THE YEAR IN REVIEW

The Defence Forces Saw Successes and Faced Tragedy in a Busy 2022

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 in what was a challenging 2022, with the activities across the Army, Navy, Air Corps and overseas units detailed in the latest Annual Review.

Domestic Operations

A wide range of Defence & Security Operations were undertaken in 2022, with deployments including Aid to Civil Power (ATCP) and Aid to the Civil Authority (ATCA) operations on a daily basis supporting An Garda Síochána, Local Authorities and other key State agencies.

e Army conducted more than 128 ATCP operations supporting gardaí, involving Explosive Ordnance Disposal call outs, prisoner escorts, explosives escorts, cash escorts and search operations. Members of the Defence Forces also continued to carry out 365-day armed guard at Portlaoise Prison, as well as the Central Bank, Irish Industrial Explosives and Government Buildings.

Assistance was provided to civil authorities for multiple ad hoc operations throughout the year, including the construction of a temporary bridge crossing the River Boyne following ooding, the extinguishing of gorse res by Air Corps crews in Mayo, Wicklow and Dublin, and assistance with the charity event “Climb e Naval Service Dive Section was deployed four times for search, rescue and recovery operations, while the Search and Rescue (SAR) unit faced ve separate search and rescue responses. Looking upwards, in addition to national operations the Air Corps also continued to conduct international operations in support of the Defence Forces and Government department using its eet of xed-wing and rotary-wing aircra . ese operations included in excess of 450 hours of Maritime Surveillance Patrol ights, 49 inter-hospital Air Ambulance tasks both nationally and to the UK and mainland Europe, several aerial re ghting missions, support for Garda Air Support Unit operations, and repatriation ights.

With Charlie” in Mayo.

At sea, the Naval Service conducted 350 sheries boardings, resulting in three detentions. Patrolling 220million maritime acres of sea, shing vessels from Ireland, the UK, France, Spain, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, and Belgium were boarded and inspected in 2022.

International Operations

Having the status of the longest unbroken record of overseas service with the United Nations of any country, it is tting that in 2022, Defence Forces personnel were again deployed on UN, NATO Partnership for Peace, EU Common Security and Defence ere are currently 550 personnel serving overseas, the largest deployment of which is with the United National Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), where 353 Irish soldiers currently serve. is includes an Infantry Battalion who patrol the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel, partnering with Poland on this mission since 2019 to enhance and develop interoperability with partner nations. e second largest deployment is with the UN Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan Heights, Syria, where 134 personnel currently serve. ere are also 14 soldiers serving with the European Union Training Mission in Mali, delivering education and training to Malian Armed Forces.

Policy, and OSCE Peace Support and Crisis Management operations across 13 missions in 11 countries.

In September 2022, the Defence Forces concluded its participation with the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in the country, with an Army ere are also two Naval Service and one Air Corps personnel deployed to the Operational HQ of the EU Naval Force Mediterranean Operation in Rome, with the core task being the implementation of the UN arms embargo on Libya through the use of aerial, satellite and maritime assets. It is also tasked with disrupting human smuggling and tra cking networks.

RANGER Wing Task Unit serving with the German-led Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance Task Force since 2019.

A large number of Defence Forces personnel are also deployed on missions such as EUFOR in Bosnia & Herzegovina and KFOR in Kosovo, and since December 2022, one sta o cer has been deployed to the EU Military Assistance Mission Ukraine as part of a planning cell coordinating the delivery of training to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Innovation And Collaboration

In 2022, the Defence Forces were successful in winning a grant from the Public Service (OPS) 2020 Innovation Fund, with €43,000 supporting the I’M SAFE project that clearly de nes operational necessity with process and technology to deliver an outcome in the form of smart applications that enable Air Corps users track all ratings across pilots and aircrew. e Defence Forces continue to make a signi cant contribution to this Department of Public Expenditure and Reform initiative, with representatives from the Army, Navy and Air Corps speaking at OPS events throughout the year. e Unit has also assumed the responsibilities and objectives of the Defence Enterprise Committee, while acting as the National Focal Point for industry to engage with the European Defence Fund. A partnership with Science Foundation Ireland has also produced high standards of research innovation, and the RTI Unit is actively seeking further collaborations. rough 2022, the Unit has also developed two innovation programmes –

In the eld of Research Technology and Innovation (RTI), the Defence Forces formed a joint civil/military unit in 2021 that has now become a focal point for the Defence innovation ecosystem as the connectors across Government, Industry, Academia and the Irish Start-up community.

Defence Innovate and Defence Sparx – with the intention of bringing together great innovative thinking on organisational challenges.

Recruitment

e strength of the Defence Forces continues to grow, with 350 personnel inducted as General Service Recruits in 2022, as well as 20 Air Corps Apprentice Aircra Technicians, while 42 Cadets were inducted to the Defence Forces across all ranks, corps and services during the year.

Training

With the 2022 Commission on the Defence Forces describing the delivery of training and education as a cornerstone of military life, the primary focus of the Defence Forces, when not on operations, is the development and subsequent delivery of this training and education. During 2022, there was a total of 1,512 courses completed in Defence Forces installations (28 instructor courses with 309 students; 775 skills courses with 8,488 students; 49 career courses with 887 students, and 660 other courses).

A total of 426 personnel also completed e National Maritime College of Ireland also conferred Leadership, Management and Naval Studies awards at Level 6 to 26 personnel and Level 7 to ten personnel, BSC Nautical Science awards at Level 7 to six personnel and Level 8 to six personnel.

