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1026 Groves Pgs 7/17/01 10:13 AM Page 46 (cid:2) U.S.and Ecuadorian soldiers coordinating security. m) Alto W. Effective Engagement David O ( PA G N R YA K The Case of Ecuador By J O H N R. G R O V E S, J R. T he United States recognized Pact countries and newly independ- the opportunity to reduce its ent states. Its subset, the National military presence in Europe Guard State Partnership Program, has and Latin America after the sought to extend and build upon mil- Cold War. A peacetime strategy was to-mil relations. needed to promote stability, eco- Although related, the programs nomic progress, and democratic insti- differ. State partnership originated tutions. In Europe, the Partnership for with the National Guard Bureau and Peace (PFP) initiative served to en- the Army and Air National Guard of courage military-to-military and mili- participating states and includes Eu- tary-to-government assistance and ex- rope and Latin America and may be change programs in former Warsaw extended to Southeast Asia. It links in- dividual states with militaries in partner countries to improve bilateral rela- Major General John R. Groves, Jr., ARNG, is adjutant general of the Commonwealth tions. Program goals reflect an of Kentucky and a member of the Reserve Forces Policy Board. evolving mission for the National 46 JFQ / Autumn 2000 Report Documentation Page Form Approved OMB No. 0704-0188 Public reporting burden for the collection of information is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, searching existing data sources, gathering and maintaining the data needed, and completing and reviewing the collection of information. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden, to Washington Headquarters Services, Directorate for Information Operations and Reports, 1215 Jefferson Davis Highway, Suite 1204, Arlington VA 22202-4302. Respondents should be aware that notwithstanding any other provision of law, no person shall be subject to a penalty for failing to comply with a collection of information if it does not display a currently valid OMB control number. 1. REPORT DATE 3. DATES COVERED 2000 2. REPORT TYPE 00-00-2000 to 00-00-2000 4. TITLE AND SUBTITLE 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER Effective Engagement The Case of Ecuador 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6. AUTHOR(S) 5d. PROJECT NUMBER 5e. TASK NUMBER 5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 8. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION National Defense University,Institute for National Strategic Studies,260 REPORT NUMBER Fifth Avenue SW Bg 64 Fort Lesley J. McNair,Washington,DC,20319 9. SPONSORING/MONITORING AGENCY NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) 10. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S ACRONYM(S) 11. SPONSOR/MONITOR’S REPORT NUMBER(S) 12. DISTRIBUTION/AVAILABILITY STATEMENT Approved for public release; distribution unlimited 13. SUPPLEMENTARY NOTES 14. ABSTRACT 15. SUBJECT TERMS 16. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION OF: 17. LIMITATION OF 18. NUMBER 19a. NAME OF ABSTRACT OF PAGES RESPONSIBLE PERSON a. REPORT b. ABSTRACT c. THIS PAGE Same as 5 unclassified unclassified unclassified Report (SAR) Standard Form 298 (Rev. 8-98) Prescribed by ANSI Std Z39-18 1026 Groves Pgs 7/17/01 10:13 AM Page 47 Groves Guard and promote regional stability and civil-military relations in support State Partnership Program of U.S. policy. Partnerships with foreign defense establishments were first proposed by Sponsoring states use the PFP con- U.S. European Command (EUCOM) in consideration of the concerns ex- cept to engage host countries in Eu- pressed by the Russian Federation to active U.S. military personnel in rope and increasingly in Latin Amer- the region and a decision to staff liaison teams with members of the Reserve ica. It combines National Guard assets components. In 1993 the National Guard Bureau recommended pairing states including civilian skills and ethnic with Baltic nations (Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania). From this initiative emerged affinities as well as support from state a military-to-military program for Central and Eastern Europe. Since then it has governments, education institutions, grown beyond the Joint Contact Team Program established by EUCOM to be- and the private sector. come a tool for engage- The PFP program remains a strong ment throughout Latin force in fostering relations between Peruvian and West America and Europe and NATO and newly independent states. Virginia National Guard has been expanded to Similar needs for engagement exist officers. the Pacific region, pro- today in Latin America. State partner- moting interaction in the ship builds on the European experi- social and economic as ence to shape the environment and re- well as military spheres. Ware) ieCsnicvofoemolnrymco