An Cosantóir

| 13 www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE over 200 groundhogs between arrival in November 2023 and departure at the end of May 2024, as well as multiple danger-close events and thousands of hours of framework operations conducted in armour and in body armour and helmets. All of our soldiers experienced what were fundamentally challenging and stressful events, from rocket attacks overhead, to airstrikes in close proximity, while those on the Blue Line witnessed small arms fire impacting against and sometimes within UNP 6-52. Irish personnel on patrol at all hours of the night and day have witnessed the worst destruction in south Lebanon since the 2006 war, with many witnessing danger close events, while others have dealt with live casualties (from other UN contingents), or provided the security blanket of an unbroken 24-7 armoured response, providing vital escorts and security reassurance to all of our personnel. A point worth stating is that Irish personnel performed exceptionally well across all of these challenges, vindicating our training and our Professional Military Education, even despite the constrained resources in many units at present. Perhaps the best example of this from our tour was the Irish-led response to the injury of four military OGL observers not far from the camp in March 2024. The observers casualties were evacuated to Camp Shamrock and there received state- of-the-art attention to stabilise them for onward MEDEVAC to Beirut and to Tyre. Similar scenarios had been exercised many times in the Battalion situation room and this incident showcased both the professional ability of our command and control assets but also the world-class military medical personnel at all ranks, who transferred patients to the heli-pad within 23 minutes. In the final analysis, a priority one casualty was airlifted to Beirut and three lower priority casualties were moved by armoured ambulance to Tyre, under escort from the Battalion QRF. Overall, the opportunity for soldiers of the 123 Infantry Battalion to practice their craft and to have meaningful work to do against a potentially dangerous environment was a real driver for standards and performance. Hard and Soft operations In broad terms, the line of operations within the battalion were broken down into 'hard' and 'soft' activities, often with one driving the other. The 'hard' operations consisted of regular framework patrols, temporary observation posts and support to our strategic partners and the primary government agency in South Lebanon – the Lebanese Armed Forces. The patrols were conducted by day and by night, often in Mowag APCs but most usually in Armoured Toyota Land-cruisers. Our 'soft' operations consisted of key leader engagements (where the Commanding Officer met local Mayors and other leaders) and also in Civil-Military Cooperation (CIMIC) activities. CIMIC consisted of very detailed planning and systematic integration of the local population's concerns, priorities and requests for assistance into the Commander's plans, leveraging a small discretionary budget from the Defence Forces but also garnering support for larger projects funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs through the Irish Embassy at Cairo. Such CIMIC activities were absolutely vital to the Irish battalion's operations, especially in the changed environment after the hostiles across the Blue Line began. This is because the people of South Lebanon, in the context of a chapter 6 peacekeeping mandate and the strong presence of non-state military actors among the population of the south, were in fact the centre of gravity of the entire mission, especially with regard to the freedom of movement and the safety of our personnel. Far from lying outside the main effort of framework operations, CIMIC has in fact been the driving force in many cases for the delivery of operations in response to local requests. This resulted in initiatives such as an increasing of patrols and high visibility operations in certain villages to deter inter-community tensions; or the provision of an escort to support the LAF in transporting agricultural feed in favour of local farmers struggling to maintain their livelihoods amidst Lebanon's worsening economic crisis. In all of these activities, the role of the CIMIC cell, which was fully integrated among Irish and Polish personnel, was critical. It stands to reason then that the Defence Forces should strongly consider how best to establish dedicated CIMIC cells at G9 and J9 level, in order to build on the hard-won experience of Irish CIMIC personnel in UNIFIL, but also to prepare for future deployments. The Polish Armed Forces' CIMIC Centre of Excellence at its Military Training Centre for Foreign Operations would be a useful starting point, especially given that Ireland and Poland share a battalion on operations in UNIFIL. Why UNIFIL? The people of South Lebanon continue to benefit from the presence of the Irish-Polish Battalion, who are the eyes and ears of the international community on this part of the Blue Line, where we observe, monitor and call out violence and violations on all sides. Our very presence in daily operations on the roads and in the wadis has provided a constant reassurance that UNIFIL is here and that the hope of stability and of a normal life is still a possibility – someday – for the ordinary women, children and men who call this place home. Wreath laying ceremony to remember soldiers who have died in service in Lebanon DF members performing CASEVAC training always preparing for the worst DF members performing tactical drills, constant rehearsals of our drills in order to help soldiers best prepare for all events OC 123 Inf Bn Lt Col Stephen MacEoin (Picture taken from IrishTimes)

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