Born of fire and ash : Australian operations in response to the East Timor crisis 1999-2000 / Craig Stockings.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Stockings, Craig A. J., author.

Series:

Official history of Australian peacekeeping operations in East Timor ; 1

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

International Forces East Timor.

United Nations--Peacekeeping forces--Timor-Leste.

United Nations.

Peacekeeping forces, Australian--Timor-Leste.

Peacekeeping forces, Australian.

Timor-Leste--History--Autonomy and independence movements.

Timor-Leste.

Timor-Leste--Politics and government.

Timor-Leste--History, Military.

Australia--History, Military.

Australia.

Australia--Foreign relations--Timor-Leste.

Timor-Leste--Foreign relations--Australia.

Timor-Leste--History.

Physical Description:

liv, 921 pages : illustrations, maps ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Sydney, NSW : NewSouth Publishing, 2022.

Summary:

Australia's involvement in East Timor from 1999-2000 was this nation's largest mission conducted under United Nations auspices, the single largest deployment of ADF personnel since the Second World War and an instrumental part of Timor-Leste gaining its independence. Critically, it was also one not nestled within a larger or lead nation's logistics and administrative support, and also the first time Australia had led such a large multi-national force. In short, International Force East Timor was the most complex politico-strategic challenge Australia had faced, at least since the 1940s. Written from classified government sources and buttressed by hundreds of interviews with veterans and stakeholders, this first volume in the landmark Official History of Australian Operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and East Timor - Born of Fire and Ash - is an honest, challenging and compelling account of the 1999-2000 East Timor crisis and Australia's response to it. It tackles the good alongside the bad, successes and failures, to chart a complex 'truth' unknown to most Australians, then and now.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: pt. ONE STRATEGIC AND POLICY CONTEXT

ch. 1 Introduction

The volume

The 27th province

The East Timorese

Cultural and political context

A fateful choice

The Interfet narrative

ch. 2 `No Practical Alternative': The Question Of Portuguese Timor, 1942-75

From the Pacific War to the Carnation Revolution

Attitudes to an Indonesian takeover

The solidarity movement

Flawed assumptions

Diplomatic assistance at the United Nations

Confidential briefings

Balibo and the Australian official reaction

The Indonesian invasion

Conclusion

ch. 3 Business As Usual: Australia, Indonesia And Challenge Of East Timor, 1976-96

Responses and reactions at the United Nations

Public impact in Australia

Dealing with the famine

Recognition of Indonesian sovereignty

Down but not out

Santa Cruz and beyond

Domestic pressure

ch. 4 `pebble From The Shoe': The Howard Government And A Consistency Of Policy, 1996-99

The primacy of established patterns

The end of the New Order

A new president and new challenges

Tripartite talks

Australian policy in the Habibie era

The Howard letter

A surprising Indonesian response

Aftershocks in Canberra

ch. 5 `We Might Not Have An Option': The View From Canberra, January-June 1999

Adapting to a new reality

Militia violence

Tripartite developments

A forum in Bali

The 5 May Agreements

What Australia knew

Defence planning context

pt. TWO BALLOT AND AFTERMATH

ch. 6 `an Interesting Way To Run The Organisation': Australian Defence Planning, Early To MID-1999

ADF planning up to February 1999

A `Warning Order' from the CDF

Increased readiness

Continuing planning and `leaks'

The 5 May Agreements and their implications

Unamet and ADF planning

More detailed ADF planning, July 1999

Beyond Spitfire

ch. 7 `An Incredible Culminating Moment': Operation Faber And The Ballot, June-August 1999

Establishment of Unamet

Military liaison officers

Deployment of Unamet

The levers of violence

Working with the TNI, Polri and the militia

Delays in the vote

Some positive signals

The conduct of voter registration

Unamet and the Australians as agents provocateur

The campaign period

Ballot day: a collective sigh of relief

ch. 8 `carrying The Fire Of Death': The Ruination Of The 27th Province, 1-20 September 1999

Post-ballot violence

The East Timorese have their say

An eruption of terror

Removing Unamet's `eyes and ears'

Displacement and deportation

A Security Council mission

Martial law

Violence 8-12 September: under martial law

Decision to evacuate

Post evacuations: 12 September onwards

The orchestration of the post-ballot violence

ch. 9 `boots On The Ground': Operation Spitfire, 6-14 September 1999

Joint Task Force 645

Joint Task Force 504

High-level planning through the referendum period

Final planning in Townsville

Preparations at RAAF Base Tindal

Implicit risk

The SASR and air evacuations from Dili

An incident at Baucau

Continuing ferry-runs

Difficulties of compartmentalisation and secrecy

Logistics fault lines

Looking forward

pt. THREE THE PLANNING CAULDRON

ch. 10 `a Bit Of Doing It On The Run': Serious Planning Begins, 5-14 September 1999

Towards an intervention

Real operational planning begins

High-level ADF considerations

The Apec meeting in Auckland

Domestic considerations

Indonesian agreement

Tactical ADF planning, 10-14 September

A hiccup in the DJFHQ theatrette

Logistics planning to mid-September

Developing naval and air force considerations

ch. 11 `Everyone Was Incredibly Tense': The Sprint To Dili, 15-20 September 1999

UN Security Council Resolution 1264

Australian political position, 15-20 September

The plan from DJFHQ

In extremis arrangements

Component planning from mid-September

Humanitarian air drops

Last-minute logistics measures

Final preparations for Interfet

Cosgrove's flying visit to Dili

An 11 th-hour amendment

The order to execute

ch. 12 `A Layer Of Respectable Legitimacy': Forming The Coalition, 5-20 September 1999

