An Cosantóir

www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 17 they could be checked later for any clues about the person or persons responsible. The establishment of a new threat and location ushered in the second part of the exercise. A plan was quickly formed to deal with this new threat and personnel from the Pot NCO course were trucked to the suspected target. On the way to the shopping centre all personnel kitted out in NBC suits, dress CAT4 Romeo, which was going to make this an even more challenging exercise for all involved. On scene were members of the GS, the HSE, and other govern- ment bodies who had been invited to view the exercise to see what an operation of this nature would entail and give them an idea of how to deal with such an incident if required. In order to add to the realism of the exercise, other DF person- nel were inside the shopping centre acting as civilian shoppers going about their business. Outside, the Pot NCO course approached the entrances to the centre, using the building for cover as they moved into position. Each section took up positions outside a different entrance and waited for the signal to enter the building. After a tense few min- utes the signal was given and the troops quickly entered to secure the building and its occupants. The section that entered at the rear of the premises spotted the suspect from the quarry, who appeared to be holding a detonator and had a package sitting on the ground beside him. Weapons were instantly trained on the suspected terrorist and when he suddenly made a move to press the detonator he was immedi- ately neutralised. Once the initial threat had been removed, the Pot NCOs quickly sealed all the exits and began to take control of the centre, gath- ering all the civilians inside and segregating them so they could be searched and detained to ensure they were not accomplices in the incident. With the scene secure, the YO EOD team had the task of assess- ing the device that the terrorist had intended to use and making it safe. A two-person EOD team, also wearing full NBC suits with res- pirators, entered the centre, and approached the suspect package. Outside, the Pot NCO course set up a perimeter around the shopping centre, and in the car park a flurry of activity took place as an incident control point (ICP) HQ and decontamination area were set up, with the latter having clearly designated 'hot' and 'cold' zones for the decontamination process, with showers and rest areas. Back inside the centre the EOD team from the YO course was running detector tests to check the area and the device for any airborne chemicals or other hazardous materials. The EOD team members moved with the precision of surgeons as they dealt with the device, and their or- ganisational skills really highlighted their profes- sionalism. Securing the package to the ground, they were able to access the bag containing the device and examine its inner workings. This allowed them to reverse engineer the device and disarm it. As they disassembled each part of the device, it was marked and secured for removal from the scene. While the EOD team was dealing with the device, the watch- ing members of the GS and HSE were given the chance to ask questions and to see the equipment that the DF personnel were using. There was a lot of interest in the NBC suit and respirator, with questions about its effectiveness and the length of time it could be worn for. They were then given a tour of the ICP and the decontamination area, which included a walk-through of how the decontamination area would be run. The clean-up operation in such a scenario is a lengthy process, with so many items that could have been contaminated. Accord- ingly, for the next few hours the EOD teams operated in shifts, going through the many items to be decontaminated and making them safe for removal from the area. The exercise ended early the following morning having run for almost 12 hours, with new skills honed and areas that may need improvement established. It is challenging exercises like these that push our troops to work hard, and test their skills in difficult environments. As they are based on actual events that have taken place around the world, these exercises are very realistic and contribute to making the DF a highly professional and dependable force that is ready to deploy whenever needed to protect and serve the nation or on UN peacekeeping operations overseas.

• Cover