eamadsn viddacen m(pcSerOodocU grtahrTeteHis cCss t.iOr naUMtse.tgS)i ty.uh Sotaiofso uenantgshg gaaergneresnd-- Sitneta rtntresah ipinpaisrn,t gne,ex rceshx apenracgritseiecsis,p ,a ainntde- Wing (Charles R. ment within the region. Awareness of civic leader visits. Activi- Airlift tthierso uagrhe CIcNoCosr, dcionuantterdy 130th Kentucky initiated one teams, and other agen- m) cies to build democratic institutions that assist nations in many regions of the W. Alto of the first state-to-country world. Partnerships create long-term relationships based on confidence and David partnerships in 1997 trust. Current participating countries (and their state partners) include: O ( G PA Albania (New Jersey and New York), Belarus (Utah), Belize (Louisiana), Bolivia N host country conditions and emphasis KYAR on cooperation, professionalism, and (Mississippi), Bulgaria (Tennessee), Croatia (Minnesota), Czech Republic (Ne- braska and Texas), Ecuador (Kentucky), El Salvador (New Hampshire), Estonia respect for participants have been its (Maryland), Honduras (Puerto Rico), Hungary (Ohio), Jamaica (Washington, guiding principles. Theater engage- D.C.), Kazakhstan (Arizona), Latvia (Michigan), Lithuania (Pennsylvania), ment planning coordinates and com- Moldova (North Carolina), Macedonia (Vermont), Panama (Missouri), bines active component training and Paraguay (Massachusetts), Peru (West Virginia), Philippines (Hawaii and assistance in host countries, under the Guam), Poland (Illinois), Republic of Georgia (Georgia), Republic of Kyrgyzs- CINC and in cooperation with our am- tan (Montana), Romania (Alabama), Slovakia (Indiana), Slovenia (Colorado), bassadors and their country teams. The Turkmenistan (Nevada), Ukraine (California and Kansas), Uruguay (Connecti- results have been effective exercises cut), Uzbekistan (Louisiana), and Venezuela (Florida). JFQ and exchanges and continuous, diver- sified shaping activities. Eleven state partnership programs currently exist in the SOUTHCOM region. Until recently the country’s mili- the guarantor states, contained the sit- Latin American Bellwether tary was largely deployed against an uation. The dispute was ended by Unique conditions in Ecuador invasion from Peru. Ecuador and Peru treaty in October 1998. [For details, see have led to a singular engagement engaged in a violent border clash in Glenn R. Weidner, “Operation Safe plan. Kentucky initiated one of the 1997. The prospect of all-out war was Border: The Ecuador-Peru Crisis,” Joint first state-to-country partnerships in real. Signatories to the Rio Accords Force Quarterly, no. 11 (Spring 98).] 1997, organizing its efforts to meet that drew boundary between the two After the treaty was signed, repre- host country requirements and U.S. countries in 1945—Argentina, Brazil, sentatives of Ecuador and Peru as well interests. Ecuador has three north-to- Chile, and the United States—inter- as the United States attended a sympo- south geographical bands—the tropic vened, created a buffer zone, and sium in Cincinnati on emergency lowlands, Andean range, and rain cooled down tempers. For almost two management. The state partnership forest—with their respective subgover- years an observer mission, fielded by programs of Kentucky and West Vir- nance issues of ethnicity, poverty, re- ginia brought together officials from gionalism, unemployment, environ- Ecuador and Peru on neutral ground ment, and infrastructure. Autumn 2000 / JFQ 47 1026 Groves Pgs 7/17/01 10:13 AM Page 48 (cid:2) JFQ FORUM National Guard combat Building school in engineers. Ecuador. m) Alto W. David O ( PA G N R YA K sucre) was recently tied to the dollar, and preliminary reports indicate that the economy has stopped its freefall. Needed investment, including savings deposits in Ecuadorian banks, are positive signs along with larger revenues from oil exports. Ecuador was one of the first countries in Latin America to move toward democracy when the military government called for free elections in 1979. But with six presidents over the last few years, punctuated by the only re- cent coup in the region, the future is uncertain. Although the coup in Janu- ary 2000—led by the senior military commander—lasted only a few hours, President Jamil Mahuad was ousted and Vice President Gustavo Noboa took over when Mahuad tried reforms that his opponents found too dracon- m) ian. Until recently, even a failing bank- Alto ing system and a decision to renege on W. O (David icnotnesrennastuiosn faolr laocatniosn c. oAutl dth ne osta mcree attime ae PA polling by the Inter-American Devel- G RN opment Bank and the European Union YA K disclosed that Ecuadorians had the least regard for democracy in the region, with only 41 percent preferring for reasons of mutual interest. A small and stable nations. Indeed, Ecuador this form of government in 1998. but positive step was taken toward received the dubious distinction of Strikes, ethnic