Operation Astute was an Australian-led military deployment to

East Timor East Timor (), also known as Timor-Leste (), officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is an island country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the exclave of Oecusse on the island's north-w ...

to quell unrest and return stability in the

2006 East Timor crisis The 2006 East Timorese crisis began as a conflict between elements of the military of East Timor over discrimination within the military and expanded to a coup attempt and general violence throughout the country, centred in the capital Dili. T ...

. It was headed by Brigadier Bill Sowry, and commenced on 25 May 2006 under the command of Brigadier Michael Slater. The operation was established at the request of East Timor's government, and continued under an understanding reached between Australia, East Timor, and the United Nations, with the United Nations Integrated Mission in East Timor supporting and helping to develop East Timor's police force. Other countries deploying soldiers to East Timor include

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federal constitutional monarchy consists of thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two regions: Peninsular Malaysia and Borneo's East Mal ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island coun ...

and East Timor's former colonial power

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of th ...

, operating under independent command.

Initial tasks

The initial tasks of the operation were to: *Allow for the evacuation of foreigners. *Restore stability and confine conflict to secured areas. *Assess and locate the weapons possessed by conflicting groups. *Establish a safe environment for dialogue to resolve the crisis.

Deployment

A forward deployment of approximately 200, including a commando company from the 4th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment & C Coy, 2nd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment, secured an entry point for follow-on forces centred on Dili Airport. The full deployment consisted of a battalion group of about 1,800 personnel drawn from the 2nd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment & 3rd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment and other Australian and New Zealand Army units. Evacuations were carried out by C-130 Hercules aircraft from the

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

, using RAAF Base Darwin as a

Forward Operating Base A forward operating base (FOB) is any secured forward operational level military position, commonly a military base, that is used to support strategic goals and tactical objectives. A FOB may or may not contain an airfield, hospital, machine ...

.
Troops pour into Dili
', ABC News Online, 26 May 2006 Initial assets deployed included the guided-missile frigate HMAS ''Adelaide'', the replenishment vessel HMAS ''Success'' and the amphibious landing/hospital ship HMAS ''Kanimbla''. Landing ships HMAS ''Tobruk'' and HMAS ''Manoora'' were also sent to East Timor with follow-on forces. Operation Astute was established at the request of East Timor's government. Troops from former INTERFET nations including mostly from

and

have augmented the Australian force. Prior to sending troops, each participating government negotiated a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with the government of

Malaysian Army The Malaysian Army ( ms, Tentera Darat Malaysia; Jawi: تنترا دارت مليسيا) is the land component of the Malaysian Armed Forces. Steeped in British Army traditions, the Malaysian Army does not carry the title ‘royal’ () as do th ...

forces began arriving on 26 May, by air.

Timeline

May 2006

;24 May * 21:59 (Canberra) Acting Prime Minister of Australia, Peter Costello, announced in a press conference that

had requested Australia "send defence forces to East Timor to help in maintaining and re-establishing public order". Australia would send an advance party including the Vice Chief of Defence force to negotiate conditions of the deployment the following morning. ;25 May * 07:00 (Canberra) Prime Minister of Australia John Howard arrives back in Canberra from Dublin early, though not officially because of the East Timor crisis. * 12:30 (Darwin) A RAAF 34SQN Challenger 604 (VIP jet) was tasked to fly the Australian Vice Chief of Defence Force from Canberra to Dili via Darwin, to negotiate the rules of engagement of the Australian operation, and other conditions of deployment. However, on arrival in Darwin the Chief of the Defence Force ordered the aircraft to remain in Darwin, due to a dramatic increase in violence in Dili. * (Dili) RAAF 37SQN C130J Hercules aircraft arrive at Dili from Darwin with 130

commandos Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin">40_Commando.html" ;"title="Royal Marines from 40 Commando">Royal Marines from 40 Commando on patrol in the Sangin area of Afghanistan are pictured A commando is a combatant, or operativ ...

on board, together with 4

Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal land warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Australian Air Force. The Army is commanded by the Chief of Army (CA), who ...

