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Operation Astute was an
Australian Australian(s) may refer to: Australia * Australia, a country * Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia ** European Australians ** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists ** Aboriginal Aus ...
-led military deployment to
East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...
to quell unrest and return stability in the 2006 East Timor crisis. 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. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
,
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
and East Timor's former
colonial power Colonialism is the control of another territory, natural resources and people by a foreign group. Colonizers control the political and tribal power of the colonised territory. While frequently an imperialist project, colonialism can also take ...
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
, 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 The Lockheed C-130 Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft designed and built by Lockheed Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...
aircraft from the
Royal Australian Air Force The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...
, using
RAAF Base Darwin RAAF Base Darwin is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located in the city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory, Australia. The base shares its runway with Darwin International Airport, for civil aviation purposes. The h ...
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 contain an airbase, hospital, machine shop, and othe ...
. 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 The International Force East Timor (INTERFET) was a multinational non-United Nations peacemaking task force, organised and led by Australia in accordance with United Nations resolutions to address the humanitarian and security crisis that took ...
nations including mostly from
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
,
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
and
Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
have augmented the Australian force. Prior to sending troops, each participating government negotiated a
Status of Forces Agreement A status of forces agreement (SOFA) is an agreement between a host country and a foreign nation stationing military forces in that country. SOFAs are often included, along with other types of military agreements, as part of a comprehensive security ...
(SOFA) with the government of
East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...
. Besides Australia, New Zealand and, for a time, the
Malaysian Army The Malaysian Army (; Jawi alphabet, Jawi: ) 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 the Royal Malaysian Navy and the Royal Malaysi ...
forces began arriving on 26 May by air and Portugal had also sent troops to East Timor. Initially, over 3,000 soldiers were deployed, but after the United Nations sent an international police mission ( UNMIT) at the end of August 2006 and the situation calmed down, troop numbers were reduced. The ISF and UNMIT now jointly maintained law and order and helped rebuild the East Timorese security forces. An important task of both was also to ensure that the presidential and
parliamentary elections A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. General elections ...
in 2007 proceeded reasonably peacefully. Australia, however, insisted that the ISF remain under its leadership and not under UN leadership. The ISF's attempt to capture the fugitive leader of the 2006 rebel soldiers, Alfredo Reinado, was unsuccessful. An attempted seizure in Same failed despite the deployment of an Australian special force and helicopters. Reinado was later killed in an assassination attempt on the East Timorese leadership on 11 February 2008. In February 2008, following the attack, Australia initially increased its troops from 800 to 1000. By the end of October 2008, the ISF still consisted of a total of about 1000 men. Australia provided soldiers from the
ANZAC The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps (ANZAC) was originally a First World War army corps of the British Empire under the command of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force. It was formed in Egypt in December 1914, and operated during the ...
Battle Group of the 1st Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment from
Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...
. In addition, there were units from the Army Aviation, Logistics, Military Police and Pioneers. In October 2009, the Australian contingent was down to 650 men. New Zealand still provided 155 soldiers in December 2009. These included an Infantry Rifle Company attached to the ANZAC Battle Group and two Iroquois helicopters with 32 members of No 3 Squadron of the
Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; ) is the aerial warfare, aerial military service, service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Perm ...
. In 2010, the force was reduced to 400 Australian and 75 New Zealand soldiers. The rebel movement subsequently collapsed in the following weeks. Troops were gradually reduced due to the progress made in stabilising the country, and it was decided to withdraw foreign security forces after the 2012 presidential and
parliamentary In modern politics and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...
elections.


