An Cosantóir

12 | "I think there is a special bond between all soldiers, regardless of race, creed or colour, and the relationship we developed with the Malians was very positive and integral to their development, helping them to gain more from the training experience." Lt Gaffney conducting tactics with MAF soldiers by Lt JJ Gaffney (7 Inf Bn & EUTM Mali) T he international community, including the EU, has a strong interest in the Malian crisis. A key element in any resolution of this crisis will be the reconstruction and reorganisation of a Malian defence and security apparatus that is effective and respected, respectful of the law, and under the authority of a legitimate government. There is wide agreement that an urgent and serious reorganisation of the Malian defence and security forces (MDSF) is needed to enable Malian authorities to stop the movement of rebel groups towards the south; re-establish state authority and security over Malian territory; and create the conditions to put an end to trafficking and terrorist groups' activities. These military 'contingency operations' are seen as the new template to tackling conflict at the root cause, are more cost effective, and avoid large scale kinetic conflicts. In a military equivalent of rugby's British and Irish Lions, this mission sees the first formal joint overseas deployment of UK and Irish military personnel. An infantry training team comprising six members of the Defence Forces under operational control of 1 Royal Irish Regiment (RIR); Lt Col P Ryan is Camp Comdt, Koulikoro Training Camp; and Comdt D McGrath, J1 Ops in Mission HQ. The first Malian Armed Forces (MAF) battle-group commenced training on April 8th and after a ten-week training cycle has deployed north to Gao for operations. With the An Cosantóir September 2013 www.dfmagazine.ie second battle-group with us for training, I feel it's time to reflect on Operation 'Newcombe', EUTM Mali, so far. Pre-deployment training in Tern Hill, home of 1 RIR, we underwent the OPTAG (operational training and guidance package). This was hugely beneficial and afforded me the opportunity to meet my OCs, Majors Holden and Huxley, my counterpart, Mr Coulson, as well as the regiment's NCOs. Two weeks later we deployed to the mission area, via RAF strategic air assets. Koulikoro, approximately 80kms north of Mali's capital, Bamako, is our home for the duration of the tour. As soon as we commenced our FITT (force in-theatre training) it was very evident that the Defence Forces and 1 Royal Irish share common TTPs (Tactics, Techniques and Procedures), allowing full integration and proving our interoperability. This meant rather than having a stand-alone Defence Forces training team, we now had mixed teams. This in my opinion delivers the best training outcomes to the Malians, drawing on the Royal Irish Regiment's operational experience and the Defence Forces' experience on similar training missions and previous African deployments. EUTM Mali provides a ten-week training package designed to contribute to restoring the military capacity of the MAF, which, under the full control of legitimate civilian authorities, will be able to engage in combat operations aimed at restoring Malian territorial integrity. Phase one and two concen-

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