Black Hawk Black Hawk and Blackhawk may refer to: Animals * Black Hawk (horse), a Morgan horse that lived from 1833 to 1856 * Common black hawk, ''Buteogallus anthracinus'' * Cuban black hawk, ''Buteogallus gundlachii'' * Great black hawk, ''Buteogallus urub ...

helicopters. The Vice Chief of Defence Force was also on board the C130, after being unable to fly to Dili on the RAAF VIP jet. Dili Airport is now under Australian military control. However the VCDF is unable to leave the airport due to security concerns. * (Dili)

HMAS Adelaide Three ships of the Royal Australian Navy have been named HMAS ''Adelaide'', after Adelaide, the capital city of South Australia: * was a Town-class light cruiser commissioned in 1922 and decommissioned in 1946 * was an ''Adelaide''-class frigat ...

arrives in Dili Harbour. * 18:43 (Canberra) Prime Minister John Howard announces in a press conference that the deployment will "go ahead without any conditionality" and that 1300 troops would be in place "in a very short order", despite a failure to negotiate conditions of the deployment with the East Timorese Government. He explains waiting for signatures could lead to significant further bloodshed and the East Timorese Government is desperate for Australian troops to arrive. * (Darwin) The

Royal Australian Air Force "Through Adversity to the Stars" , colours = , colours_label = , march = , mascot = , anniversaries = RAAF Anniversary Commemoration ...

commence transporting troops to Dili. A 33SQN Boeing 707 ferries troops between Townsville and Darwin, whilst 36SQN

C-130 The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 was originally desi ...

Hs and 37SQN C-130Js transport troops and supplies between Darwin and Dili. The flights also commence evacuations of civilians on the return legs. The flights continue throughout the night and the following day to form an air bridge between Darwin and Dili. ;26 May * (Dili) Malaysian Army soldiers begin arrive in Dili. RAAF aircraft continue to transport troops and equipment. * United States Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team platoon arrives in Dili to protect the US Embassy. ;27 May * 13:30 (Darwin) A Royal New Zealand Air Force C-130H arrives in Darwin from Townsville, ready to deploy New Zealand soldiers to East Timor. ;29 May * The initial deployment of Australian soldiers is completed. * A platoon of 42 New Zealand soldiers arrives in Dili to secure the New Zealand embassy. ;31 May * Delta Company, 2/1 Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment of 123 New Zealand soldiers arrives in Dili.

June 2006

; 2 June * 8 New Zealand

military police Military police (MP) are law enforcement agencies connected with, or part of, the military of a state. In wartime operations, the military police may support the main fighting force with force protection, convoy security, screening, rear rec ...

arrive in Dili. ; 3 June * USAF C-17 Globemaster III aircraft complete their task of ferrying Australian troops and equipment between Townsville and Darwin. ; 7 June * Australian Defence Minister

Brendan Nelson Brendan John Nelson (born 19 August 1958) is a business leader and former Australian politician. He served as the federal Leader of the Opposition from 2007 to 2008, going on to serve as Australia's senior diplomat to the European Union and NA ...

and New Zealand Defence Minister

Phil Goff Philip Bruce Goff (born 22 June 1953) is a New Zealand politician. He was a member of the New Zealand Parliament from 1981 to 1990 and again from 1993 to 2016. He served as leader of the Labour Party and leader of the Opposition between 11 N ...

and Defence Secretary

Graham Fortune Graham Charles Fortune (13 December 1941 – 19 March 2016) was a New Zealand diplomat and public servant. He served as New Zealand's High Commissioner to Australia from 1994 to 1999, and Secretary of Defence from 1999 until 2006. Early life ...

visit Dili. ; 16 June * Rebel Timorese soldiers begin handing their weapons over to Australian troops. ; 27 June * It is announced that a New Zealand soldier fired a warning shot during the week of 18–24 June. This is apparently the first shot fired during the intervention.

July 2006

; 1 July * 50 soldiers from 2/1 RNZIR and other units fly to Timor Leste to replace members of the initial New Zealand force. ; 18 July * Australian Prime Minister

John Howard John Winston Howard (born 26 July 1939) is an Australian former politician who served as the 25th prime minister of Australia from 1996 to 2007, holding office as leader of the Liberal Party. His eleven-year tenure as prime minister is the ...

visits Timor Leste. During his visit he announced that the Australian force in the country will be gradually reduced. ; 19 July * HMAS ''Kanimbla'' departs Timor Leste for Australia carrying 250 soldiers and four S-70A Blackhawk helicopters.

