An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 27 sgt tOMMY wELDON "This exercise gave me the chance to act as a CQMS in a high-tempo environment, and sus- taining over 150 personnel on the ground was certainly an exciting challenge." sgt tONY O'MALLEY "As directing staff we made every effort to make this exercise as realistic as possible in a crisis management setting, and we have built up a hugely positive relationship with members of An Garda Síochána in the region." CPL JOHN RiCKARD "I was a section com- mander with the Quick Reaction Force (QRF). We were tasked with responding to any emergency or escalating situation. It was a great opportunity to refine the skills we would require in a real situation." PtE EVAN POwER "It was great to work side by side with An Garda Síochána in vehicle searches at Rosslare Port and Waterford Port. Our team learned a lot from the exercise." CPL MARtiN KiLLEEN "As the CBRN instructor I operated the decon- tamination unit. It was an excellent test of our drills to cater for over 150 mili- tary personnel. The exercise also allowed us to plan for decon- taminating civilians in a chemical environment." Vox Pops installations in order test the unit's response and sustainability plans. Members of the mechanised infantry company were exercised in a range of likely events, from public protest right up to the use of deadly force. In addition a CBRN decontamination unit participated within the serials, so all military exercise personnel could experience its function, and civilian staff at the various installations could also view this capability. In addition, specialist equipment such as the mUAV, Foxtrack radar station, and the surveillance suite of the CRV greatly impressed all the non-military participants. Exercise 'Strongbow' highlighted to 3 Inf Bn the requirement to continually evalu- ate and adapt our reaction plans in order to improve operational readiness. Internally, this exercise was an ideal opportunity to improve inter-company and inter-corps fa- miliarisation when deployed in crisis management operations. This deployment was hugely positive for 3 Inf Bn and offered a real-life exercise environment for the unit, enhancing our preparation and training for crisis management operations. The success of this exercise has allowed a platform for the DF and An Garda Síochána to discuss capabilities, roles and responsibilities, thereby improving inter- agency co-operation and understanding. Co-operation from all external stakehold- ers was very forthcoming for the exercise, which greatly helped to simulate realistic conditions for a major emergency within our area of responsibility. It has highlight- ed the requirement to maintain ongoing liaison with members of An Garda Sío- chána and continue to develop this huge- ly positive relation- ship, working together to im- prove jointness and interoper- ability.

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