Timor Leste Defence Force

Timor-Leste Defence Force
Falintil-Forças de Defesa de Timor Leste
F-FDTL flag
F-FDTL emblem
Motto	Pátria povo
Founded	2001
Service branches	Timor-Leste Army Timor-Leste Naval Component Timor-Leste Air Component
Headquarters	Dili
Leadership
President	Jose Ramos-Horta
Minister for Defence	Filomeno da Paixão de Jesus
Chief of Defence Force	Lieutenant general Falur Rate Laek
Personnel
Military age	18
Available for military service	299,008 males, age 16–49 (2010 est), 286,465 females, age 16–49 (2010 est)
Fit for military service	236,996 males, age 16–49 (2010 est), 245,033 females, age 16–49 (2010 est)
Reaching military age annually	12,795 males (2010 est), 12,443 females (2010 est)
Active personnel	2,280 (IISS, 2020)[1]
Reserve personnel	None
Expenditure
Budget	$31.1 million USD (2019)[1]
Industry
Domestic suppliers	None
Foreign suppliers	Donations from foreign governments, mostly  Australia  China  Indonesia  Malaysia  Philippines  Portugal  United States
Related articles
Ranks	Military ranks of East Timor

The Timor Leste Defence Force (Tetum: Forcas Defesa Timor Lorosae, Portuguese: Forças de Defesa de Timor Leste or Falintil-FDTL, often F-FDTL) is the military 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.

The F-FDTL's primary role is to protect East Timor from external threats. It also has an internal security role, which overlaps with that of the Polícia Nacional de Timor-Leste (PNTL). This overlap has led to tensions between the services, which have been exacerbated by poor morale and lack of discipline within the F-FDTL.

The F-FDTL's problems came to a head in 2006 when 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. The F-FDTL is currently being rebuilt with foreign assistance and has drawn up a long-term force development plan.