August 2006

; 3 August * The Australian Government announces that the ADF has commenced a gradual drawdown of forces in Timor Leste due to the improving security situation. An infantry company, 23 armoured personnel carriers and support personnel are scheduled to depart Timor Leste over the next few weeks. ; 7 August * A Company, 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment returns to Townsville after 71 days in Timor Leste as part of Battle Group Faithful. ; 14 August * G Company,

4th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery Fourth or the fourth may refer to: * the ordinal form of the number 4 * ''Fourth'' (album), by Soft Machine, 1971 * Fourth (angle), an ancient astronomical subdivision * Fourth (music), a musical interval * ''The Fourth'' (1972 film), a Sovie ...

returns to Townsville after being deployed since 26 May 2006. ; 27 August * D Company, 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment returns to Townsville after being deployed to Timor Leste. Further soldiers from the 3rd Combat Signal Regiment are scheduled to return later in the week. ; 28 August * It is announced that 44 New Zealand military personnel will return home from Timor Leste on 31 August.

September 2006

; 7 September * It is announced that a rifle company from 1 RAR will be deployed to Timor Leste by 9 September to reinforce the Australian-led force following

Alfredo Reinado Alfredo Alves Reinado (11 November 1968 in Dili – 11 February 2008), sometimes spelled Reinhado, was a major in the military of Timor-Leste, the Timor Leste Defence Force (F-FDTL). He deserted on 4 May 2006 to join approximately 600 forme ...

's escape from prison on 30 August. ; 19 September * The final elements of the Australian Army Battle Group Faithful return to Australia having been replaced by the ANZAC Battle Group led by the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment.

October 2006

; 26 October * Brigadier Mal Rerden takes command of Joint Task Force 631, replacing Brigadier Mick Slater.

December 2006

; 17 December * Protests against UN troops intensify after they are accused of being responsible for the killing of a rebel gang member during factional clashes.

January 2007

;26 January * Australia, East Timor, and the United Nations sign a memorandum of understanding under which Operation Astute continues and the United Nations Integrated Mission in East Timor supports and helps to develop East Timor's police force.

March 2007

; 4 March * After cornering Reinado at a compound in Same, Australian Special Forces enter the town and conduct an assault. Reinado evades capture but five of his men are killed in the

Battle of Same The Battle of Same (4 March 2007) was fought in the village of Same in Timor Leste, south of the capital Dili, between Australian Special Forces and Petitioner rebels under the command of Alfredo Reinado. The operation occurred under the auspice ...

. The Timor Leste government subsequently called off the manhunt, preferring to pursue a dialogue with the rebels instead.

May 2007

;9 May * Australian forces successfully supervise round two elections, with no reports of violence. ;10 May * An unmanned Australian spy plane on operations over East Timor crashes into a house in the densely populated eastern suburb of Becora in Dili. Military helicopters were quickly sent to locate the wreckage, and an investigation was scheduled to begin the next day into whether the crash was due to technical failure or operator error.

August 2007

;2 August *Brigadier John Hutcheson takes over command from Brigadier Mal Rerden.

January 2008

;31 January *Brigadier James Baker takes over command from Brigadier John Hutcheson.

July 2008

;31 July *Brigadier Mark Holmes takes over command.

January 2009

;16 January *Brigadier Bill Sowry takes over command from Brigadier Mark Holmes.

Military units involved

Operation Astute is an Australian military operation. While the Malaysian and New Zealand contingents operate under overall Australian command, the Portuguese contingent operates under Portuguese national command.'' Portuguese military land in East Timor''.

Wikinews Wikinews is a free-content news wiki and a project of the Wikimedia Foundation that works through collaborative journalism. Wikipedia cofounder Jimmy Wales has distinguished Wikinews from Wikipedia by saying, "On Wikinews, each story is to be ...

. 4 June 2006. The initial Australian units deployed as part of the operation fell under the operational command of Brigadier Michael Slater, the commander of the

Australian 3rd Brigade The 3rd Brigade is a combined arms brigade of the Australian Army, principally made up of the 1st and 3rd Battalions of the Royal Australian Regiment (1 and 3 RAR). Initially raised in 1903 as part of the post-Federation Australian Army, it wa ...

. The major unit involved in land operations was the 3rd Battalion under its commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel

Mick Mumford Colonel Michael Anthony Mumford, is a career officer in the Australian Army, now serving as a part of the Australian Army Reserve. He came to prominence in 2006: *Commanding Officer, 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, from early 2006, wi ...

. This force was replaced in early September 2006 by a battalion group based around the 6th Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment designated the ANZAC Battle Group.