violence, corrup- shaping the geopolitical environment being the only country to default on tion, and damage from El Niño also between the countries. Brady bonds that allow mostly Latin have confronted the country as a re- Despite peace with Peru, Ecuador American countries to shed debts source-constrained military battles is in turmoil. Although it has abun- owed from the 1980s. On a more opti- narco traffickers. Added to this volatile dant natural resources and adequate mistic note, the national currency (the mix is the fear of internal alliances infrastructure, Ecuador lacks the disci- among unions, indigenous Indian pline required to join the mainstream groups, and Colombian guerrillas. of fiscally responsible, self-supporting, 48 JFQ / Autumn 2000 1026 Groves Pgs 7/17/01 10:13 AM Page 49 Groves Like many partnership programs, Kentucky-Ecuador State Partnership the Kentucky National Guard has com- Following the model of the Partnership for Peace program developed in pleted a number of engagement activities. They are coordinated with Eastern Europe, Kentucky officially joined Ecuador in July 1997 in es- SOUTHCOM goals for Ecuador and the tablishing the first state-to-country partnership in Latin America. With Andes. Annual planning and schedul- the exception of Operation Nuevos Horizontes (New Horizons), each of the ing meetings consider command proj- following activities have been funded by U.S. Southern Command: ects and National Guard training to (cid:2) Medical. Beginning with a medical readiness training exercise develop engagement events. Annual (MEDRETE) in Alahuela in 1996, there have been five deployments by the training may be dedicated to the part- Kentucky National Guard and a reciprocal visit by Ecuadorians to conduct Altom) MEDRETE operations and emergency medical training for military and civilian nfuenrsdheidp mbyis sSiOonU TwHhCileO oMth aern dev iennvtso lavree W. healthcare providers. David (cid:2) Disaster Assistance. Two north-to-south and two south-to-north mili- Nmaetniotsn bael yGounadr dn omrmemalb tewrso -fwoer edke tprlaoiny-- O ( tary support to civil authorities exchanges have taken place involving military PA ing periods. Occasionally exercises G and civilian disaster response KYARN specialists. Additionally, par- f(uFOndReSdC ObyM U) .oSr. Athrme yJo Finotr cCesh Cieofsm emnaabnlde ticipation by the Kentucky deployment of Reserve components for National Guard and Defensa Ccgoiinvuiinlat ieanrn pEdac ruPtsea rdfuroovrim,a an Ws cweivseitl l lVd iaers-- Valentino Garcia) ssaiteinizvedese rEemacnlu agmaiindnoloyenr e tuarhr sseeu. d neD ximtaesmpe mtlpoolby ebeisnr.o sgTt hohbf ea Pstteaht aneal aciNotminvaa--- fsieunms ein m 1i9n9i9st lreyd itno aa sdyismasptoer- mpany ( tional Guard who rotated to the host ecaonmdme rPpgeaercunt.c yb emtuwteuealn a Essciustaadnocer TGeuxaarsd Ainr mAyrg Neanttiionnaa.l 55Signal Coth cfpoororu vntiwtdreoy cwionne etaiknnsu ,a itnwyn.ituha la trsaminailnl gs tsatfaft utos Partnership efforts have included (cid:2) Symposium on 21st Century Strategies. Two events were conducted in support to civilian authorities through cooperation with faculty from the Patterson School of Diplomacy and Inter- disaster assistance and law enforce- national Relations at the University of Kentucky. A four-day seminar in ment exchanges, medical readiness Ecuador at the Escuela Politecnica de Ejercito was attended by that nation’s training exercises, rural health care, military and civilian leadership. mil-to-mil visits, and symposia con- (cid:2) Military Support to Civilian Authorities-Law Enforcement. A south-to- ducted in Ecuador by faculty members north exchange by Ecuadorian military and national police officers and the from the University of Kentucky. A six- Kentucky National Guard to observe law enforcement training, crime scene month deployment in 1998 of over preservation, and forensic evidence analysis techniques in use by military po- 2,000 engineer, medical, aviation, and lice, Kentucky State Police, and Lexington Urban-County Police. A north-to- military police personnel from the south reciprocal visit by the U.S. personnel took place in 1999. Kentucky Army and Air National (cid:2) Military-to-Military Coordination. South-to-north visits by Ecuadorian Guard assisted with a FORSCOM-sup- army, navy, and air force liaison officers took place in 1997 and 1999 to pro- ported operation known as Nuevos Hor- vide an orientation to operations involving the Kentucky National Guard. izontes (or New Horizons). Though not (cid:2) Nuevos Horizontes I.U.S. Forces Command sponsored the deployment a traditional CINC activity, it was a of 2,000 members of engineer, medical, aviation, and military police units benchmark event with a continuous from the Kentucky National Guard to Esmeraldas Province in 1998 to con- and broadly dispersed series of infra- struct schools, clinics, and sanitary facilities in conjunction