DEFENCE FORCES 2020 ROUNDUP
KEEPING US SAFE The Irish Defence Forces faced old and new challenges in 2020.
I
n what was an unprecedented year, the Irish Defence Forces continued with a large number of operations both at home and abroad, while also taking on invaluable work to keep the people of Ireland safe during the pandemic. There was a wide range of Defence & Security Operations in 2020 that included Aid to Civil Power & Aid to the Civil Authority operations on a daily basis supporting An Garda Síochána, Local Authorities and other key agencies of the State. These included 133 operations in support of gardaí involving explosives disposal, prisoner escorts, explosives escorts, major cash escorts and search operations, as well as the continued provision of a permanent armed guard at the maximum security Portlaoise Prison, the Central Bank, Irish Industrial Explosives and Government Buildings. While visits from international dignitaries were necessarily curtailed due to the pandemic, a company of troops was deployed with supporting elements on a Land Security Operation during the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in March. Personnel and expertise were also supplied to support the National Cyber Security Centre, and were deployed throughout the year to assist civil authorities during multiple operations including flood defence preparations and pump maintenance in Westmeath, Clare and Limerick.
SEA Offshore, in its protection of its 220million maritime acres of sea, the Naval Service conducted 307 fisheries
boardings, resulting in 16 detentions of vessels from the UK, France, Spain, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Belgium and Denmark, for alleged infringements of fishing regulations in support of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority. The Naval Service Dive Section (NSDS) was deployed to 19 operations, including underwater maintenance of the naval fleet, autonomous underwater vehicle operations and berth surveys/ clearances for visiting ships. It was also involved in three search and recovery operations in support of An Garda Síochána and the Irish Coast Guard, and successfully located the missing sunken vessel FV ALIZE. There were 14 separate search and rescue responses, with the LÉ NIAMH averting a potential ecological disaster by taking under tow a stricken crude oil tanker in the vicinity of Galway Bay.
AIR Aerial surveillance of Ireland’s waters continued to be carried out by the Air Corps, which conducted more than 140 patrol flights in 2020. It also completed almost 350 emergency aeromedical services Carrying out aerial surveillance of Ireland’s waters, the Air Corps conducted more than 140 surveillance flights in 2020. It completed almost 350 emergency aeromedical services missions supporting the HSE and 45 inter-hospital flights, as well as responding to several request to provide aerial firefighting across five counties, dropping more than 340,000 litres of water to protect property. While continuing to support the Garda Air Support Unit, the Air Corps also played its part in the fight against the pandemic, conducting ten COVID-19 sample transport flights to Germany in direct support of the National Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic.
INTERNATIONAL OPERATIONS The Irish Defence Forces’ longest unbroken record of overseas service with the UN continued throughout 2020, with personnel deployed on UN, NATO, PfP (Partnership for Peace), EU CSDP (Common Security and Defence Policy) and OSCE Peace Support and Crisis Management operations across 14 missions in 13 countries. At the time of writing, there are currently 581 personnel serving overseas, with the largest deployment with the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), where 345 soldiers are serving. This includes an infantry battalion patrolling the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel. The second largest deployment is with the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights, Syria, where 138 Irish soldiers are currently serving. The infantry group provides a quick reaction force for the mission. Irish staff officers also serve in UNDOF HW, where Brigadier General Maureen O’Brien has held the role of Deputy Force Commander since 2019. An Army Ranger Wing is also deployed in Mali, working with the German Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Task Force, while 20 soldiers are also deployed to deliver education and training to the Malian Armed Forces. Other deployments include missions in Bosnia, Kosovo and Congo. Three personnel are also deployed to the operational HQ of the EU Naval Force Mediterranean Operation in Rome, tasked with the implementation of the UN arms embargo on Libya, as well as the disruption of human smuggling and trafficking networks.
INNOVATION The Defence Forces won a grant of 50,000 from the OPS Innovation Fund
IRELAND 10 AMBULANCE
010_AMB 2021_Defence Forces_V1.indd 10
25/03/2021 11:35