Timeline


May 2006

;24 May * 21:59 (Canberra) Acting Prime Minister of Australia, Peter Costello, announced in a press conference that
East Timor Timor-Leste, also known as East Timor, officially the Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste, is a country in Southeast Asia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of Timor, the coastal exclave of Oecusse in the island's northwest, and ...
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 The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the governor-general of Aus ...
34SQN Challenger 604 (VIP jet) was tasked to fly the Australian Vice Chief of Defence Force from
Canberra Canberra ( ; ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the Federation of Australia, federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's list of cities in Australia, largest in ...
to
Dili Dili (Portuguese language, Portuguese and Tetum language, Tetum: ''Díli'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Timor-Leste. It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed in by mountai ...
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 The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the governor-general of Aus ...
37SQN C130J Hercules aircraft arrive at
Dili Dili (Portuguese language, Portuguese and Tetum language, Tetum: ''Díli'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Timor-Leste. It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed in by mountai ...
from Darwin with 130
commandos A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as opp ...
on board, together with 4
Australian Army The Australian Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of Australia. It is 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 ...
Black Hawk 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 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 The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...
commence transporting troops to Dili. A 33SQN
Boeing 707 The Boeing 707 is an early American long-range Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, the initial first flew on Decembe ...
ferries troops between
Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...
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 Corporation, Lockheed (now Lockheed Martin). Capable of using unprepared runways for takeoffs and landings, the C-130 w ...
Hs and 37SQN
C-130J The Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems. The C-130J is th ...
s 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 The Marine Corps Security Force Regiment is a dedicated expeditionary security and anti-terrorism regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Its mission is to provide security forces to guard high-value naval installations, most notably t ...
platoon arrives in Dili to protect the US Embassy. ;27 May * 13:30 (Darwin) A
Royal New Zealand Air Force The Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF; ) is the aerial warfare, aerial military service, service branch of the New Zealand Defence Force. It was formed initially in 1923 as a branch of the New Zealand Army, being known as the New Zealand Perm ...
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. Not to be confused with civilian police, who are legally part of the civilian populace. In wartime operations, the military police may supp ...
arrive in Dili. ; 3 June * USAF
C-17 Globemaster III The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) between the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two previ ...
aircraft complete their task of ferrying Australian troops and equipment between
Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...
and Darwin. ; 7 June * Australian Defence Minister
Brendan Nelson Brendan John Nelson (born 19 August 1958) is an Australian business leader, physician and former 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 ...
and New Zealand Defence Minister
Phil Goff Philip Bruce Goff (born 22 June 1953) is a New Zealand retired politician and former diplomat. 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 New Zealand Labour Party, le ...
and Defence Secretary Graham Fortune 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. He held office as leader of the Liberal Party of Australia. His eleven-year tenure as prime min ...
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 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 ...
returns to
Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...
after 71 days in Timor Leste as part of Battle Group Faithful. ; 14 August * G Company, 4th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery returns to
Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...
after being deployed since 26 May 2006. ; 27 August * D Company,
2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment The 2nd Battalion (Amphibious), The Royal Australian Regiment (2 RAR (Amphib)) is an amphibious reconnaissance battalion of the Australian Army part of the 1st Division Amphibious Task Group based at Lavarack Barracks in Townsville. 2 RAR was ...
returns to
Townsville The City of Townsville is a city on the north-eastern coast of Queensland, Australia. With a population of 201,313 as of 2024, it is the largest settlement in North Queensland and Northern Australia (specifically, the parts of Australia north of ...
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'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 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 Wikimedia project, project of the Wikimedia Foundation that works through collaborative journalism through user-created content. Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales has distinguished Wikinews from Wikipe ...
. 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 major unit involved in land operations was the 3rd Battalion under its commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Mick Mumford. 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 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 ...
** B Company, 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment ** C Company, 1st Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment ** Victor Company, 1st Battalion,
Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment The Royal New Zealand Infantry Regiment is the parent administrative regiment and corps of regular and reserve infantry battalions in the New Zealand Army. It was originally formed in 1947 with a singular Regular regiment and multiple reserve ...
** Battery, 16th Air Defence Regiment (operating as infantry) ** Elements, 4th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery ** 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 (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, 4th Field Regiment, Royal Australian Artillery (operating as
infantry Infantry, or infantryman are a type of soldier who specialize in ground combat, typically fighting dismounted. Historically the term was used to describe foot soldiers, i.e. those who march and fight on foot. In modern usage, the term broadl ...
) ** B Squadron, 3rd/4th Cavalry Regiment (originally equipped with 33 x
M113 armoured personnel carrier The M113 is a fully tracked armored personnel carrier (APC) that was developed and produced by the FMC Corporation. The M113 was sent to United States Army Europe in 1961 to replace the mechanized infantry's M59 APCs. The M113 was first used ...
s) ** 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) * 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 ( ) or Cáuigú () people are a Native Americans in the United States, 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 Colora ...
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 ...
** 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 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 navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...
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 (
Boeing 707 The Boeing 707 is an early American long-range Narrow-body aircraft, narrow-body airliner, the first jetliner developed and produced by Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Developed from the Boeing 367-80 prototype, the initial first flew on Decembe ...
) – Domestic support only * Elements, No. 36 Squadron RAAF ( C-130H) * Elements, No. 37 Squadron RAAF (
C-130J The Lockheed Martin C-130J Super Hercules is an American four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft. The C-130J is a comprehensive update of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules, with new engines, flight deck, and other systems. The C-130J is th ...
) * AP-3C Orion aircraft, No. 92 Wing RAAF * 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 RAAF Base Townsville (formerly RAAF Base Garbutt) is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military airfield, air base located in , west of Townsville in Queensland, Australia. It is the headquarters for No. 1 Wing Australian Air Force Cade ...
to
RAAF Base Darwin RAAF Base Darwin is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located in the city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory, Australia. The base shares its runway with Darwin International Airport, for civil aviation purposes. The h ...
, however only 36SQN and 37SQN have been flying from Darwin to
Dili Dili (Portuguese language, Portuguese and Tetum language, Tetum: ''Díli'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Timor-Leste. It lies on the northern coast of the island of Timor, in a small area of flat land hemmed in by mountai ...
.


