Operation Flashpoint - Blackhawk Down, Blackhawk Down - Part 7

In late 2006, a foreign power set in motion a chain of events that would have culminated in the invasion of Fiji.

Codenamed Operation Flashpoint, the ADF deployed its sea-borne and air assets to positions inside Fiji waters within striking distance of the capital Suva.

Additionally, elite Special Forces infiltrated the country with communications equipment and weapons.

How close did we come to being invaded? Who among us who encouraged this act of aggression against their own country?

This is a fictional account of what may have happened in the days leading up to one of the most dramatic chapters in our history
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Two days after our arrival we were summoned back from a training run where we were testing our SOFLAM's outside Suva Harbour not far from a massive rubbish dump. I couldn't think of a worse place to situate a rubbish dump, right next to the sea and the route most people travel into and out of Suva.

We were met by an agitated military liaison officer who told us that the Australian High Commissioner had received a political directive that we were to based at the High Commission in Reservoir Road and that it was likely that we were being watched.

The FMF had gotten wind of our arrival and they were not happy. I can respect that. I mean if I was told that Indonesian Kopassus were running around Sydney or Perth preparing for a possible sea and air borne incursion, would I be happy? Of course not. Soldiers think alike and I knew exactly where they coming from.

So we went off to hurriedly organised accommodation at the High Commission. We learnt that Chief of the Australian Defence Force Air Chief Marshall Angus Houston had called the FMF to "claim our existence".

We had to remain within the compound as the FMF had assumed an aggressive posture and was threatening to confront us. The Naval deployment proceeded as planned and we maintained contact throughout.

Some time later our operation was called off.

We split into 2 groups. We bought some souvenirs from one of the many Indian shops in town and pretending to be rugby league players returning home after an end of season holiday, flew back to Sydney through Auckland.

It was here that we received the tragic news on the night of November 29 that our brothers training on board the Kanimbla had been killed when the Black Hawk they had been in tipped over into the Sea.

Private Corporal Joshua Porter had died.

We held a moment of silence in his honour.

The invasion of Fiji had been put off.

Operation Flashpoint - Next Stop Nadi - Part 2

In late 2006, a foreign power set in motion a chain of events that would have culminated in the invasion of Fiji. Codenamed Operation Flashpoint, the ADF deployed its sea-borne and air assets to positions inside Fiji waters within striking distance of the capital Suva. Additionally, elite Special Forces infiltrated the country with communications equipment and weapons.

How close did we come to being invaded? Who among us who encouraged this act of aggression against their own country?

This is a fictional account of what may have happened in the days leading up to one of the most dramatic chapters in our history.


The boys were excited. Fiji was a popular holiday destination for Aussies. But as we all knew, there was always the potential of the place going up in smoke. The country had seen 4 or 5 coups and inter-race tension boiled under the surface.

The recent developments in Fiji had the politicians in Canberra worried which meant we had to be ready.

Its funny how that works. Politicians worry, soldiers prepare!

Anyway, I knew all this as we had been briefed on our return for the mountains around Dili hunting for the renegade East Timorese guerrilla, Alfredo Reinado. Alfredo had spent 6 months in training with the ADF and was a guest at the Campbell Barracks.

I remembered meeting him and thought he was a straight up and down type of guy. Never thought we would be chasing him through the jungles and mountain of Same around Dili, but we were.

Expect the unexpected, they say. Damn Right.

As it turned out, Alfredo gave us the slip and was hiding in Jakarta under the protection of Indonesian officers of the elite unit set up by Tommy Sueharto, known as the Kopassus . Im sure his knowledge of ADF methods helped him immensely.

I ditched my short barrel M4, the CQB weapon I preferred and ammo I was carrying and headed to the Regiment mess which doubled as our planning room. Georgie put on the kettle to prepare some tea, a good source of nicotine which we needed for the hours ahead .

Right, what do we need?

The suits had begun our pre-deployment preparation by collecting as much intelligence as we could on Fijian military strength and posture, updating our information with latest shots from Echelon satellites of Suva Harbour, Nadi Airport, Vuda oil refinery and other LZ's that we would have to secure if the go ahead was given for deployment of large numbers of forces.

The SM had already pulled the "Fiji File" and put it in on the table. All ready reaction forces place great emphasis on Contingency Planning.

A large part of this is a bank of information that the spooks collect and maintain from all sorts of sources. The High Commissions briefs on who the major players are and how the situation is involving is a part of this, but the boys get bored with this sort of stuff.

We also had some Candidate Files (CF) which had been put on the table for us to go through. Every officer who passes through Duntroon or other ADF sanctioned course has a Candidate File (CF) done. To be continued…..