UNITED NATIONS TRANSITIONAL AUTHORITY IN EAST TIMOR (UNTAET)

 Operation TANAGER

Australia: 20 February 2000 to 19 May 2002

AO: East Timor (including Oecusse district in the western part of the island of Timor).

After INTERFET completed its tasks on 23 February 2000, military command and control responsibilities were formally transferred to the Headquarters of the UN Peacekeeping Force (PKF) as part of the United Nations Transitional Authority in East Timor (UNTAET).

Deployed: Australia supported the UN peacekeeping operation with between 1500 and 2000 personnel on a 4 – 6 month posting cycle. Estimated Total of 7,500 personnel.

Australia contributed an Infantry Battalion Group force to the western border region (Sector West) of East Timor to prevent insurgency operations by the Aitarak Militia forces and under command UN PKF Headquarters. Australia also contributed a Communications Management Team working to the PKF HQ providing commercial standard telecommunications, telephone, data and communications infrastructure, installations and management. Additionally deployed were landing craft, Black Hawks, an Australian National Command Element, RAAF and RAN Support and Logistical units.

Australia remained the largest contributor of personnel to the peacekeeping mission. Australian troops were gradually drawn down over several years after 2000, however major rioting in Dili in May 2006 prompted more Australian Defence Force members to be deployed to East Timor as part of Operation ASTUTE.

Killed: Corporal Stuart Jones, 2 Cavalry Regiment, RAAC, August 2000.

Wounded: Approx 7

Veterans’ Entitlements Determination dated 1st April 2004: Non-warlike Service.

Awards: Australian Active Service Medal (AASM) with Clasp ‘EAST TIMOR’ ; UNTAET Medal. MUC awarded to the 10^th Force Support Battalion (10FSB).

AASM ‘EAST TIMOR’

MUC (10FSB)

CONTRIBUTION TO THE INTERNATIONAL PEACE MONITORING TEAM – SOLOMON ISLANDS

Operations PLUMBOB & Operation TREK

Australia: 4 November 2000 – Feb 2003.

AO: Solomon Islands and its Territorial Sea.

Deployed: RAN Fleet Unit & Support staff. HMA Ships Manoora, Kanimbla, Tobruk (SAE), Darwin, Canberra; 1RAR Bn Group. Estimated at 1200 ADF & 66 AFP.

An International Peace Monitoring Team (IPMT) was established of which the ADF provided approx 6 pers (communicators and Special Forces). The remainder of the IPMT were civilians, drawn mainly from Australia, NZ and a small number from other Pacific countries.

The Townsville Peace Accord resulted in the parties centralising weapons. The ADF provided the containers and using mainly HMAS Manoora choppers, positioned them where required.

HMAS Manoora deployed to the Solomon Island three times (incl Op Plumbob). The other ships mentioned had one deployment. They all acted as a base for holding talks.

In order to assist the Solomon Islands government with an internal factional struggle, Australia committed a Logistics support team and HMAS Kanimbla to monitor the cease-fire to the civilian war. The RAN vessels provided for Op Trek were used as the peace agreement platform, with New Zealand Naval support.

Veterans’ Entitlements Determination dated 23rd November 2000: Non-warlike Service.

Awards: Australian Service Medal (ASM) with Clasp ‘SOLOMON IS’.

UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN SIERRA LEONE (UNAMSIL)

UNAMSIL

Operation HUSKY

Australia: 15 January 2001 – 28 February 2003

AO: Sierra Leone – Western Africa.

Background: On October 22, 1999, the UN Security Council authorised the establishment of UNAMSIL, a new and much larger mission than its’ predecessor UNOMSIL, with a maximum of 6000 military personnel, including 260 military observers, to assist the Government and the parties in carrying out provisions of the Lome peace agreement. On February 7, 2000, the Security Council decided to revise the mandate of UNAMSIL. It decided to expand the military component to a maximum of 11,100 military personnel, including the 260 military observers already deployed. The Council also authorised increases in the civil affairs, civilian police, administrative and technical components of UNAMSIL. The Security Council again increased the authorised strength of UNAMSIL, to 13,000 military personnel, including the 260 military observers by its resolution 1299 of May 19, 2000. On March 30, 2001, a further increase was authorised to 17,500 military personnel, including the 260 military observers.

In January 2001, Australia responded to a British request for advisers to assist the International Military Advisory Training Team mission in Sierra Leone (IMATT–SL) in its task of rebuilding the newly raised Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces (RSLAF) in West Africa. Codenamed Operation Husky, the Australian commitment lasted for two years and consisted of an infantry captain and an infantry major deployed to act as a battalion and brigade adviser respectively. Each contingent deployed for a six-month tour of duty until the Australian mission concluded in 2003.

Deployed: 2 Army Officers. (Total: 17 ADF personnel)

Veterans’ Entitlements Determination dated 22 March 2007: Warlike Service.

Awards: Australian Active Service Medal (AASM) with Clasp ‘SIERRA LEONE’ ; UNAMSIL Medal (if served in the UN forces with UK forces).

AASM1988

UNAMSIL Medal

UNITED NATIONS MISSION IN ETHIOPIA & ERITREA (UNMEE)

Operation POMELO

Australia: 15 January 2001 – 21 February 2005

AO: Ethiopia and Eritrea

Deployed: 2 Army Observers (ADF officers) deployed at any one time. Total: 16

In June 2000, after two years of fighting in a border dispute, Ethiopia and Eritrea signed a cessation of hostilities agreement following proximity talks led by Algeria and the Organisation of African Unity. In July, the Security Council set up United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea to maintain liaison with the parties and establish the mechanism for verifying the ceasefire.

In September 2000, the Council authorised deployment within UNMEE of up to 4,200 military personnel. The mission involved the monitoring of the cessation of hostilities in the region, troop deployments and the temporary security zone between Ethiopia and Eritrea. The mission also provided assistance to the Ethiopian and Eritrean Border Commission talks on marking the international border.

Australian Defence Force personnel were deployed to support the UNMEE in an observer capacity (United Nations Military Observer (UNMO). They worked in UNMEE Force Headquarters positions undertaking staff functions that included support engineering, military de-mining planning, mapping and geo-spatial advice, force training advice and training mission personnel.

Veterans’ Entitlements Determination dated 28 February 2001: Non-warlike Service.

Awards: Australian Service Medal (ASM) with Clasp ‘ETHIOPIA/ERITREA’ ; UNMEE Medal.

 

ASM with Clasp ‘ETHIOPIA/ERITREA’

UNMEE Medal