Photo: Fundasaun Mahein
February 2nd marks the seventeenth anniversary of the transition from the FALINTIL resistance movement to the FALINTIL-Forsa Defeza Timor-Leste (FALINTIL-FDTL). Fundasaun Mahein (FM) wishes to congratulate the FALINTIL-FDTL on this occasion and express its gratitude for the soldiers’ service to the nation of Timor-Leste. Given the budget constraints imposed by the ongoing political crisis, the commemoration this year will be somewhat muted. Nevertheless, FM believes this anniversary should be an occasion for reflection on the FALINTIL-FDTL’s achievements and on how it can best serve the nation going forwards.
Importantly, a former commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI), Gatot Nurmantyo, will attend the commemoration of the anniversary. His attendance marks a milestone considering that the TNI and FALINTIL fought each other for decades during the occupation. More generally, strong relationships between the FALINTIL-FDTL. and neighbouring militaries are a key aspect of Timor-Leste’s national security. Such cooperation between professional defence forces is valuable with regard to training, familiarity, capacity development, and international security cooperation. Current cooperation between the FALINTIL-FDTL and the Australian Defence Force (ADF) should continue be strengthened, while greater cooperation should be pursued with TNI. This cooperation should also extend to strategic partnerships with a broader range of countries, particularly those active in the Southeast Asia and Oceania regions. Further developing such partnerships should be a priority for the FALINTIL-FDTL in the future.
In addition, the FALINTIL-FDTL should focus on gaining the capabilities required by a modern military. When FALINTIL waged the resistance struggle, each soldier only needed to know how to survive in the jungle and how to use a weapon. Now the FALINTIL-FDTL must acquire the skills that will allow it to serve Timor-Leste as an independent nation. In particular, since Timor-Leste is unlikely to have to fight a war in the near future, the FALINTIL-FDTL should focus on developing the capabilities that can support Timor-Leste’s socioeconomic development, protect its natural resources, and increase its international security cooperation, whilst maintaining a degree of a capability to deter external aggression.
Perhaps the most important capability involves patrolling territorial waters. At this point, the FALINTIL-FDTL’s priority should be its Naval Component. As illegal fishing incidents last year demonstrated, Timor-Leste’s control over its own territorial waters is woefully limited. The ocean holds enormous economic value, particularly with regard to the fishing and tourism industries. Once the Pacific Patrol Boats arrive from Australia, Timor-Leste will be better equipped in this regard. Nonetheless, developing the operational capacity of the FALINTIL-FDTL’s Naval Component should be the organization’s foremost priority going forward.
Enhancing the FALINTIL-FDTL’s Engineering capacity for assisting in infrastructure efforts is another worthwhile area of focus. Since 2010, the FALINTIL-FDTL has engaged in Civil-Military Cooperation intended to give it a role in the country’s development. This program’s lacklustre results reveal the need for the FALINTIL-FDTL to invest more in human capital, particularly in the engineering skills that will be necessary to improve Timor-Leste’s infrastructure.
International peacekeeping is another area that deserves the FALINTIL-FDTL’s attention. Developing the capacity of the FALINTIL-FDTL to deploy company-sized formations for UN Peacekeeping Operations would allow Timor-Leste to contribute to international security as a responsible global citizen, much as other UN Member States did in Timor-Leste. It would also have the added benefits of providing FALINTIL-FDTL personnel with operational experience and generating revenue for Timor-Leste.
In addition to developing these capabilities, the formulation and implementation of realistic defence policy should be pursued. The Force 2020 plan, published in 2007, envisions wildly unrealistic purchases of attack helicopters and missile-armed warships. This plan was both unrealistic and unaffordable, with Timor-Leste lacking the funding and capacity to implement it. Such expensive hardware would not even represent a significantly greater deterrent to external aggression from regional militaries. Going forward, defence policy should focus on a realistic assessment of Timor-Leste’s security needs. While the FALINTIL-FDTL should pursue the most cost-effective way of deterring external aggression, this article has outlined some key areas on which the FALINTIL-FDTL should focus in order to support national development and make rewarding contributions to international security.
