The Timor Leste Defence Force is the military body responsible for the defence of East Timor. The F-FDTL was established in February 2001 and comprises two infantry battalions, small naval and air components and several supporting units. It was formed from the national liberation movement guerrilla army known as FALINTIL. In 2006, almost half the force was dismissed following protests over discrimination and poor conditions.
About Timor Leste Defence Force in brief
The Timor Leste Defence Force is the military body responsible for the defence of East Timor. The F-FDTL was established in February 2001 and comprises two infantry battalions, small naval and air components and several supporting units. It was formed from the national liberation movement guerrilla army known as FALINTIL. In 2006, almost half the force was dismissed following protests over discrimination and poor conditions. The dismissal contributed to a general collapse of both the F- FDTL and PNTL in May and forced the government to request foreign peacekeepers to restore security. Critics argue that as EastTimor does not face any external threats, the government’s resources would be better spent on strengthening the PNTNTL. The East Timorese government has consistently believed that force is necessary for political and security reasons. An Office for Defence Development mainly staffed by foreign officers was established to oversee the process of forming an independent military. The force is currently being rebuilt with foreign assistance and has drawn up a long-term force development plan. It has been criticised by some commentators on the grounds that it led Easttimor to establish a large police force and a large Army when its security needs may be better met by a single smaller paramilitary force. It is also seen as an effective means of integrating FALintIL into an independent East Timoredo state. The constitution of East. Timor states that the military will be non-partisan and shall owe obedience to the competent organs of sovereignty in accordance with the Constitution and the laws, and shall not intervene in political matters.
It also states that it will guarantee national independence, territorial integrity and the freedom and security of the populations against any aggression or external threat, in respect for the constitutional order. The lack of a military has led to tensions between the services, which have been exacerbated by poor morale and lack of discipline within the F.FDTL. In practice, the responsibilities of the two organisations were not clearly delineated, and this led to conflict between the two groups. The National Police and other civilian security forces are assigned responsibility for internal security. The inadequate number of police officers who were deployed to East Timors as part of the United Nations-led peacekeeping force contributed to high rates of crime. The presence of 1,300 armed and increasingly dissatisfied FalINTIL personnel in cantonments during late 1999 and most of 2000 also posed a threat to security. Following the end of Indonesian rule, FAL INTIL proposed the establishment of a large military of about 5,000 personnel. This recommendation was accepted by UNTAET in September 2000 and formed the basis of Easttimors’ defence planning. The plan was also accepted by all the countries that had contributed peacekeeping forces to EastTimors. The study team recommended option 3 as being best suited to the security needs and economic situation. It was based on option 1 was a force of 1,.500 regulars and 1,500 conscripts and option 2 was for a force 3 was for 1, 500 regulars and1,500 volunteer reservists.
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This page is based on the article Timor Leste Defence Force published in Wikipedia (as of Nov. 23, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
