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Building military resilience and interoperability together in Timor-Leste

Four New Zealand Army personnel linked up with their Timorese counterparts to enhance trade skills and interoperability with forces from Australia, Japan, and the US.

01 October, 2025

In the 30 degree heat of Timor-Leste, the welding masks go down as personnel from the New Zealand Army get to work.

“Teaching skills that trainees can utilise when responding to local communities after a natural disaster has been rewarding. Everyone has been enthusiastic to learn and picked up what was shown very quickly,” said Corporal Jack Wilson, the New Zealand Defence Force’s (NZDF) Senior National Representative on Exercise Hari’i Hamutuk.

Two NZ Army Maintenance Fitters drawn from 2nd and 3rd Combat Service Support Battalion (2CSSB, 3CSSB) alongside two armourers from 16th Field Regiment and 2CSSB recently supported an Australian Defence Force-led exercise aimed at enhancing Falintil-Forcas de Defesa de Timor-Leste (F-FDTL) capabilities.

“Exercise Hari’i Hamutuk is an ideal setting for NZDF personnel to show off and share their trade skills with the forces of a partner nation in order to increase capability and interoperability within the Indo-Pacific region,” said NZDF Strategic Advisor to F-FDTL, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Powell.

The month-long exercise saw the four Kiwis based out of Metinaro Military Camp, where they trained alongside Australian and Timorese forces, as well as personnel from the United States Navy’s Construction Battalions (the Seabees) and the Japanese Ground Self Defence Force.

Photo 1 A NZ Army armourer running through some small arms maintenance training with members of the F-FDTL A New Zealand soldier stands in uniform, holding the NZ flag in front of various military personnel, standing in a line. They are all in the distance and slightly blurred out of focus.

Exercise Hari’i Hamutuk saw personnel from New Zealand, Timor-Leste, Australia, Japan and the United States enhance their relationships and interoperability.

Beyond assisting with enhancing partner capabilities, Exercise Hari’i Humutuk was a valuable opportunity to strengthen relationships in the region and share experiences, knowledge and skill.

“New Zealand’s participation in Exercise Hari’i Hamutuk is a continuation of our already strong friendship with Timor Leste. Technical and trade skills were shared between personnel which builds trust and understanding and the benefits to both nations are evident,” said Lieutenant Colonel Powell.

This was the 13th iteration of the exercise, and builds on a strong, well-established relationship between the NZDF and Timor-Leste since the country’s independence, including long-standing commitments in-country such as the Mutual Assistance Programme. 

This exercise ran concurrently with more than 30 Army engineers and logistics tradespeople working in the Cook Islands as part of Tropic Twilight, and comes soon after two visits by Chief of Army Major General Rose King to Timor-Leste, most recently to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Armed Forces for the National Liberation of East Timor (FALINTIL) earlier this year.