An Cosantóir

www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 17 The QRF will operate on a 15-minute 'on-call' status to UNDOF Force Com- mander & Head of Mission, Maj Gen Francis Vib-Sanziri (Ghana), who may task them with a wide range of activi- ties; anything from the evacuation of UN personnel for various emergency reasons, to routine patrols. The highly mobile and flexible Irish unit has a wide range of capabilities, including armoured force protection, patrolling and mobility, surveillance, communications, medical and opera- tional expertise. UNDOF, which is assisted in its mis- sion by 77 UNTSO military observers from Observer Group Golan (OGG), is one of the longest running UN peace- keeping missions, having being set up in 1974 following the disengagement of Israeli and Syrian forces in the Golan after the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. UNDOF maintains an area of separa- tion (AOS) between Israeli and Syrian forces that is over 75km long and var- ies in width between approximately 10km in the centre, to only 200m in the extreme south. The hilly ter- rain includes Mount Hermon in the north, where the highest permanently manned UN position is located at an altitude of 2,814m. Over the course of its mission, UN- DOF has suffered 60 military and two civilian staff fatalities. The escalation of the Syrian civil war saw UNDOF HQ move from Camp Faouar on the Syrian (Bravo) side of the AOS to Camp Ziouani on the Israeli (Alpha) side. However, last March the HQ, which included Col Michael Daw- son (UNDOF Chief of Staff) and seven other members of the Defence Forces, returned to Camp Faouar. 57 Inf Gp, under command of Lt Col Mark Brownen, also relocated to Camp Faouar in September. The Dept of Defence said the reloca- tion of Irish personnel follows ongoing assessment of the security situation in the region and the continued enhance- ment of force-protection measures and living standards within Camp Faouar. Minister with Responsibility for De- fence Mr Paul Kehoe TD recently said: "The safety of our Defence Forces per- sonnel is my paramount concern, and throughout the relocation operations I have had ongoing discussions with the UN." The minister also said: "The continued presence of the UNDOF mis- sion remains an important element in ensuring stability on the Golan Heights and in the Middle East and is supported and welcomed by Syria and Israel." Nearly 100 personnel travelling with 58 Inf Gp come from the main contrib- uting unit, 7 Inf Bn, based in Cathal Brugha Bks, Dublin, with a further 30 personnel coming from around the country. The unit's members range from those on their first overseas de- ployment, to vastly experienced NCOs and officers who have served multiple tours of duty on peacekeeping and peace-enforcing missions. A DF Press Office statement said: "The mission readiness exercise puts commanders and soldiers through a series of demanding scenarios based on potential situations that may be encountered in the mission area. The training reflects the robust nature of a deployment in this area of operations and serves to prepare our personnel for any eventualities that may occur during their six-month tour." The unit carried out its deployment to Syria in mid-October, continuing Ireland's long-standing commitment to international peacekeeping, and the Defence Forces' continued contribu- tion to peace and security.

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