Revista del Instituto Español de Estudios Estratégicos n.º 12 - Año: 2018 - Págs.: 299 a 323 317 Luis Manuel Brás Bernardino & Álvaro António Moreira dos Santos The portuguese... members of the CPLP, a common strategy for the promotion of peace and security, democracy, human rights and sustainable development, since without security there can be no development and without development there can be no security. The increasing participation in the activities of the Portuguese speaking Com-munity and the presence of East Timor in CPLP structures are a clear signal that the process of F-FDTL training, with the solid, constant and structured support of Portugal has been a successful process from the outset, the result of which, after almost 15 years, is none other than the existence of the present-day Armed Forces of East Timor. These Armed Forces have become an organised state institution, producing do-mestic and external security, the guarantor of national sovereignty through the de-ployment of checkpoints and the execution of patrols on the border with Indonesia; projecting the external image of the State of East Timor, with the participation of its military in a Portuguese contingent in a UN-led mission in Lebanon; participating in domestic security operations, in accordance with Timorese legislation, coordinating with the National Police (PNTL)56, as demonstrated by their performance during the 2012 elections, as well as in various domestic disturbances in which they were called to intervene; conducting training and operational training activities, even participating in exercises in a multinational environment; a force which, in a nutshell, represents a success story, worthy of praise, in which a guerrilla force, by opting for its transforma-tion into a conventional force, has become a professional, operational, credible Armed Force capable of collaborating in the defence of the Timorese people and territory, subordinate to state democratic institutions and endowed with a spirit of political neutrality in accordance with the principles of its legislative body. The credibility within the Timorese civil society earned by the members of the Fa-lintil during the period of the armed struggle, as well as the preference shown for the aid of the Portuguese military are perhaps two of the main ingredients of the success of this process, combined with the willingness of the Portuguese political and military leaders to assist East Timor in a pioneering initiative on the international stage. It is clear that there is still a long way to go before achieving the complete autonomy of the F-FDTL; However, progress in human and institutional training observed thus far is indicative of the Timorese effort to professionalise its Armed Forces within the framework of SSR and RSD programmes, together with Portuguese support in mat-ters of defence and the transformation of an unregulated army into a conventional Armed Force, subordinate to the organs of democratic and legitimate sovereignty with the capacity to contribute to national development and national, regional and inter-national peace and security efforts, as well as the integration of East Timor into the international system. 56 PNTL: National Police Timor Leste.
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