US embassy cable - 05BANGKOK7599

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANGKOK 007599 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EAP/MLS, EAP/RSP 
OSD FOR OSD/ISA (JPOWERS) AND DSCA 
PACOM FOR FPA HUSO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV, MARR, MASS, TH, IMET 
SUBJECT: IMET IN THAILAND -- KEY TOOL FOR ENGAGEMENT 
 
1.  The International Military Education and Training Program 
(IMET) has been a vital tool for almost 30 years to improve 
the Thai military's ability to develop core skills and 
competence.  In addition to providing world-class training 
through a wide range of courses, IMET has helped us create a 
cadre of Thai leaders who understand U.S. strategic 
objectives and who -- as was illustrated in the quick 
agreement by Thai leaders to permit the United States to use 
Utapao Royal Thai Naval Air Base as a hub for tsunami relief 
activities throughout the region -- can be counted on to help 
us further our own national interests.  Post offers this 
overview of IMET in Thailand for addressees to draw upon when 
they need to brief decision makers about the depth and 
importance of IMET in Thailand. 
 
THE NUMBERS 
 
2.  The world-wide budget for IMET in FY06 is more than 90 
million dollars.  In 2005, Thailand received 2.5 million IMET 
dollars, making it the fourth largest recipient in the world 
after Turkey, Jordan and the Philippines.  Congress approved 
2.4 million dollars for Thailand in FY06.  In FY05, IMET 
Programs worldwide trained more than 11,000 students 
including 460 Thai.  Globally, IMET has increased worldwide 
from 49.96 million dollars in FY99 to 89.01 million in FY05. 
In FY 2005, we trained 460 Thai soldiers, sailors and airmen 
through IMET.  Since FY98, we have trained 1,762 Thai 
personnel. 
 
THE COURSES GIVE THAI AN UNDERSTANDING OF OUR OBJECTIVES 
 
3.  Technical courses have given Thai IMET students 
familiarity with U.S. systems, doctrine and methodology that 
promote interoperability and that have resulted in Thailand 
training on and later purchasing U.S. systems.  IMET 
Professional Military Education (PME) programs have sent Thai 
officers to all of our top military institutions including 
the Air and Army War Colleges, the Navy Command College and 
the US Army and USMC Command and General Staff Colleges. 
 
THAI PME CANDIDATES ARE CAREFULLY CHOSEN 
 
4.  For years now, Thai students selected for PME Programs, 
especially at the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College 
(CGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, have been top graduates of the 
Thai Armed Forces General Staff College.  Upon their return 
to Thailand, students must teach at the Thai Staff College 
for two years and are then recruited by senior officers as 
staff aides or placed into other positions of authority 
because they are deemed to have the most current 
understanding of U.S. military doctrine.  Since aides to 
senior staff officers frequently become senior staff 
themselves later in their careers, this "Leavenworth 
pipeline" has been invaluable in ensuring we have access at 
the highest level of the Thai military. Thai CGSC graduates 
have a strong alumni association that also serves as a way 
for us to maintain links with these officers. 
 
IMET GRADUATES ARE IN POSITIONS OF INFLUENCE 
 
5.  Scores of IMET graduates staff key positions throughout 
the Thai military.  Key examples at MOD include GEN Apichart 
Penkitti, Director of Policy and Plans and his deputy, LTG 
Naraset Israngkura Na Ayudhya; the JAG, GEN Attaporn 
Charoenpanich; and GEN Sirichai Thunyasiri, the Permanent 
Secretary.  At Royal Thai Supreme Command, Chief of the Joint 
 
SIPDIS 
Staff GEN Lertrat Ratanavanich, Deputy Supreme Commander GEN 
Boonsrang Niumpradit, former J7 Director MG Nopparat 
Yodvimol, J4 VADM Suchart Hongprasong, J5 Director LTG 
Pitsanu Urailert and, J6 Director LTG Anusorn Teptada are all 
IMET graduates.  The CINC of the Royal Thai Army, GEN Sonthi 
Boonyaratglinm, as well as his chief of staff are IMET 
veterans.  Royal Thai Air Force CINC Air Chief Marshal Chalit 
Pukbhasuk and his Air Combat Commander are alumni as are 
Royal Thai Navy CINC ADM Sampop Amrapala and his Chief of 
Staff. 
 
