An Cosantóir

14 UNDER GOLAN SKIES ENHANCEMENT Camp Faouar, with no patrolling or operational activity conducted from the camp, and focused on the refurbishment of the camp and the preparation for it to once again become the mission HQ. Beginning in July 2017, Phase Two encompassed a tentative reoccupation of the Bravo side and limited patrolling, with a Nepalese Mechanised Company deploying to Camp Faouar and four patrol routes reopening in February 2018. In the following months, NMC conducted a number of operational patrols throughout the North and Center sectors of the Bravo side, along with reconnaissance of the main supply route from Camp Faouar to the Alpha-Bravo-Charlie gate. In September 2018, Phase Three commenced when the FRC redeployed to Camp Faouar, conducting a clearance of the entire Qunaytira crossing to enable the reopening of the gate between the Alpha and Bravo side. This also enabled the FRC to begin clearing previously held UN posts for reoccupation within the Area of Separation and, with the entry into the mission of a Uruguayan Mechanised Infantry Company, completed the consolidation phase of the incremental return as UNDOF operations were now being carried out throughout the AOS. Enter Phase Four: Enhancement. The objective of this phase being the improvement of UNDOF's capability to deliver on its obligations to monitor the ceasefire between Israel and Syria, the FRC were once more to the fore. 63 Inf Gp continues to build on the contributions of previous Irish deployments to the mission, providing a range of capabilities to FC UNDOF on request, in addition to framework operations. Shortly after deployment, one of the first tasks received from UNDOF HQ was the search and clearance of a large site, a destroyed former UN position designated UNP 86B, in preparation for its reconstruction and reoccupation. For the duration of this five-day operation, both the Engineer Specialist Search and Clearance Team and a security party drawn from the FRC Mech Coy were deployed to a nearby Uruguayan position and conducted the operation from this location. The nature of the location of the search and clearance operation, immediately adjacent to the Alpha line, necessitated liaison between UNDOF HQ and the IDF. At all times, the FRC's EOD team were on call to deploy to render safe any potential hazards. Following the successful completion of the search and clearance operation, the site was handed over to UNDOF HQ's engineering section for the construction project. The 63 Inf Gp were not to rest long on their laurels, however, and subsequently were tasked with the first annual certification clearance of OP 56 and OP 72, which are occupied by Observer Group Golan, UNTSO. While this was a smaller scale operation than the clearance of UNP 86B, the clearance of OP 72 would require a second day, and this required the site to be secured overnight. This was an opportunity for the STA detachment of 63 Inf Gp to ply their trade, and a temporary OP was selected as the most effective means of securing the clearance site through the night. This was made possible using the STA detachment's thermal imaging suite which could cover those approaches not visible from the hard stand alongside the thermal imaging capabilities on two MOWAG APCs which covered the rest of the required arcs. This illustrates one of the core goals of the enhancement phase of UNDOF's return strategy, to be able to conduct the full spectrum of operational activities by UNDOF is currently in Phase 4 of its incremental return to the Bravo side and the ongoing refurbishment and reoccupation of all of its positions. In 2014, as the hostilities of the Syrian civil war continued to escalate on the Bravo side, UNDOF withdrew to Camp Ziouani, on the Alpha side of the area of separation, with patrolling and framework operations limited by the conflict. It must be borne in mind that the UNDOF mandate remains unchanged since 1974 and makes no reference to the Syrian civil war. Units naturally maintain a high level of awareness of the surrounding circumstances in order to ensure force protection. In late 2016, UNDOF began the phased return to the Bravo side. Phase One encompassed a limited reoccupation of Mass Casualty Exercise run in Camp Faouar Jadotville Forced March

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