Defence Magazine

Main photo: Defence Policy advisor Andrew Chandler on the ground in Aceh. Photo by Corporal Cameron Jamieson, Army newspaper
Inset: Chris Birrer, left, and Greta Nabbs - part of the International Policy team on Operation Sumatra Assist. Photo by David Sibley, Defence magazine

Assigned to the task force headquarters is an Australian dressed in civvies, not the regular camouflage uniform, looking perhaps out of place in the bustling military environment, but there's no doubt about his importance.

As the Defence policy advisor to the Commander CJTF 629, Andrew Chandler has the ear - and the translated voice - of the commander.

Combined Joint Task Force 629 is the Australian-led military contribution to the Government of Indonesia's disaster relief operations in Sumatra following the disastrous Boxing Day 2004 earthquake and tsunami.

Along with soldiers from the UK and New Zealand, the task force has played a key role in supplying humanitarian aid to the city of Banda Aceh and to towns along the west coast of Aceh.

Central to the task force's success has been the excellent working relationship that exists between the Indonesian military and the task force, a relationship that Mr Chandler has played a large role in creating.

"I advise the commander on a range of things, mostly to do with the interaction and relationships with the Government of Indonesia and the TNI (Indonesian military)," he says.

"We look at how we conduct our operations, where we conduct our operations and the types of things we can do in support."

There is a lot more to it than that though. The Commander of CJTF 629, Brigadier Dave Chalmers, says Mr Chandler fills the important role of providing him with situational awareness on the priorities of the TNI.

"That's been a tremendous benefit because it given me a method of understanding how I can best work with the TNI to fulfil their needs," he says.

"It would have been more difficult to fill their needs without Andrew - it's not enough to have a translator.

"... Andrew has given me an understanding of the TNI structure and given me advice on how to approach problems and issues, particularly with General Bambang Darmono, my principal contact within the TNI."

Mr Chandler's elevation from policy advisor at the Australian Embassy in Jakarta to the commander's right-hand man came about soon after the tsunami hit the shores of Aceh.

"I was recalled from leave and returned to the Embassy to work on various arrangements in response to the tsunami, including the ADF's assistance arrangements," he says.

"There was some thought given to the issues of how that response was going to work along with the Indonesian response, and a requirement for some sort of liaison with the Indonesian elements in Northern Sumatra was identified.

"I was selected as one of the people who could do that liaison and provide the advice needed when dealing with the Indonesian Government and the TNI."

Ultimately Mr Chandler was chosen and assigned to CJTF 629, bringing with him the skills and experience acquired over several years in international policy environments, both in Canberra and in Indonesia.

"One of the consequences of having lived in Indonesia over the past three years is that I am aware and attuned to how things are done in Indonesia," he says.

"It's that experience of working with the Indonesian military within a broader Indonesian context that allows me to provide advice to both the task force commander and to the various element commanders of the operation."

While memories of the devastation in Aceh will stay with Mr Chandler always, his key memory of the disaster relief effort is witnessing how the local Indonesians are dealing with life after the tsunami.

"The devastation is just beyond imagination, and it is not something you can understand unless you are actually there in person," he says.

"You hear stories from local people who have come and worked with ADF units, then gone home to find the bodies of their families, buried them and then came back to work with the ADF.

When asked if the disaster relief operations in Sumatra have proven to be successful, he reflects on what the entire aid effort has achieved for the people of the province of Aceh.

"Because of the response that the Indonesians and the international community have made, we've managed to avoid a further deterioration of the situation," he says.

"This can be seen by the fact that there have not been any significant health crises.

"People are not suffering any further as a result of the after-effects of the disaster - people are not starving, or dying from exposure or disease outbreak.

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