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 (Abbreviation, Abbr.: 21 SSG, ), also known as the 21st Special Forces Group, serves as the Command (military formation), command for the Malaysian Army's special forces, the ''Gerak Khas (Malaysian Army unit), Ger ...
(Army Special Forces)


Royal Malaysian Navy

* Elements from
PASKAL Paskal or Paškal is a masculine given name which may refer to: * Paškal Jukić (1748-1806), preacher, musician, and professor of philosophy from what is now Croatia * Paskal Milo (born 1949), Albanian historian, politician and leader of the So ...
(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 ''Pasukan Gerakan Khas'' (Abbreviation: PGK; 'Special Operations Command — Police SOCOM', Jawi script, Jawi: ڤاسوكن ڬرقن خاص) is a special operations Command (military formation), command of the Royal Malaysia Police (RMP). The ...
and
General Operations Force The General Operations Force (GOF; ; PGA, Jawi: ) serves as the light infantry arm of the Royal Malaysia Police. It was originally established in 1948 during the Malayan Emergency by the British colonial administration. At that time, the poli ...
operators of the
Royal Malaysia Police The Royal Malaysia Police (often abbreviated RMP) (; Jawi script, Jawi: ), is a (primarily) uniformed national and federal police force in Malaysia. The force is a centralised organisation, and its headquarters are located at Bukit Aman, Kuala ...
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, No. 40 Squadron RNZAF * One C-130H, No. 40 Squadron RNZAF


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 The McDonnell Douglas/Boeing C-17 Globemaster III is a large military transport aircraft developed for the United States Air Force (USAF) between the 1980s to the early 1990s by McDonnell Douglas. The C-17 carries forward the name of two previ ...
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 RAAF Base Townsville (formerly RAAF Base Garbutt) is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military airfield, air base located in , west of Townsville in Queensland, Australia. It is the headquarters for No. 1 Wing Australian Air Force Cade ...
and
RAAF Base Darwin RAAF Base Darwin is a Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) military air base located in the city of Darwin, in the Northern Territory, Australia. The base shares its runway with Darwin International Airport, for civil aviation purposes. The h ...
) and were not deployed to East Timor. The aircraft did, however, visit the
Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...
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 or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
Fleet Antiterrorism Security Team The Marine Corps Security Force Regiment is a dedicated expeditionary security and anti-terrorism regiment of the United States Marine Corps. Its mission is to provide security forces to guard high-value naval installations, most notably t ...
was flown into Dili by a
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
C-40 Clipper The Boeing C-40 Clipper is a military version of the Boeing 737 Next Generation used to transport cargo and passengers. It is used by the United States Navy, United States Air Force, Air Force, and United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps. Th ...
on 26 May to secure the US embassy in Dili.
FAST Platoon to Provide Security at U.S. Embassy Dili
''.
United States Pacific Command The United States Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM) is the unified combatant command of the United States Armed Forces responsible for the Indo-Pacific, Indo-Pacific region. It is the oldest and largest of the unified combatant commands. Lead ...
. 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.


See also

* ANZAC Battle Group *
INTERFET The International Force East Timor (INTERFET) was a multinational non-United Nations peacemaking task force, organised and led by Australia in accordance with United Nations resolutions to address the humanitarian and security crisis that took ...
* Battle of Timor (1942–43)


References


External links


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