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| 27 www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE THE DEFENCE FORCES JOINT TASK FORCE (DF JTF) BY COMDT TADHG O' DONOGHUE PHOTOS BY COMDT TADHG O' DONOGHUE OPERATION FORTITUDE On 20 Mar 20, the Minister for Defence issued DFR 05/2020 establishing a COVID-19 Joint Task Force "to comprise of Land, Sea and Air Components of the DF for the purpose of Military Operations relating to COVID-19". OPORD 03/2020, which was issued by D COS (Ops) on 23 Mar 20, established Operation FORTITUDE and the requirement for the DF to stand up a dedicated JTF to support the cross-Government approach to fighting COVID-19. Under Operation FORTITUDE, the Defence Forces contributed to the maintenance of national resilience across a wide range of areas including, vaccination, testing, contact tracing, administration and logistical support, organisation of the Mandatory Hotel Quarantine scheme, the deployment of ambulances and support to residential care homes. When Operation FORTITUDE was stood down on 31 May 23, 124,900 DF deployed workdays had been utilised to resource Operation FORTITIDE operations. The statistics for Operation FORTITUDE are shown in the table below: Table 1: COVID-19 Supports – Personnel and assets deployed * Included in 'DF Personnel Deployed' figures All DF activities conducted under Operation FORTITUDE were part of the integrated whole of Government approach. The response from the DF in providing surge support to the HSE and other agencies, underlines the key role and value of the DF in support of national resilience in a time of crisis. Liaison with the HSE has been conducted with regard to contingency planning for another pandemic-type event and the possible role that the DF may play in this. OPERATION FÁILTE The utility the JTF has provided in Operation FORTITUDE has been further emphasised in the DF response to the cross- Government effort to deal with the arrival to Ireland of large numbers of Ukrainians who are the Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP) and related issues concerned with persons seeking International Protection (IP). DF efforts in this area, under the banner of Operation FÁILTE, commenced in Mar 22. Initially the JTF assisted the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) with the planning process to be utilised in response to the national effort to deal with this issue. A campaign plan to deal with the arrival, accommodation and other needs of BOTP was prepared by the DF Planning team and presented to DCEDIY. In response to further DCEDIY requests, the JTF has coordinated DF supports under four (4) main headings: Pledged Accommodation Call Centres in support of the Irish Red Cross, Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection (BOTP) accommodation, logistical support to DCEDIY and International Protection (IP) accommodation. In supporting the Irish Red Cross, up to 40 phone lines were maintained across the DF with 17,588 pledged accommodation calls made and 4,474 property details passed to the Irish Red Cross. The DF constructed an Emergency Accommodation and Reception Centre capable of accommodating 320 BOTP in DF tentage in Gormanston Camp in 2022. This facility was operational between 19 Jul and 07 Oct 22. The DF constructed an Emergency Accommodation Centre in Columb Bks, Mullingar in Mar 23 with a capacity for 120 persons. Currently 124 bed-spaces are provided by the DF in Kilbride Camp for persons seeking International Protection (IP). 62 bed-spaces are provided for BOTP in Ballymullen Bks. Currently 13 DF MPTSS tents are deployed in Knockalisheen, Co Clare allowing for the accommodation for 104 persons seeking International Protection while 60 DF MPTSS tents and 435 camp beds have been handed over permanently from the DF to DCEDIY. Up to 11 NOV 23 Operation FÁILTE has required 6,425 DF deployed work days. The JTF continue to work closely with the DoD on all DCEDIY requests, attend the weekly Department of An Taoiseach-chaired Senior Officials Group meetings and attend weekly meetings with DCEDIY, acting as the focal point for any DF activity in this ongoing national effort. The breakdown of DF commitments to Operation FORTITUDE tasks is shown in the table below. Table 2: BOTP / IP Supports – Personnel and assets deployed SUMMARY The JTF offers the benefit of a HQ focused on coordinating DF efforts in contributing to cross-Government efforts to respond to complex national problems. The complexity and range of the Aid to the Civil Authority (ATCA) issues dealt with by the JTF has required a highly agile HQ which is capable of re-orientation and rapid adaptability. The JTF, characterised by a small C2 element capable of channeling appropriate DF resources to respond to requests for ATCA support, has been central to the successful conduct of a diverse range of ATCA operations since its formation in Mar 20. Operational Heading DF Personnel Deployed DF Reserve Personnel* DF Personnel committed DF Vehicles Deployed AC Flights NS Ship Days TOTAL Op FORTITUDE 124,900 2,502 226,632 25,467 79 197 Operational Heading DF Personnel Deployed DF Reserve Personnel* DF Personnel committed DF Vehicles Deployed AC Flights NS Ship Days Pledged Accommodation Call Centre Operations 943 0 943 0 0 0 BOTP Accommodation Operations 2,158 1 2,558 330 0 0 Logistics Operations 1,012 277 1,012 45 0 0 IP Applicant Accommodation Operations 2,312 0 3,779 444 0 0 TOTAL OPERATION FÁILTE 6,425 278 8,292 819 0 0 Gormanston Tents after construction Knockalisheen Accommodation Centre

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