US embassy cable - 05GABORONE523

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 GABORONE 000523 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR AF/S DIFFILY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/13/2015 
TAGS: PREL, MARR, US, BC, SADC, POL/MIL 
SUBJECT: GENERAL WALD AND SADC SECGEN DISCUSS SADC'S NEW 
REGIONAL RESPONSE FORCE 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Joseph Huggins for Reasons 1.4 B and D 
 
 1.  (C) Summary.  Meeting with SADC Secgen Prega Ramsamy in 
Gaborone April 13, General Charles Wald explained how the 
U.S. could assist the African Union (AU) and its regional 
components, including SADC, to equip, train, organize and 
support the new Regional Responses Forces (RRFs).  General 
Wald and BGen Thomas Verbeck emphasized the importance of 
linking the new SADC RRF,s communications to the AU in Addis 
Ababa, saying the U.S. was ready to help, just as we had with 
ECOWAS.  Ramsamy agreed to send SADC planners to ECOWAS to 
see how the U.S. had assisted.  He also volunteered that 
Botswana had agreed to provide C-130s for the new RRF. 
Mission will follow up with SADC military planners on the 
details.  End summary. 
 
2.    (SBU) Ambassador Huggins, Gen. Wald,s senior team, and 
DCM (notetaker) also attended the meeting.  On the new RRF,s 
and U.S. offers of help, Ramsamy said SADC was already 
preparing an Early Warning Center in Gaborone and setting up 
the new SADC Standby Force as a brigade.  Planning for a June 
exercise for this SADC RRF was underway. The Organ, which 
would decide how to interact with donors, was currently 
reviewing a draft Strategic Plan which SADC would share with 
the U.S. 
 
3.    (SBU) Ramsamy explained that the new RRF would train at 
SADC,s Regional Peacekeeping Training Center in Zimbabwe, 
but its planning section would operate from Gaborone.  The 
planning section currently consists of Organ members South 
Africa, Namibia, and Lesotho, as well as Botswana.  While it 
may be the Organ that will decide on donor assistance, 
Ramsamy requested help with the facilities in Harare.  He 
said rotating instructors would offer the training three 
times a year, with only a small resident contingent.  The 
German government,s GTZ is currently funding the training. 
 
4.    (SBU) Responding to General Wald,s question, Ramsamy 
said SADC was seeking to build its joint exercises capacity. 
Computers to link the RRF with Addis and other early warning 
systems such as those maintained by think tanks would be 
appreciated. SADC Defense Ministers have already formed a 
committee to study peace and stability issues. As to 
establishing the brigade, Ramsamy had a list of countries 
with the proposed contributions of each. 
 
5.    (U) A SADC colleague said the brigade would form part 
of an AU force that could participate in UN peacekeeping 
operations (PKOs).  The AU and UN would provide the mandate. 
The force would be able to deploy within 14 days minimum. 
The official said SADC would pay the troops, based on a 
memorandum between SADC and members on the one hand and 
between the AU and the regional groupings on the other. 
Answering General Wald, the official noted that the U.S. had 
attended the meeting in Addis where this issue was discussed 
and that North Africa did not yet have a regional force. 
General Wald observed, however, that the U.S. is already 
training several North African countries which will be ready 
to join such a force once constituted. 
 
6.    (SBU)  In response to further queries about how the 
U.S. could assist, Ramsamy asserted that SADC wants to be in 
command and will state the kind of assistance it wants.  He 
accepted General Wald,s offer, however, to send four 
military planners to visit ECOWAS, perhaps in May, to see how 
it has organized.  General Wald said he would also be in 
Senegal in May.  He mentioned that the Special Operations 
Command Exercises in June in Senegal would involve 10 
countries outside Africa.  General Wald told Ramsamy that he 
had emphasized to President Mogae the need to contribute 
experienced military planners to the AU force. 
 
7.    (SBU)  BGen Verbeck outlined how the U.S. could assist 
SADC to establish a wide area network.  He described 
operation African Endeavor, saying Botswana and South Africa 
had already observed it.  He suggested that the exercise 
could help SADC know how and what to share.  He urged SADC to 
support this initiative this year so that SADC could 
participate in 2006.  He also mentioned that the U.S. has a 
clearinghouse on military cooperation with other countries, 
20 of whom met recently in Garmisch.  Ramsamy replied that he 
must report to the committee in charge of the brigade before 
making any detailed commitments. 
 
8.    (C) Ramsamy detailed some of the proposed contributions 
for the brigade without mentioning the donor countries. 
Pressed further on the need for airlift, Ramsamy volunteered 
that Botswana had committed to provide C-130 support for the 
RRF.  He stressed further that previous experience of SADC in 
DRC and Lesotho had led SADC to be cautious.  He expressed 
his trust in the U.S. and assured General Wald that SADC 
would go to ECOWAS to see how we had assisted there.  General 
Wald expressed his satisfaction with that decision. 
 
9.    (C)  Comment:  Ramsamy, being a lame duck and at the 
mercy of SADC members, is not usually very forthcoming.  We 
were struck, therefore, by his saying that Botswana had 
proposed to contribute C-130 support to the RRF, something 
President Mogae had not mentioned in his meeting with General 
Wald.  Our DATT and ODC Chief, for whom Mission will seek 
accreditation by SADC, will follow up with SADC,s military 
planners on these issues. 
HUGGINS 
HUGGINS