18 primary career progression courses across a range of areas, while the Leadership, Management and Defence Studies (LMDS) programme continued to develop and be a source of success. In January of this year, 206 personnel were conferred with awards achieved in 2022, including 64 with a higher Level Certi cate in LMDS, 81 with a Minor Award in LMDS, 53 conferred with a BA LMDS, eight with a Masters.

In collaboration with Maynooth University, a total of 102 awards were conferred by the university to Defence Forces personnel in 2022. is includes 51 Special Purpose Awards associated with Cadet Training, 27 graduated with Level 8 Higher Diplomas in Leadership and Contemporary Security, and 24 completed a Master of Arts related to the Joint Command and Sta Course.

A total of 28 personnel quali ed under the Army’s Trainee Technician Scheme in 2022, comprising of 14 CIS Corps students at Level 7, eight Ordnance Corps students at Level 7, and six Engineer Corps students at Level 6.

Within the Naval Service, 18 personnel were conferred under the Naval Service Trainee Technician Scheme, with six awarded a National Trade Certi cate Level 6, and 12 awarded a Level 7 Bachelor of Engineering from Munster Technological University.

In the Air Corps, 19 apprentices were awarded a Bachelor of Engineering from TUD upon their completion of their apprenticeship as Aircra Technicians.

Deployment Training

Four Mission Readiness Exercises were conducted for larger troop deployments to UNIFIL and UNDOF, involving 828 troops, in order to certify maximum capability and competence prior to deployment.

e Domestic Exercise Evaluation Model (DEEM) was used for the rst time in 2022, allowing for evaluation in line with international best practices. A further two Overseas Quali cation Courses were conducted for 40 personnel who deployed on smaller missions. e Defence Forces also engaged in external and foreign training during 2022 to facilitate organisational learning. In total, personnel participated in 182 foreign activities involving 456 personnel to ensure the Defence Forces remain up to date on international best practice in terms of military thinking and expertise.

Ceremonial

e Defence Forces participated in almost 40 military and State ceremonial events in 2022, including a State ceremony in January to mark the centenary of the formal handover of Dublin Castle to Irish hands, at which President Higgins attended.

Participation was also visible at the e annual Remembrance Ceremony was held at the National Memorial in Merrion Square in November to remember the ten members of the Defence Forces who lost their lives in the past 12 months, while in December a ceremony took place in Custume Barracks, where then-Minister of Defence Simon Coveney led the unveiling of a commemorative stone to honour the support of families of A Company, 35th e Defence Forces also participated in the annual State commemoration ceremonies, including the 106th anniversary of the Easter Rising at the GPO, the 1916 Leaders Commemoration at Arbour Hill, and the National Day of Commemoration at the National Museum, Collins Barracks. ere were also 11 ceremonies at Áras an Uachtaráin, where a total of 33 Ambassadors presented their credentials of O ce.

National Famine Commemoration in May, which saw the Taoiseach attend.

Veterans Day was celebrated in McKee Barracks in June, while a ceremony took place in Béal na mBláth in Cork in August to commemorate the centenary of the death of General Michael Collins, an event signi cantly supported by the Defence Forces.

Infantry Battalion ONUC during the Battle of Jadotville.

Operation Fortitude

With the COVID-19 pandemic still presenting a challenge to public health, the Defence Forces continued to coordinate with Government and the HSE to deliver support under four main operation headings of Testing, Tracing, Vaccination and Logistics. is e ort required 7,739 work days for personnel, and 1,810 vehicle movements.

ere were 1,406 Defence Forces work days dedicated to Testing operations, with nal testing ending in March 2022, 1,078 work days given over to Contact Tracing, ending in February, and 3,015 work days dedicated to Vaccination operations, ending in May.

In terms of Logistics, 2,240 work days were dedicated to logistical taskings including tentage, logs, and transport, as well as deployment of Defence Forces ambulances to support the HSE/National Ambulance Service.

Under Operation Fairway, the Defence Forces provided personnel and logistics to be on standby for deployment to control the access of sta and service providers in Dublin Airport from July to August 2022, requiring 2,118 work days involving 3,778 personnel and 127 vehicle movements. Under Operation Fáilte, the Defence Forces also provided support for the national e ort for the reception, accommodation and sustainment of Ukrainian refugees following the Russian invasion of their country. is was done under three main operational headings of Accommodation, Logistics and IRC Call Centres, requiring 3,289 work days and 326 vehicle movements during the year.

Tragedy

Of course, unfortunately the year of 2022 ended with the tragic events that occurred in South Lebanon, when Private Seán Rooney lost his life in a convoy attack while on UN peacekeeping duties in December. is event reminds us all that military life carries with it inherent risks and sometimes comes with the ultimate cost being paid.

e Annual Report by the Defence Forces comments: “As soldiers, sailors and aircrew, we are keenly aware of our commitment to achieving the mission. While Seán Rooney’s memory will never be forgotten by any of us, we take example from the men and women of the 121st Infantry Battalion, who honour their colleagues and their families every day of their deployment in the manner in which they resolutely continue their mission.

eir continued commitment to providing the ordinary people of South Lebanon with a relatively safe and stable environment in which to live and raise their families serves as an inspiration to us all.”

Photograph Credits: ©Óglaigh na hÉireann