The Australians say they are ready to go into East Timor. With up to 4,500 troops on standby to go into the territory it is the country's biggest army, navy and air force deployment since Vietnam. A veteran of that war, Major-General Peter Cosgrove will lead the world's attempt to restore order to East Timor. It is thought that up to 8,000 troops could be involved, using Darwin as a bridge-head for the operation. It is the biggest operation for Australia's army, navy and air force since Vietnam What the peacekeepers will find is a land ravaged by days of violence and destruction - homes and communities destroyed.
Civil society is in chaos and the population is living in fear.
But it all comes down to training and how you react to different scenarios. Indonesian army doubts The peacekeepers will also find thousands of Indonesian troops when they arrive. There are many who say they shouldn't be trusted after evidence of collusion with East Timor's murderous pro-Jakarta militias. Therefore any force that goes into East Timor has got to be very careful. A dangerous operation As the military build up continues the Australian Prime Minister John Howard has made it clear to the public that there could be problems.