An Cosantóir

www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 13 they were part of a UN-mandated peace-enforcement mission overseas. They had seen major fighting, which had subsided in recent months, but the newly-signed treaty had been breached by incidents of unrest in and around the area of the country's airport. This was mainly down to the fact that a chief prosecutor from the International Criminal Court (ICC) was flying in to meet with War Crimes Prosecution teams based in the area; something that had angered many militiamen and locals. We then headed to the exercise area, where the TAC HQ was set up and the main body was strategically deployed to monitor the situation and protect the airfield and its instillation from any intrusion. Not long after the deployment a small group of protest- ers was spotted gathering nearby, The first serial started at 01:00hrs, with the TAC HQ being noti- fied of the small demonstration gathering down the road from the airfield. The group was protesting at the visit of the ICC pros- ecutor, waving banners and chanting "Get her out! Get her out!" The Quick Reaction Force (QRF) was quickly deployed to the scene to keep an eye on the situation while the company was 'stood-to' in crowd riot control (CRC) gear, with 15 minutes notice to move, given the escalating situation. With the immanent arrival of the prosecutor, tensions started to increase. As the protesters grew in number so did their anger, with mob mentality taking over. An AW139 heli flew overhead, signalling the arrival of the prosecutor and, like reacting to the starting pistol at the beginning of a race, the demonstration sud- denly became more aggressive, with objects being thrown. As the QRF was not dressed in CRC gear, they kept back from the mob and radioed in the escalating violence. The Coy CRC was rapidly deployed to break up the demonstra- tion, while the AW139 circled above providing a searchlight and sniper cover. As the CRC approached they were met with strong opposition. Projectiles flew through the air and shields were kicked and struck with sticks as soon as they were within reach. Scuffles soon ensued as protesters grabbed at riot shields. One member of the CRC platoon was dragged off balance and fell but the rest of the platoon reacted quickly to recover their downed colleague and resume their formation. By this time the VIP had landed and the road needed to be cleared so that the prosecutor's vehicle could leave the airport. The CRC gave a last big push, driving the crowd back far enough for the vehicle to squeeze through. As the driver sped out and onto the clear road, the mob was reduced to hurling abusive lan- guage at the car as it disappeared into the distance. Soon after, the crowd dispersed, angry that they had failed, and disappeared into the darkness of the night. At 05:00hrs a quick debrief took place in TAC HQ where Comdt Cahill went over the incident and gave an update on the current situation. By 07:00hrs, intelligence gathered during the CRC operation and information provided by locals on enemy operations in the area had been collated. Now the exercise transitioned to more conventional operations, with a possible enemy position being located and declared as an area of interest. A FRAGO was issued and the Coy began their Troop Leadership and Preparation Process (TLPP) for direct action. Over the next 16 hours the exercise troops carried out a recce on the suspected enemy position, followed by a company attack on the enemy. The troops then moved to a rolling replenishment site by 10:00hrs the following day before proceeding to Kilworth Camp at 16:00hrs for the final serial of the exercise, a cordon and snatch. Exercises in the Defence Forces have evolved over the years from single-focus, self-contained operations to exercises such as the one described in this article; complex, multi-scenario, multi- corps operations based on real-life situations. As more lessons are learned on operations and exercises at home and abroad, these will be incorporated into future exercises, thereby helping the Defence Forces to know where to focus its resources, to develop the skills of its personnel, and to excel in all situations, as we are expected to by the government and people of Ireland. | 13

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