An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir April 2019 www.dfmagazine.ie 18 | REPORT & PHOTOS BY CQMS MICHAEL BARRETT (AR), 7 INF BN This is usually a short term and ad hoc initiative, with the 'enemy' troops involved dressed and equipped very similar to the exercising troops also involved, offering in some cases little to differentiate between the 'blue' forces and 'enemy' forces, this policy of using own unit troops also tends to put a further drain on manpower of the exercising units concerned. A proposal to this predicament may be to establish a new Defence Forces unit, perhaps initially on a trial basis at first, which would be dedicated to providing more professional enemy contingents to partake in any high level exercise as required - in essence an 'aggressor' unit. In the context of future Mission Ready Exercises, the purpose of this aggressor unit would be to provide a independent enemy force, one which would be distinctly uniformed and equipped to represent known or potential hostile elements in the projected mission Area of Operations. This concept of a standing professional aggressor unit is not by any means new, and is in fact already practiced in some other worldwide armies, and even some Air Forces - for example the United States Air Force's aggressors fighter squadrons, used dur- ing the cold war, these units used using fighter aircraft painted in Soviet colours and using combat doctrine practised by Soviet fighter pilots. This prepared pilots to quickly identify their poten- tial enemy by his appearance, and to anticipate their training and combat tactics during a confrontation. So how would an army aggressor unit be set up within the Defence Forces - if manpower levels do not permit the estab- lishment of a new formation, then perhaps, the most effective method would be the utilisation of an already existing company- sized unit. Another option could be to husband troops, even RDF troops, countrywide for the role within such a unit, who could when required, be activated and assigned, to the 'enemy' unit to beef up manpower. Another option would be to rotate the role to Battalion sized units on a yearly or bi-yearly basis. The location of this new unit would be most likely a central based, perhaps in the Defence Forces Training Centre (DFTC). The aggressor unit could when required for tasked exercises, deploy a suitably dressed and armed enemy force, anything up to company-sized strength. The unit could, if deemed applicable, use the combat doctrine, habits and perhaps even uniforms of E very year the Defence Forces undertake a multitude of Mission Readiness Exercises (MRE) and other company plus sized exercises designed to test, evaluate and prepare units and personnel for their designated roles and missions. Almost all of these tasks will involve some element of a appointed enemy personnel, usually drawn from the unit conducting the said exercise. Rising

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