US involvement prior to Interfet

Across the Tasman

Coalition connections at the Apec forum, 9-13 September

ADF coalition processes

A whirlwind regional tour

Coalition developments, 15-20 September

Distribution of non-Australian forces

Partnership challenges

Coalition logistics problems

ch. 13 `By The Skin Of Our Teeth': Fault-Lines, Fissures: Planning Problems, 5-20 September 1999

The ideal

The reality

The theatre conundrum

Tri-service trials

Single service leadership

Logistics concerns

pt. FOUR ARRIVAL AND CONSOLIDATION

ch. 14 `People Really Earned Their Pay': The Landings, 20-21 September 1999

Securing the airhead

Beyond Komoro

An expanding footprint

Continuing operations, 21 September

Amphibious landings

At sea and in the air

ch. 15 `lucky To Get Away With It': Initial Challenges, 20-21 September 1999

A rescue for two hapless reporters

The murder of Sander Thoenes

Checkpoint showdowns

Interfet and the TNI

TNI/militia cooperation

The United States' presence

Operational shortcomings

Logistic risks

ch. 16 `the Psychological Ascendency': Consolidating The Capital, 22-30 September 1999

Breakout to Baucau

Operation Brighton

Ongoing security operations

Response Force activities

An incident at Tibar

A raid on Com

Tactical air operations

Operation Lavarack

Humanitarian activities

Air and sea operations

The continuing importance of the United States

ch. 17 `a Strategic Game Being Played': Difficulties In Dili, 22-30 September 1999

The challenge of cohabitation

A scorched earrh policy

The TNI and the militias

An expedient partnership

Too slow, too careful, too cumbersome?

The setbacks behind the success

No soldier went without food or water, but

pt. FIVE SPREADING THE INK SPOTS

ch. 18 `We Got Shot At And We Responded': Operation Lavarack Phase 2 And The Occupation Of The Northern Border Districts, 1-15 OCTOBER 1999

The occupation of AO Redback

With 2RAR on the border

A clash at Motaain

A sharp action at Aidabasalala

ch. 19 `Both Agile And Lucky': Operation Lavarack Phases 3 to 6 and the Occupation Of The Southern Border Districts, 1-15 October 1999

An ambush at Suai

Paratroopers to the border

The southern sector

Border obstacles

The logistics of Lavarack

ch. 20 `making It Up As Forces Became Available': Dili Command, 1-15 October 1999

The establishment of Dili Command

Logistics shake-up

Transition to a multinational force

United Nations and humanitarian acrivities

Ongoing air and sea operations

A continuing TNI presence

ch. 21 `we Had To Play Catch-Up': Trials Old And New, 1-15 October 1999

Governance and policy

Enforcing the follow-on

Communications and intelligence

Tactical issues

Either end of the supply bridge

The logistics flow

pt. SIX STEADY STATE AND TRANSITION

ch. 22 `we Had Done It': Border Operations, 16 October - 31 December 1999

Hegerty and Strand

Operation Paluma

Operation Respite

Kiwis on the border

A different kind of enemy

Border control measures

Consolidations and incursions

The call to come home

Operation Garbutt

ch. 23 `where's Oecussi?': Interfet Operations In The Enclave, 16 October - 31 December 1999

A boy named Lafu

Planning for Ambenofor

Interfet arrives in Oecussi

Ambenofor operations

Crane's conundrums

Enter the paratroopers

Early 3RAR operations in the enclave

A change of leadership

Seeing out the year

A grisly reminder of crimes past

The TNI/militia nexus in the enclave

A tethered goat

Support from the sea

ch. 24 `to Tend The Garden': Dili And Eastwards, 16 October - 31 December 1999

A truly international force

The return of Xanana Gusmao

The Indonesians depart

A city without the TNI

Interfet reinforcements

The enduring US influence

Out in the east

UN/NGO operations

A lighter side to Interfet

ch. 25 `we Planned For The Invasion But Not For The Occupation': Challenges In The Central And Eastern Regions, 16 October-31 December 1999

Headaches for Headquarters Interfet

Multinational malaise

`Phase 4' operations

Frictions with Falintil

The cost of expansion

A second `tidal wave' of demands

A missive from the Land Commander

ch. 26 `viva Peter Cosgrove': The New Millennium, Wind Down And Transition, 1 January-23 February 2000

Contact in the Oecussi enclave

Operations on the border

Dili and the central region

Ongoing logistics endeavours

Transition to Untaet

Interfet drawdowns

ch. 27 Reflections

A remarkable achievement

A policy actuality

Defence reality checks

Legacies of East Timor

Contents note continued: Final reflections

Appendices

Appendix 1 The Howard letter, 19 December 1998

Appendix 2 Interfet Rules of Engagement

Appendix 3 Operation Warden: Interfet Operational Instruction 01/99, 16 September 1999

Appendix 4 Lafii's letter from the Oecussi enclave

Appendix 5 The Australian contributions to Interfet as at 31 October 1999

Appendix 6 ADF honours and awards for service in East Timor, June 1999 - February 2000.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781742236230

1742236235

OCLC:

1368269668