An Cosantóir

Naval Service Fleet on Exercise exercise 'Quixotic' | 19 The AW139 carrying out winching drills Fire fighting EX onboard the LE Roisín are A/Mech John Bertles, L/Mech Susan Grogan and PO/Mech Paddy Harte the military decision-making pro- cess (MDMP) for Naval Operations' command staff, officer tactical command and staff, and ships' com- mand teams. These exercises enable the Naval Service to build on current standards, and assess doctrine and training, with the goal of improving overall capability and operational readiness. The tasks involved during the week covered a wide range of ac- tivities. Fleet-work tested all seven ships in the synchronised move- ment of ships in close proximity. This requires the bridge team (com- prising the officer-of-the-watch, the navigation officer, communications team, helmsman, and combinator operator) to work as a unit to en- sure these manoeuvres are carried out effectively and efficiently. A surface shoot was carried out by the fleet in line formation using the ships' primary armaments - 76mm Oto Melara, 57mm Bofors and L70 Bofors - and secondary armaments - .5" HMG, 20mm Rheinmetals, and 7.62mm GPMG. An armed boarding exercise was also conducted, as one of the main capabilities employed in countering drug running and other illegal ac- tivities is the Naval Service's ability to deploy heavily armed boarding teams. Boarding teams drawn from the ships' crews were deployed in full tactical gear to board a 'vessel of interest' (VOI). In an operational set- ting, once the vessel is secured and searched any suspects are detained and transferred to the mother ship. Crews are then deployed to take the vessel to a designated port. It was such armed boarding training and capability that led to the seizure of a cargo of cocaine with a street value of €750 million in 2008 onboard the 65ft yacht Dances With Waves. As the primary sea-going agency of the state the Naval Service also trains to render assistance to ves- sels on fire or which have been damaged after a collision. Conse- quently, all personnel onboard Naval Service ships are qualified to the International Maritime Organisa- tion's standards in fire-fighting and damage control. One of this year's exercise scenarios concerned a vessel in distress. The exercise vessels were required to send their fire-fighting and damage control teams to each other's vessels to put out fires and stop flooding. Interoperability with other ser- vices is an important factor and, consequently, joint operations are essential. Exercise Quixotic provided an opportunity to work with the Air Corps, who provide a vertical replen- ishment capability, with helicopters able to transfer people and equip- ment between ship and land and also between ships. On this occasion a number of personnel were trans- ferred between the Naval Base and LÉ Roisín. The smooth running of Exercise Quixotic reflects the amount of ongoing training carried out by the individual ship's crews throughout the year. Such training is essential to ensure that the Naval Service con- tinues to deliver a professional and efficient service to the state. THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE

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