South Pacific Peacekeeping Force
| South Pacific Peacekeeping Force | |
|---|---|
| Active | 4–21 October 1994 |
| Type | Peacekeeping force |
| Size | ~1,000 personnel |
| Engagements | Bougainville Civil War |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Peter Arnison Peter Abigail |
The South Pacific Peacekeeping Force (SPPKF) was an Australian-led
History
Consisting of troops from the Australian
The overall commander was
The force consisted of 669 ground troops, rising to a total of over 1,000 personnel including ships' crews and other support staff assigned to Task Group 627.5.
After arriving, troops were ferried between key locations including Buin, Panguna and Wakunai aboard Black Hawk helicopters and LCM-8 landing craft.[11] Operations, including patrols, checkpoints, security cordons and escort details,[12] were undertaken around Arawa, as well as Buin, Panguna and Wakunai.[9] During the deployment, one of the RAN Sea King helicopters was fired upon by Papua New Guinea Defence Force personnel while undertaking a surveillance mission. It sustained light damage but returned safely from the mission.[13]
The success of the peace talks was limited as some key members withdrew after ongoing military action by Papuan forces who failed to vacate the area.[14] The deployment was hampered by its limited size, which meant it was unable to secure egress routes to the neutral zones that were established around the conference site that was established at Arawa High School; additionally, poor communications impacted upon command and control, and the ongoing presence of criminal gangs and restrictive rules of engagement undermined the confidence of stakeholders to participate in the conference.[15] The hasty nature of the deployment also resulted in limited intelligence gathering, which impacted upon the development of coherent tactical, logistical and communications plans. It also led to inefficient loading of vessels, which had to be rectified once deployed.[16]
The Australian involvement was codenamed Operation Lagoon.
Notes
- ^ a b c "Operations". Australian Peacekeeper & Peacemaker Veterans Association. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
- ^ Breen 2016, p. 112.
- ^ Breen 2016, p. 129.
- ^ Breen 2016, pp. 112–113.
- ^ a b Breen 2016, pp. xxxii–xxxiii.
- ^ Breen 2016, pp. 118–119.
- ^ a b Breen 2016, p. 113.
- ^ Breen 2016, p. 118.
- ^ a b Nettleton, G. (April 1995). "Bougainville Peace Talks". Sapper News. Vol. 5, no. 1. p. 11.
- ^ Breen 2016, pp. 112 &120.
- ^ Breen 2016, p. 123.
- ^ Breen 2016, p. 121.
- ^ Breen 2016, pp. xxxii & 122.
- ^ Breen 2016, pp. xxxii.
- ^ Breen 2016, pp. 121–122.
- ^ Breen 2016, pp. 121 & 129.
- ^ a b Breen 2016, p. 126.
- ^ Adams 2001, p. 7.
- ^ Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. "Chapter 5: Contribution of the Truce and Peace Monitoring Groups". Bougainville: The Peace Process and Beyond. Parliament of Australia. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
References
- Adams, Rebecca, ed. (2001). Peace on Bougainville: Truce Monitoring Group. Victoria University Press in association with the Centre for Strategic Studies, New Zealand. ISBN 0864734085.
- Breen, Bob (2016). The Good Neighbour: Australian Peace Support Operations in the Pacific Islands, 1980–2006. ISBN 978-1-107-01971-3.