Australia

Australian Army

Australia currently has approximately 404 personnel deployed to Timor-Leste, the majority of whom are formed into the ''ANZAC Battle Group'', named due to the presence of a rifle company from the New Zealand Army integrated in its structure. * Headquarters Joint Task Force 631 ** Elements, 1st Military Police Battalion * ANZAC Battle Group: This battle group includes elements of other units: * Headquarters, 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment ** B Company, 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment ** C Company, 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment ** Victor Company, 1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment ** Battery, 16th Air Defence Regiment (operating as infantry) ** Elements,

** Elements, 17 Construction Squadron, Royal Australian Engineers ** Elements, B Squadron, 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment ** Elements, B Squadron, 5th Aviation Regiment ** Troop, 1st Aviation Regiment The initial Australian Army force consisted of: * Headquarters elements, 3rd Brigade *

3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR) is a mechanised infantry battalion of the Australian Army, based in Kapyong Lines, Townsville as part of the 3rd Brigade. 3 RAR traces its lineage to 1945 and has seen operational servi ...

(3 RAR) battle group ('Battle Group Faithful'). This battle group included the following elements of other units: ** Airborne Combat Team Bravo, 3 RAR ** A Company,

1 RAR 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (1 RAR) is a regular motorised infantry battalion of the Australian Army. 1 RAR was first formed as the 65th Australian Infantry Battalion of the 34th Brigade (Australia) on Balikpapan in 1945 and since ...

** C and D Companies, 2 RAR ** G (108 Field Battery) Company,

(operating as

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

) ** B Squadron, 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment (originally equipped with 33 x M113 armoured personnel carriers) ** 16 Combat Engineer Squadron, 3rd Combat Engineer Regiment * Commando Company Group, 4th Battalion (Commando), Royal Australian Regiment * Troop, Australian Special Air Service Regiment * 3rd Combat Service Support Group (based around the

3rd Combat Service Support Battalion Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hi ...

) * Aviation element ('Combat Team Vigilance') ** Eight S-70A Blackhawk transport helicopters, drawn from B Squadron, 5th Aviation Regiment and the 171st Aviation Squadron (four helicopters since 19 July) ** Four

Kiowa Kiowa () people are a Native American tribe and an indigenous people of the Great Plains of the United States. They migrated southward from western Montana into the Rocky Mountains in Colorado in the 17th and 18th centuries,Pritzker 326 and e ...

light observation helicopters, 1st Aviation Regiment ** Detachment, Emergency Response Squadron,

Incident Response Regiment The Special Operations Engineer Regiment (SOER) is a specialised unit of the Australian Army. The regiment forms part of the Special Operations Command. The unit was formed in 2002 as the Incident Response Regiment (IRR), they are deployed to r ...

** Detachment, 9th Petroleum Platoon, roviding bulk fuel support to aircraft and land vehicles to ensure the mission was achieved.

Royal Australian Navy

* HMAS ''Adelaide'' (until 28 May) ** One

S-70B-2 Seahawk The Sikorsky S-70 is an American medium transport/utility helicopter family manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. It was developed for the United States Army in the 1970s, winning a competition to be designated the UH-60 Black Hawk and spawning a ...

helicopter, 816 Squadron RAN (until 28 May) * HMAS ''Kanimbla'' * HMAS ''Manoora'' * HMAS ''Tobruk'' (until approximately 8 June) * HMAS ''Balikpapan'' * HMAS ''Tarakan'' * HMAS ''Success'' (until 28 May) * Two Sea King helicopters, 817 Squadron RAN The

Royal Australian Navy The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the principal naval force of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (CN) Vice Admiral Mark Hammond AM, RAN. CN is also jointly responsible to the Minister o ...

force committed to Operation Astute is apparently the largest amphibious task force in the Navy's history.

Royal Australian Air Force

* Elements,

No. 33 Squadron RAAF No. 33 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) strategic transport and air-to-air refuelling squadron. It operates Airbus KC-30A Multi Role Tanker Transports from RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland. The squadron was formed in February 194 ...

( Boeing 707) – Domestic support only * Elements,

No. 36 Squadron RAAF No. 36 Squadron is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) strategic transport squadron. It operates Boeing C-17 Globemaster III heavy airlifters from RAAF Base Amberley, Queensland. The squadron has seen active service flying transport airc ...

