An Cosantóir

20 | S T R AT EGI C R E V I EW In Enköping with the Vikings BY COMDT PADDY MAHER its six-month standby period as the EU Battle Group. This article outlines the experiences of Irish personnel working in the NBG Force Headquarters (FHQ) based in the home of the Swedish Vikings. The EU Battle Group is a key component of the EU’s Common O Defence and Security Policy (CDSP) and, specifically, its crisis management capability. The battle group is the minimum, militarily effective, rapidly deployable, coherent force, capable of stand-alone operations, or for deployment during the initial phase of larger opera- tions. It is based on a combined arms, battalion-sized force, reinforced with combat support and combat service support elements. These elements include an intelligence surveillance target acquisition and reconnaissance task force (ISTAR TF), and expeditionary air wing (EAW) and Special Forces (SF). The battle group must be capable of beginning a deployment within 10 days of a decision to launch an operation and be self-sustain- able for 30 days (this is extendable up to 120 days). It must be deployable up to 6,000kms from Brussels (this is not a physical limitation but the planning target). The EU has two battle groups constantly on standby, ready to be deployed to crisis areas. For the period from January 1st to Jun 30th, 2011, the Swedish-led Nordic Battle Group and Netherlands Battle Group 107 were the standby units. This was the second time that Sweden had acted as Framework Nation, the first occasion being 2008. The NBG’s 2,200 troops from Sweden, Finland, Norway, Ire- land and Estonia, were augmented by Croatian personnel who supplied additional heli-airlift and medical evacuation capability. n June 30th 2011 the 2,200-strong, Swedish-led Nor- dic Battle Group (NBG) comprising of Swedish, Finn- ish, Norwegian, Irish and Estonian troops, completed Ireland contributed 153 personnel to the NBG 2011, with 13 full-time staff deployed to the FHQ in Sweden and a 140-strong ISTAR unit and related elements based in 1 S Bde, in Ireland. Due to a 16-month preparation phase, four officers, Lt Col’s Tim Donovan, Gerry Brennan, Mick Carroll and Comdt Paddy Ryan, completed almost two years as part of the NBG 11 FHQ. The remaining nine Irish FHQ personnel joined in April 2010 and June 2010. The total strength of the FHQ was 115, made up of personnel from the five troop-contributing nations, and the Irish personnel served in a wide variety of functional areas, including planning, operations, training, logistics, finance and CIMIC. Lt Col Donovan was the SIO for the Irish contingent as well as Assistant Chief of Staff (ACOS) for the CIMIC branch. The initial phase of the FHQ deployment, which began in September 2009, concentrated on developing procedures and staff education as well as planning for the training of the entire battle group. The main focus of the FHQ during the preparation phase was to prepare for and complete a series of two-week intensive exercises throughout 2010 to ensure that the FHQ staffs were validated and ready for the standby period commencing on January 1st 2011. The main exercises included Combined Joint Staff Exercise 10, Illuminated Summer 10, Initial Effort and Joint Action 10. In April 2011, during the standby period, the FHQ also took part in Exercise Viking, a week-long, multinational staff exercise, to ensure that skills and capabilities were being main- tained to the required level. All these exercises were designed to ensure that staff proce- dures, including the use of air assets, were developed and prac- ticed to the highest standard, while developing very important relationships and common understanding with subordinate units and higher command. They also acted as key NBG valida- Lt Col Tim Donovan (SIO and CIMIC commander) on board a C130 aircraft during FHQ deployment on Exercise ‘Joint Action’ in November 2010. Irish members of NBG FHQ 2011. Back row (l-r): Lt Alan Fennell, Comdt Paddy Maher, Capt Dom Timpson, Lt Aoife Herbert, Coy Sgt Chris Smith, CQMS Christy Guilfoyle, Capt Cathal Keohane, Comdt Caimin Keogh. Front row (l-r): Comdt Tom McGuinness, Lt Col Mick Carroll, Col Mikael Frisell (Chief of Staff, FHQ), Lt Col Tim Donovan (Senior Irish Officer), Lt Col Gerry Brennan, Comdt Paddy Ryan. Photo: Capt Anders Karlson, Swedish Armed Forces. An Cosantóir July 2011

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