying to erase the true version of Venezuelan 
history.  He concluded his speech with a swipe at SOUTHCOM 
and remarked that the military must "throw out the 
imperialist venom they have injected in us for 100 years." 
 
3.  (C)  Chavez hailed the olive drab fatigues sported by 
soldiers in attendance as the new Bolivarian uniform, which, 
he asserted, resembled those worn by Venezuelan soldiers in 
the 18th century.  (Note:  the uniforms also resemble current 
Cuban uniforms.  End note.)  He said all soldiers should have 
the new uniform--dubbed "The Patriot"--by 2005.  Chavez 
returned in the course of his speech to interject how well 
the new look suited his troops. 
 
4.  (C)  Chavez also invoked Bolivar to change Venezuela's 
military doctrine.  Bolivar, he said, opposed defensive 
strategies, which Chavez interpreted to mean Venezuela should 
accelerate its "ideological offensive."  Chavez urged the 
creation of a civil-military committee to help his former 
military academy classmates draft a national security 
doctrine to be employed in "asymmetrical wars."  Extolling 
the virtues of military education, he tasked all military 
schools, services, and commands with fomenting the new 
strategy. 
 
---------------------------- 
The Engine of the Revolution 
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      5.  (C)  A second current in Chavez's speech was his 
vision of the military as a tool to help spread his 
revolution throughout Venezuelan society.  The ideological 
offensive, he said, should radiate outside the ranks of the 
armed forces to help build a new country.  He celebrated the 
role of the military in the referendum and regional 
elections.  In an outburst of poetic hyperbole, he said 
"there aren't enough stones in the world to erect a statue in 
honor of the military's worthy role in fighting poverty..." 
Chavez predicted the military would reach to "the farthest 
corner of the planet" in its  humanitarian mission. 
Expanding on the country's economic growth, which was 
"first-place in Latin America," Chavez tasked the military 
with helping the economy recover and singled out the 
leadership roles played by active duty and retired officers 
in parastatals. 
 
      6.  (C)  Chavez took issue with the view that the 
military should be apolitical, although he conceded it should 
not be "partisan."  He lambasted media sources for sowing 
"indiscipline" by criticizing its political role.  Later in 
the speech, he spent several minutes praising retired 
officers for running for governor. 
 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
Spending: A Bolivarian Military-Industrial Complex 
--------------------------------------------- ----- 
 
      7.  (C)  Chavez catalogued materiel being repaired in 
Venezuela, including tanks, submarines, thousands of rifles, 
and the first frigate ever refurbished in Venezuelan 
territory.  Aircraft such as the Tucanos, the Broncos, and 
the F-5s also made his list.  Although he admitted that 
fabric of sufficient quality could not yet be produced 
locally, he predicted that in 2005 Venezuela would be able to 
manufacture its own uniforms.  (Note:  We know of one major 
textile manufacturer who offered to bid on the uniforms but 
was turned down, presumably for political reasons.  End 
note.)  Chavez also noted the refurbishing of Venezuela's 
F-16s (refs A and B), without mentioning that such upgrades 
violate USG contract agreements.  In an oblique jab at the 
United States, he said Venezuela has more powerful friends 
each day willing to assist its technological development 
without attaching strings.  These friends became apparent to 
listeners as Chavez next referred to "advanced negotiations" 
for radar systems (note:  Venezuela currently is considering 
buying such equipment from China and Ukraine.  end note.) and 
the purchase of 41 Russian helicopters and 100,000 Russian 
rifles. 
 
      8.  (C)  Chavez also spent considerable time listing 
progress made in raising the military's standard of living. 
In particular, he highlighted that military personnel in 2004 
had received a 30 percent raise, credits to buy cars, and 
hospital upgrades worth USD 8 million.  Future plans included 
creating more military commissaries to sell subsidized food 
and improving military housing.  Chavez noted he had just 
secured in China the financing of about USD 700 million for 
public and military residences (ref C). 
 
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Opposition Reaction 
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      9.  (C)  Opposition reactions, which tended to focus on 
the change in uniform, were predictably pessimistic. 
Chavez's first defense minister, General (ret.) Raul Salazar 
suggested to the press that the military could be stocking 
itself with new munitions to repress the Venezuelan public. 
According to a press account, another retired senior officer 
predicted the new doctrine would embrace the Cuban strategy 
of engaging civilians in national defense. 
 
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Comment 
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10.  (C)  Chavez's control of the military quite likely is 
strengthening.  The year-end speech marks six years that 
Chavez has had to marginalize and dismiss opposition 
officers.  Meanwhile, new recruits have experienced six years 
of indoctrination, which his proposed "ideological offensive" 
will only serve to intensify.  In addition to his attempts at 
flattery, the use of the military in nearly all aspects of 
his "revolution" signals to officers that a career in the 
armed forces offers opportunities.  Moreover, the 
aforementioned perks are trickling down to key military 
personnel. 
 
11.  (C)  The Venezuelan Armed Forces are currently incapable 
of warfighting and will remain so.  Chavez probably will 
successfully replace Venezuela's old, US-based doctrine at 
least in part with Cuban military theory; his "asymmetrical 
warfare" strategy will be aimed at making a US invasion 
cost-prohibitive.  Nevertheless, the consequences of the 
doctrinal shift will be merely ideological.  The offensive 
nature of many of the weapons systems mentioned would be 
useless in an envisioned war with the United States.  The 
announced acquisitions, production, and refurbishment, thus 
show Chavez seeks to distance his troops from the taint of US 
materiel while expanding his economic model of import 
substitution. 
Brownfield