An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir January / February 2025 www.military.ie/magazine this HQ. An overwhelming array of maps, schedules, correspondence and a printed recipe thought to describe HME manufacture, which was revealed to be a harmless recipe for chocolate chip cookies by a Cypriot translator. Once the room had been confirmed free of Booby Traps the dress state was reduced from Level 3 (TAC 6E suit & Helmet cw Ballistic Visor) to Level 1 (Body Armour and Helmet) and the test of Technical Exploitation of the sea of material began. The Intelligence was quicky interpreted to reveal the likely location of a long term weapons hide in an overgrown area to be searched by the Cypriot IST. This search also saw the Belgian AST uncover a HME lab and conduct an efficient CASEVAC of a soldier injured by a Booby Trap. The final task completed by C1 was a defensive venue search of Markideio theatre in Paphos. This type of search is conducted in advance of a venues use for high profile events which may be attended by the targets of the enemy such as political leaders or diplomats. Such venues pose opportune terrain for a broad range of attacks so the defensive venue search is a countermeasure used to detect any devices or resources intended for use in an attack. Following the initial search, the venue must remain a safe and sterile environment for the duration of its use. This theatre was scheduled to host a planning conference between the MMSC and Cypriot National Guard. C1 conducted a Threat Assessment, Vulnerability Assessment, Orders session and a detailed search of the venue before handing it over to Cypriot Police to secure until completion of the conference. LESSONS LEARNED The team and support staff unanimously agreed that the short but intense experience was hugely beneficial and educational. The team returned home with confidence in their abilities of Advanced Search and full of ideas for further improvement to our capabilities. The experience working with mixed nationalities as part of the same operational unit allowed C1 to demonstrate Irish TTPs and contrast them with teams from different backgrounds. Most procedural differences could be traced back to the environment in which each countries search capability was developed. The opportunity to work with MWD and handlers was one of the key talking points after the Exercise but the challenges and cost of this capability were also well recognised. One point of similarity between the four participating nations was the equipment suites in use. The common use of detectors produced by Valon and Orion, Hook & line sets produced by Allen proved that the equipment available to our Advanced Search teams is on par our pier nations. The benefit of having EOD and Advanced Search capabilities within the same unit became apparent from working with Swedish EOD and Demining Centre (SWEDEC) personnel. The intimate understanding of the two capabilities and responsibilities was apparent and impressive, the proximity certainly bred interoperability which would serve as a good target for our Ordnance and Engineer Corps. 16 | The Irish AST prepare equipment for the search of TRUST HQ building suspected to be booby trapped Cpl Johnny Carroll operating the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) alongside his Swedish counterpart. Yes that is a playstation controller! A Belgian dog and her handler patiently await the call forward to assist the Irish AST Capt Donal Clare briefs a Belgian AST Commander on the layout of the suspected TRUST HQ compound. Footage captured on the Irish DJI Matrice drone. Capt Donal Clare relays new intelligence to leaders of the Cypriot EOD, IST and Belgian AST Pte Donal Daly and Pte Sean O'Connell progress through the first bound of a route search under supervisison of the Irish team and Belgian umpire Comdt Jane O'Neill and a Cypriot Major preparing material for MMSC Operations the following day

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