US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK3130

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 003130 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, EAP/BCLTV. HQ PACOM FOR FPA HUSO. OSD 
FOR ISA (STERN AND POWERS). OSD/ISA PLEASE PASS TO DSCA 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/03/2015 
TAGS: OVIP, PGOV, MARR, MASS, TH, IRAQ, POL/MIL 
SUBJECT: PACOM COMMANDER ADM FALLON MEETING WITH ROYAL THAI 
SUPREME COMMAND 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Ralph L. Boyce.  Reason 1.4 (a and d) 
 
 1.  (C)  SUMMARY.  In a May 3 meeting with Royal Thai 
Supreme Commander GEN Chaisit Shinawatra, PACOM Commander ADM 
William Fallon pressed for an answer to CJCS Gen. Myers 
letter requesting Thailand to send staff officers to man the 
multinational headquarters for Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). 
 Chaisit suggested that the delay in response was due to 
Thailand recently naming a new Defense Minister and suggested 
the U.S. raise the point again with MOD.  ADM Fallon also 
urged Thailand to select the F-16 in its ongoing fighter 
aircraft competition.  The Deputy Supreme Commander from the 
Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) agreed that the F-16 made more 
sense for Thailand than either the Swedish Gripen or the 
Russian SU-30.  The RTAF hopes the United States will 
continue to support the annual Cope Tiger joint/combined air 
exercise.  The Royal Thai Navy (RTN) asked for help in 
upgrading Utapao Royal Thai Naval Air Station.  ADM Fallon 
agreed to send a team to Utapao to look at possible 
improvements that would benefit both U.S. and Thai uses of 
the facility.  The Royal Thai military also seeks help in 
counter terrorism training and equipment.  END SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (C)  ADM Fallon began the meeting by noting the 
importance of military-to-military relations between the 
United States and Thailand and explaining that he scheduled 
his first visit to Thailand early in his tenure as Pacific 
Commander to reinforce the importance of our bilateral 
relationship.  GEN Chaisit echoed Fallon's comments about the 
importance of our relationship, calling our ties 
"unbreakable."  Chaisit then turned to his senior service 
member staff, asking them to outline key issues of concern. 
 
SERVICE PRIORITIES:  ROYAL THAI AIR FORCE WANTS TO KEEP COPE 
TIGER 
 
3.  (C)  ACM Anubhund Snidwongse, Deputy Supreme Commander, 
began by explaining the importance the RTAF places on our 
largest annual joint/combined air exercise, Cope Tiger. 
Anubhund explained that Cope Tiger is a multinational 
exercise involving Singapore that offers training 
opportunities for Thai and American pilots unavailable 
elsewhere.  While appreciative of regular invitations from 
the United States to participate in the Cope Thunder air 
exercise in Alaska, Anubhund said that Thai pilots learn more 
by training in environments similar to those at home. 
Anubhund also suggested that Cope Tiger affords American 
pilots the benefits of practicing maneuvers over terrain that 
is different from what they encounter in the United States. 
 
4.  (C)  ADM Fallon explained that he had ordered his staff 
to make a comprehensive overview of all exercises under PACOM 
control.  While noting the importance he places on using 
exercises to give his flag officers command opportunities, 
ADM Fallon stressed the equal benefits joint/combined 
exercises afford U.S. forces by improving tactical abilities 
and strengthening cooperation with allies.  He also noted his 
desire to expand joint training in combined exercises to 
improve service integration.  He assured Anubhund that, as he 
gathered information from his staff, he would also seek input 
from Thai service commanders through JUSMAGTHAI and DAO to 
make sure he was also aware of their training priorities. 
Speaking as a naval aviator, ADM Fallon said he was well 
aware of the benefits gained from training with other 
countries.  He also noted the importance of pilots becoming 
familiar with new technologies that have revolutionized air 
warfare.  He mentioned a recent opportunity he had had to 
test fly an F-14D that was compatible with the Joint Tactical 
Information Distribution System (JTIDS), which integrates 
communication, navigation and identification codes for 
multi-service use.  JTIDS and similar technologies, ADM 
Fallon explained, allow pilots to get a real picture of the 
entire battlefield and make decisions they could not make 
before.  It will be even more important in the future, ADM 
Fallon suggested, for allies to improve familiarity and 
integration of technologies that have improved the pilot's 
awareness of the battlefield, and thus aircraft like the F-16 
which have these capabilities make sense as Thailand looks to 
the future. 
 
