An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir February 2020 www.dfmagazine.ie 12 | BY SGT WAYNE FITZGERALD PHOTOS BY ARMN SAM GIBNEY 'EU Battlegroups are multinational, military units, usually composed of 1,500 personnel each and form an integral part of the European Union's military rapid reaction capacity to respond to emerging crises and conflicts around the world.' - European External Action Service. (The EEAS helps the EU's High Represen- tative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to carry out the EU's common foreign and security policy.) The common security and defence policy (CSDP) enables the EU to take a leading role in peacekeeping operations, including conflict prevention and international security. The EU cannot deploy Battlegroups without a unanimous decision by the Council and authorisation by a UN Security Council resolution. This is in line with Ireland's triple-lock system, in which any mili- tary action outside of the state must be mandated by the UN, agreed by government, and approved by Dáil Éireann. No EU Battlegroup has been deployed to date. In 2017 the EEAS said: 'Battlegroups have been fully operational since 2007 and have proven their value as a tool for defence cooperation and transformation. Issues relating to political will, usability, and financial solidarity have prevented them from being deployed. However, in recent months much progress has been made to overcome these hurdles – giving the Battlegroups renewed impe- tus and relevance." Speaking last November at the launch of a proposal from the defence ministers of Ireland, Austria, Sweden, Netherlands and Belgium on increasing the contribution of EU member states to UN peacekeeping, Paul Kehoe TD, Minister with Responsibility for Defence, said: "It is through our active engagement and full participation in all aspects of CSDP that Ireland secures the credibility and influence to ensure that CSDP operates in support of the UN and that we can advance Ireland's values and objectives in support of international peace and security alongside like-minded EU colleagues. "The UN strongly supports CSDP and Ireland's engagement in CSDP, including our engagement in EU Battlegroups, as has been endorsed by successive UN secretaries general. The initiative launched today also has the full support of the UN, which has been centrally involved in the development of the initiative." As part of the EU's CSDP they have undertaken a number of overseas operations, using civilian and military personnel in several countries and on three continents (Europe, Africa, and Asia). They include the EU's military operation in Eastern Chad and North-Eastern Central African Republic (EUFOR Tchad/RCA) from March 2008 to March 2009; and the on-going Operation Althea (EUFOR BiH), which started in De- cember 2004. As mentioned earlier, EU Battlegroups are multinational military units capable of responding to a crisis or conflict around the world at short notice. They have to be self- sustainable for up to 30 days initially; ex- tendable to 120 days if resupplied appropri- ately. Battlegroups train operationally, with the lead nation hosting the multinational HQ and conducting the combined exercises. Ireland has participated in a number of EU Battlegroups over the years with the government first approving participation with the Nordic Battlegroup, led by Sweden, in November 2006. That Battlegroup went on standby in January 2008, with the Defence Forces contributing an EOD/IEDD unit with its own security team, together with staff posts at the Operational and Force HQs in Sweden. In February 2018, the government approved Defence Forces' participation in the German-led, Battlegroup 2020. Dáil Éireann also approved the participation in June 2019. The Battlegroup, At a time when terrorism, hybrid threats, climate change, economic volatility and energy insecurity lead to violent conflicts around the globe, closer European cooperation on defence and security is more impor- tant than ever. - European External Action Service (EEAS)

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