An Cosantóir June 2017 www.dfmagazine.ie
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By SGT WAYNE FITzGERALD PHotoS By SGT KARL BYRNE AND ARMN ADAM MURPHY
W
arfare changes constantly and
asymmetrical (unbalanced)
warfare has become prevalent
in today's conflicts; from small terrorist
cells to large-scale militia forces with
varying doctrines and agendas operating
against conventional forces in urban and
rural settings. these situations, where
conventional forces can find themselves
ill equipped and ill trained for a particular
job, are when special operations forces
(SoF) are tasked. In addition to these
roles abroad however, many mili-
taries also utilise their SoF
units at home in a counter-
terrorism role.
"We'd be foolish to think that we are im-
mune from terrorism," said Taoiseach Enda
Kenny after he called a meeting to discuss
Ireland's national security in the wake of
terrorist attacks in Sweden and Germany.
On the 12th of April 2017, the Taoiseach
told the Dáil: "These are things that we can-
not be distant from. We are a non-aligned,
non-aggressive country, and though the
threat is always present, it is not at a high lev-
el in Ireland and we try to keep it that way".
The government's White Paper on
Defence (2015) states: 'The threat to Ire-
land as a target of international terrorism
remains under constant review, taking into
account developing security threats, in-
cluding identified common risks that arise
for western democracies generally. The
experiences in the USA on 11th September
2001 and subsequently in Madrid 2004,
London 2005, Glasgow 2007, Stockholm
2010, Norway 2011, Brussels 2015, Paris 2015
and Tunisia 2015, not only provide stark
examples of this uncertainty, but clearly
indicate that these attacks might
An Cosantóir June 2017 www.dfmagazine.ie
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Irish ARW Special Operations Maritime Task Unit (SOMTU)
team training as part of an Aid to Civil Power (ATCP) tasking.
"Your ideal position is when you are
present and not noticed."
- Lt Col TE Lawrence, 1917