ROYAL THAI NAVY WANTS TO IMPROVE UTAPAO FACILITIES 
 
5.  (C)  ADM Satirapan Keyanon, Deputy Supreme Commander, 
pointed out that much of the equipment at Utapao Royal Thai 
Naval Air Station is old.  Compounding problems, the RTN's 
maintenance budget had not been sufficient to keep pace with 
needed improvements, especially upgrades to the air traffic 
control systems.  Satirapan noted that transiting U.S. 
aircraft land at Utapao almost daily and that Utapao was the 
hub for U.S. relief efforts during the tsunami crisis.  He 
expressed hope that PACOM could help the RTN improve Utapao. 
ADM Fallon thanked the RTN for allowing the use of Utapao 
during the tsunami aftermath and agreed to dispatch a small 
team to look at Utapao and to share ideas with RTN experts. 
Satirapan was visibly pleased and said he looked forward to 
welcoming the team. 
 
THAIS WANT HELP FIGHTING TERRORISM 
 
6.  (C)  GEN Boonsrang Niumpradit, RTSC Chief of Staff, said 
that the Thai military's most pressing need was for improved 
training and equipment to counter terrorism.  ADM Fallon 
expressed his view that redirecting training to create more 
agile and quick-thinking units that can seize opportunities 
rapidly was his top training priority.  He emphasized that 
such training was more important than anything else we could 
do to beat terrorism.  He also emphasized the need to improve 
intelligence cooperation and suggested that this was an area 
where the United States might offer even more assistance. 
Boonsrang welcomed the news and expressed his hope that 
subject matter expert meetings on intelligence might be set 
up soon.  Chaisit agreed indicating his J2 could work to 
facilitate better information exchanges. 
 
IRAQ 
 
7.  (C)  ADM Fallon reminded Chaisit that CJCS Gen. Myers had 
sent a letter to Thailand asking them to contribute staff 
officers to man the multinational headquarters for OIF. 
Chaisit acknowledged his Government's delay in responding, 
suggesting that the delay was due to the recent cabinet 
reshuffle that named GEN Thamarak Isarangura Na Ayutthaya as 
Defense Minister.  Chaisit ssaid an answer might be coming 
shortly from the Defense Minister.  In a pull-aside with 
PolMilOff later, GEN Boonsrang suggested that the U.S. should 
press this issue with Thamarak soon to get a response. 
 
F-16 
 
8.  (C)  ADM Fallon told Chaisit that, from an 
interoperability standpoint, the F-16 was the best choice for 
Thailand to make in its ongoing competition to select a new 
fighter aircraft.  ACM Anubhund agreed, saying that he 
personally would much rather have an American plane than a 
Swedish or Russian one and that the F-16 makes more sense for 
the RTAF from a logistics and pilot training standpoint as 
well.  (NOTE.  Anubhund's comments echo those we've heard 
from other RTAF officers -- if the decision were left up to 
the RTAF, the F-16 would win easily.  However, pressure from 
the Commerce Ministry and the Prime Minister's office may 
result in the procurement decision being made for business 
reasons, not military ones.  END NOTE.) 
 
THAI-TAC 
 
9.  (C)  LTG Kemarat Kanchanawat, RTSC J3, told ADM Fallon 
that Thai-TAC, our annual bilateral military-to-military 
talks, would take place in Honolulu this year.  He pledged to 
work to make Thai-TAC more strategic in focus, to include 
discussion of facilities like the Interagency Intelligence 
Fusion Center in Northern Thailand and the possible 
construction of a Maritime Operations Intelligence Fusion 
Center focused on the Andaman Sea. 
 
10.  (U)  ADM Fallon has cleared this message. 
BOYCE