with conduct of structure improvement projects at the joint MEDRETE operations. JFQ grass roots level. Units exercised the full range of mobilization tasks and deployed into environments where total self-sufficiency was demanded under Infusion of U.S. funds and effort into here preliminary indications are worri- conditions of high operational activity. Colombia to counter narcotics traffick- some. Especially in the border area, Training benefits for the National ing and insurgents has yet to make it- the spillover from Colombian guerrilla Guard, mostly cycled in deployments self fully felt. But early indications are and trafficking groups has burdened of 15 to 18 days, were the best possible not encouraging. Drug trafficking is a law enforcement and military person- under peacetime conditions. Retention cancerous threat to the already precar- nel. The extent to which Colombian remains high. The local impact was the ious state of governance in Ecuador. narco interests will move into Ecuador creation of long-term cultural and The impact on Ecuador from in- is not known. community improvements to enhance creased counterdrug initiatives in Colombia remains unclear though Autumn 2000 / JFQ 49 1026 Groves Pgs 7/17/01 10:13 AM Page 50 (cid:2) JFQ FORUM medical and educational opportunities Base camp Bluegrass, for thousands of mostly rural people. Esmeraldas Province. Moreover, an intangible benefit is the sense of accomplishment embedded in the history of the participating units. People Are Key State partnership activities have been criticized as lacking in methods to objectively measure outcomes. While some engagement falls into the categories of goodwill or information exchange, the basis for Army and Air National Guard deployments is clear— training value and accomplishing mis- m) sion essential tasks. The deployment of W. Alto tehneg iKneenertu ucnkyit sN taot iorenaall wGouralrdd mexispsoiosends O (David under demanding conditions, includ- G PA N ing the movement of vehicles and YAR equipment by road, rail, and sea. K Many partner states have rein- forced mil-to-mil activities through networking and ventures in collabora- its value system is fertile soil for the states—working with the active com- tion with cultural, business, educa- grass roots engagement which the pro- ponents through unified commands— tional, and government organizations gram seeks to cultivate. are engaged in efforts to diminish the in their states. The Kentucky National The value of the state partnership potential of conflict in various regions Guard has worked with groups having program is day to day engagement. Al- of the world. Winning on the battle- longstanding contacts in Ecuador, though Kentucky and West Virginia field remains job number one, but most notably the Partners of the Amer- were aligned with Ecuador and Peru achieving national security objectives icas (founded in 1964 as the people-to- when border hostilities were taking without a resort to arms is also worthy people component of the Alliance for place, the program can take little credit of our effort. JFQ Progress) whose volunteers include for the peace accord. The same can be farmers, artists, emergency planners, said for the military coup in Ecuador building officials, sports teams, and with its counterproductive and embar- university faculty. Part of the long- rassing implications. Program partici- term vision of the program is that mili- pants were little more than bystanders. tary-to-military activities will gradually Counterdemocratic tendencies in Ecuador are part of a political the value of the state partnership culture in which the military has seen itself as the second program is day to day engagement team ever ready to govern when civilian institutions fail. be offset by interaction involving non- The country has a tradition of demo- military interests, initiative, and insti- cratic idealism, but its economy and in- tutions in furtherance of democratic ternal conflicts have blocked progress. institutions and market economics. Now threats from drug trafficking and The peoples of Latin America are guerrilla activity are enormous. generally aware of civic life and governance in the United States. This aware- There is no quick fix for Ecuador ness results in part from immigrants to or any other developing country. The this country who remain in close con- key is contact between peoples. In tact with their families at home. Al- their limited but effective way, state though comparatively few immigrants partnerships seek to build confidence from Ecuador have settled in Kentucky, in the rule of law and commitment to those who have settled elsewhere are a the institutions in which democratic source of information on democratic principles are grounded. institutions. This ebb and flow of The Kentucky National Guard and knowledge about the United States and counterpart organizations in other 50 JFQ / Autumn 2000