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C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ISLAMABAD 001825
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/12/2018
TAGS: PGOV PK PREL
SUBJECT: LIFE AT NDU: TRAINING PAKISTAN'S NEXT GENERATION OF MILITARY LEADERS
REF: ISLAMABAD 1073
Classified By: Anne W. Patterson, Reasons 1.4 (b), (d)
1. (C) Summary: Pakistan's National Defense University's curriculum is designed to foster national pride, but many of
its students and instructors have an anti-American bias. Their attitudes demonstrate why we should continue our efforts
to increase IMET opportunities, especially those aimed at the generation of Pakistani military who were ineligible for
IMET during the sanctions years. We should also consider an exchange program of instructors to broaden understanding of
the U.S. End summary.
2. (C) On April 29, Poloff met with U.S. Army Colonel Michael Schleicher, who currently is attending the Senior Course
at National Defense University (NDU). The following cable details his perceptions of the course, his classmates, and his
instructors.
NDU Overview
------------
3. (C) Pakistan's National Defense University (formerly National Defense College) currently is lead by Lieutenant
General Hamid Khan, the former 11th Corps Commander. NDU has two courses: students at the colonel and brigadier rank
attend the Senior Course and obtain the equivalent of a master's degree; the Junior Course is for students at the
lieutenant colonel and colonel rank.
Course Curriculum
-----------------
4. (C) Instruction for the Senior Course centers around three pillars that emphasize national pride. Students are first
instructed on classic nation state development, which includes use of Islamic texts. The second pillar uses Pakistan's
foundation documents--such as the works of Mohammad Ali Jinnah (the George Washington of Pakistan) and the country's
first constitution--to discuss why Pakistan was created and how this legacy should impact the country's future policies.
Economic courses--the third pillar--make up approximately half of course lectures, with particular focus on
macroeconomics and regional water and energy issues.
5. (C) The Directing Staff--along with guest speakers--provide lectures that are read from scripts usually meticulously
vetted in advance. Lecturers often "teach" their students information that is heavily biased against the United States.
Throughout this year's course, only a handful of non-Pakistanis were invited to speak as guest lecturers.
Student Demographics
--------------------
6. (C) The Senior Course this year includes 135 classmates, approximately 25 of whom are military officers from
Pakistan's allies (including the U.S., Britain, Canada, China, Islamic Countries, South Africa, Nigeria, and Libya).
Pakistani senior civil servants are also allowed in the class.
7. (C) Most of the Pakistani students in this year's class are approximately 50 years old; almost all had parents who
were born in British-India. During his professional and personal interactions with the students, Col. Schleicher
estimated that approximately a third of his class was religiously devout, a third of his class was moderately religious,
and less than a third of his class was overtly secular. Of the 135 Senior Course students, only two openly drank
alcohol. Col. Schleicher believed the secular students felt peer pressure to appear more religious than they actually
were.
8. (C) The Pakistani military students appeared to come from wealthy families or from military families and were proud
they received amenities, including private-quality schools and good health care, as an incentive to stay in the
military. Officers at the brigadier rank touted their privileges, including a house, car, and a driver. The NDU students
also obtained financial perks, such as a free trip
ISLAMABAD 00001825 002 OF 002
for a pilgrimage that could be taken at the end of the class' official travels.
9. (C) There is one woman in this year's Senior Course; last year there were two women in the class. During all trips
and visits, the separation of men and women is strictly observed. For example, there are separate buses for the female
student and the officers, wives. The Directing Staff includes a woman member, Ambassador Raanan, who previously
represented Pakistan in Turkmenistan.
10. (C) Although the class is conducted in English, few students are truly fluent. Some of the foreign students are
functionally illiterate in English.
Misperceptions
---------------
11. (C) Course instructors often had misperceptions about U.S. policies and culture and infused their lectures with
these suspicions. For example, one guest lecturer--who is a Pakistani one-star general--claimed the U.S. National
Security Agency actively trains correspondents for media organizations. Some students share these misconceptions despite
having children who attended universities in the U.S. or London. For example, some did not believe the U.S. used female
pilots overseas; they were convinced female pilots were restricted to flying within U.S. borders. Others thought the CIA
was in charge of U.S. media (and that MI-5 was in charge of the BBC). Students in the Junior Course shared many of the
biases prevalent in the Muslim world, including a belief the U.S. invaded Iraq for its oil and that 9/11 was a staged
"Jewish conspiracy." In contrast to criticism of the U.S., students and instructors were adamant in their approval of
all things Chinese.
12. (C) Comment: When Ambassador addressed NDU last year, she received astonishingly naive and biased questions about
America. With Washington's support, post is working to dramatically increase IMET opportunities for officers and NCOs.
We need, in particular, to target the "lost generation" of Pakistan military who missed IMET opportunities during the
sanctions years. The elite of this crop of colonels and brigadiers are receiving biased NDU training with no chance to
hear alternative views of the U.S. Given the bias of the instructors, we also believe it would be beneficial to initiate
an exchange program for instructors.
PATTERSON