6.  RTSC Chief of Staff General Lertrat, a Leavenworth Honor 
Graduate, was the Thai military officer responsible for 
overseeing tsunami operations in Phuket.  RTSC Deputy GEN 
Boonsrang was a PKO force commander in East Timor and is a 
graduate of West Point.  LTG Niphat Thonglek, the Commander 
of Thai forces presently in Aceh as part of an EU-led peace 
mission, is a graduate of CGSC.  Even outside the military, 
IMET graduates retain influence in Thailand.  Privy 
Councillor GEN (ret.) Surayud Chulanont, a former Army CINC 
and Supreme Commander, is one of the highest regarded elder 
statesmen of the country.  He attended CGSC and is a member 
of the Leavenworth Hall of Fame.  The current National 
Security Advisor, LTG Winai Phattiyakul, was a force 
commander in East Timor and a CGSC alumnus.  Former Prime 
Minister and Army commander Chavalit Yongchaiyut, a CGSC 
graduate, has been called back into government service as a 
key advisor on poverty.  CGSC alumnus and former Prime 
Minister Prem Tinsulanonda is presently President of the 
Privy Council and one of the most influential men in 
Thailand. 
 
PROMOTING OUR STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES 
 
7.  IMET graduates have been instrumental in helping us to 
win Thai support for key U.S. objectives.  Recently, Thailand 
endorsed the Global Peace Operations Initiative (GPOI), a 
major G-8 effort to train 15,000 Asian peace keepers by 2010. 
 IMET graduates helped us to convince civilian leaders to 
make Thailand a regional training center for peace keepers. 
We are convinced that IMET alumni officers' familiarity with 
U.S. doctrine, methodology and structure has been pivotal in 
winning Thai support to deploy to Afghanistan and Iraq in 
support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring 
Freedom.  Thai military leaders' growing professionalization 
obtained through IMET led to commitments to make PKO 
deployments to East Timor, Cambodia, Aceh and elsewhere. 
 
8.  The massive and successful U.S. military response to the 
2004 tsunami has created goodwill that we can build upon for 
years in Indonesia, Thailand, Sri Lanka and throughout the 
region.  That response was possible, in large part, due to 
the Thai decision to quickly agree to permit us to use their 
country as a hub for regional relief.  IMET alumni in 
Thailand were among the key decision makers and advisors who 
made that decision possible.  Thus IMET, coupled with our 
comprehensive and large-scale exercise program, were major 
factors in making Operation Unified Assistance a success. 
 
PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS 
 
9.  IMET is a flexible tool that has allowed us to promote 
human rights within the Thai military.  For example, after 
the October 25, 2004 Tak Bai incident (during which poorly 
trained Thai military and civilian security forces forced 
nearly 1,300 Thai Muslim protesters into trucks to be 
transported to a military base nearly three hours away, 
resulting in the deaths of 78 protesters en route), 
JUSMAGTHAI quickly set up a comprehensive series of human 
rights courses administered by the Defense Institute of 
International Legal Studies (DIILS) for Thai officers and 
soldiers rotating to southern Thailand -- thereby helping us 
to prevent future tragedies. 
 
HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS? 
 
10.  The Department's commitment to expanding IMET worldwide 
over the past few years has had a major positive impact on 
our ability to further U.S. strategic interests in Thailand 
and the region.  IMET, much like the Fulbright Program, is a 
long-term investment with quantifiable results.  Without 
question, IMET has contributed to making Thailand a more 
effective and reliable coalition partner that has join us in 
making the transformation form the cold war era to the new 
security challenges of the present -- and future. 
BOYCE