( C-130H) * Elements, No. 37 Squadron RAAF ( C-130J) * AP-3C Orion aircraft,

No. 92 Wing RAAF No. 92 Wing is the maritime patrol wing of the Royal Australian Air Force. Headquartered at RAAF Base Edinburgh, 92WG is part of the Surveillance and Response Group, and with the transitioning of No. 10 Squadron to 42 Wing with effect 1 May 20 ...

* Detachment, No. 2 Airfield Defence Squadron RAAF at Dili airport. * No. 382 Expeditionary Combat Support Squadron * RAAF Airload Team at Dili airport. 33SQN are assisting the operation by transporting troops from RAAF Base Townsville to RAAF Base Darwin, however only 36SQN and 37SQN have been flying from Darwin to Dili.

Malaysia

Malaysian Army

* 209 parachute soldiers from the 10th Paratrooper Brigade * Transport aircraft * Elements, 19th Battalion, Royal Malay Regt (Mechanised) * Elements from

Grup Gerak Khas The 21st Special Service Group ( Abbr.: 21 SSG, ) is a command for Malaysian Army special forces, the '' Gerak Khas''. The 21 SSG and 10th Parachute Brigade are elite fighting formations of the Malaysian Army. Both units are independent units und ...

(Army Special Forces)

Royal Malaysian Navy

* Elements from PASKAL (Naval Special Forces) * Two warships; KD ''Mahawangsa'' and KD ''Indera Sakti''

Royal Malaysia Police

The Malaysian Government currently anticipates replacing the Malaysian military force with Pasukan Gerakan Khas and

General Operations Force The General Operations Force ( ms, Pasukan Gerakan Am; PGA, ''Jawi'': ڤاسوكن ڬرقن عام) is the light infantry arm of the Royal Malaysia Police. The General Operations Force was established in 1948 during the Malayan Emergency by th ...

operators of the Royal Malaysia Police at the end of July.

New Zealand

New Zealand Army

* Delta Company (reinforced), 2/1st Battalion, Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment (Integrated into ANZAC Battle Group) * Military police section, 2nd Military Police Platoon

Royal New Zealand Air Force

* One

Boeing 757-200 The Boeing 757 is an American narrow-body airliner designed and built by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. The then-named 7N7, a twinjet successor for the 727 (a trijet), received its first orders in August 1978. The prototype completed its maide ...

No. 40 Squadron RNZAF , colors= , colors_label= , march= , mascot=Mariners compass star , equipment= Boeing 757, C-130H Hercules , equipment_label= , battles= World War II, Korean War, Malaya, Vietnam War, Rwanda, Somalia, Gulf War, East Timor, Solomon Islands, I ...

* One C-130H,

Royal New Zealand Navy

* HMNZS ''Endeavour'' * HMNZS ''Canterbury'' * HMNZS ''Te Kaha''

Portugal

While the Portuguese forces deployed to East Timor are not operating under Australian command, they are acting in co-operation with the Australian, Malaysian and New Zealand forces which are under Australian command. * Bravo Detachment of the Republican National Guard (GNR), initially with 120 soldiers and now with about 200 * 16 officers from the Special Operations Group (GOE) of the Public Security Police

United States

* Two C-17 Globemaster III transport aircraft from the 15th Airlift Wing * 6 person Combat Mobility Element from the 15th Logistics Readiness Squadron The two United States aircraft flew transport flights between Australian air bases (mainly RAAF Base Townsville and RAAF Base Darwin) and were not deployed to East Timor. The aircraft did, however, visit the

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...

in order pick up Australian equipment and personnel. The USAF force completed its mission on 3 June. In addition, a platoon of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through c ...

Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team was flown into Dili by a

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

C-40 Clipper on 26 May to secure the US embassy in Dili.
FAST Platoon to Provide Security at U.S. Embassy Dili
''.

United States Pacific Command United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is a unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Pacific region. Formerly known as United States Pacific Command (USPACOM) since its inception in 1947, ...

. 26 May 2006. This platoon does not appear to have fallen under Australian command as part of Operation Astute.

Cost

The cost of Operation Astute has represented the third largest operation expenditure between 2006 and 2008, and the second largest from 2009. Below is the yearly expenditure on Operation Astute of the Australian Defence Force.

References

External links

Operation Astute
{{coord missing, East Timor United Nations operations in East Timor Military history of East Timor Astute Astute 2006 in East Timor Australia–East Timor relations