5. Australian Peace Keeping – A Proud Record

5. Australian Peacekeeping A Proud Record

Saluting their Service - Grahame Old

Australians and World Peacekeeping – A Proud Record

Australia has a proud record in United Nations World Peacekeeping. Since 1947 Australian military servicemen and women have been involved in close to 100 separate peacekeeping missions involving more than 30,000 personnel. Initially Australia's peacekeepers were unarmed military observers, promoting peace by monitoring a conflict to ensure neither side violated a ceasefire. In recent years the military on peacekeeping operations are armed and can use their military training to control and report on volatile situations. This helps create stability in the conflict region. The role of the military has grown over the years starting with a few military observers in Indonesia in 1947 to larger forces of several hundred including combat troops deployed to strife torn countries such as Namibia, Cambodia, Rwanda and Somalia. And later a force of 5500 personnel deployed to East Timor. The role of peacekeeping has not been solely left to the military, Australian Police officers have also been deployed in this role since 1964. A total of 16 military and police have died on these peacekeeping operations.

Peacekeeping in the 1990s

The 1990s proved to be the busiest decade in the history of multinational peacekeeping. For the first time RAN ships took part in a peacekeeping operation enforcing UN-imposed sanctions against Iraq, both before and after the Gulf War. Australia had over 2,000 peacekeepers in the field, with large contingents in Cambodia and Somalia. In 1994 Australians were in Rwanda, another country to fall victim to genocidal civil violence, the 300 strong Australian Force consisted of Medical staff supported by Infantry and logistics personnel. Medical staff treated many of the local people and injured members of the UN force. Australians also continued operations in the Middle East and Cyprus. Then in 1999 Australia deployed its largest peacekeeping operation in East Timor.

Australia’s involvement in peacekeeping operations since 1947

• Indonesia (1947-51)

• Kashmir (1950-85)

• Korea (1953-)

• Israel & Middle East (1956-)

• Congo (1960-61)

• West New Guinea (1962-63)

• Yemen (1963)

• Cyprus (1964-)

• India/Pakistan Border (1965-66)

• Sinai (1976-79, 1982-86, 1993-)

• Israel/Syria Border (1974)

• Lebanon (1978)

• Zimbabwe (1979-80)

• Uganda (1982-84)

• Iran (1988-90)

• Thailand/Cambodian Border (1989-93)

• Namibia (1989-90)

• Afghanistan (1989-93)

• Iraq Kurdistan (1991)

• Iraq (1991-99)

• Western Sahara (1991-94)

• Cambodia (1991-93)

• Somalia (1992-95)

• Yugoslavia (1992, 1997-)

• Rwanda (1994-95)

• Mozambique (1994)

• Bougainville (1994, 1997-2003)

• Haiti (1994-95)

• Guatemala (1997)

• Kosovo (1999-)

• East Timor (1999-2013)

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In Collie a plaque is mounted on the entrance gates to Soldiers Park in honour of Australian military personnel and police who served on peacekeeping operations.