Jabarkan Organizsaun dari Forcas Defensa Timor Lorosa'e dalam bahasa tetun

O F-FDTL é organizado em um exército de dois batalhões de infantaria de luz, um componente naval e unidades apoiando. Estas unidades de apoio incluem a sede de força, uma unidade de apoio de logistic, uma unidade de comunicações e uma companhia de polícia militar. Timor oriental não tem um força aérea e o F-FDTL não opera nenhuma aeronave atualmente. O F-FDTL também opera o "maior e mais sofisticado" human rede em Timor Oriental, baseado na resistência clandestina que informa redes construída durante a ocupação indonésia,. In May 2008 the national parliament passed a law which places the F-FTDL's intelligence branch under the authority of the head of the National Information Service.

The F-FDTL has an authorised strength of 1,500 regular personnel and 1,500 reservists. It has never reached these totals as funding shortfalls have prevented the reserve component from being formed and the Army's two regular battalions have remained under-strength. While all the F-FDTL's personnel were initially FALINTIL veterans the force's composition has changed over time and few soldiers from the insurgency remain due to the force's narrow age requirement. After the F-FDTL's 1st Battalion was established in 2001 recruitment was opened to all East Timorese above the age of 18, including women. Few women have joined the F-FDTL, however, and as at February 2010 only seven percent of new recruits were female.