Quote:
Originally Posted by Legbreaker
As for East Timor, I don't recall the US being involved there at all, at least not in the first twelve months. Australia pretty much went it alone and did very well.
|
Well they did send the Tarawa Class carriers Belleau Wood in October 1999 and the carrier Peleliu from October to November 1999 along with their heavy lift helicopters, and the Ticonderoga Class cruiser Mobile Bay was in charge of coordinating air defence for the whole mission and was a naval operational base for Australian Black Hawks. USAF C-141's airlifted Thai troops to East Timor in October 1999, while C-17's and C-5's supported the operation throughout by landing supplies in Darwin, and three C-130's flew in and out of East Timor. The Kitty Hawk battle group was also sent to prowl around the waters off the coast of Indonesia which probably explains why the Indonesian air force didn't move an inch during the operation.