An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir July/August 2017 www.dfmagazine.ie 22 | patrols. The final phase is the validation process: this is where we do mission-specific training." Lt Cdr O'Mearain said: "At one level this is a team-building exer- cise but organisationally what we are doing is proving we can turn knowledge into capability." He offered the following example of the proving of operational capability onboard LÉ Eithne: "During the transit through the Mediterranean to Augusta, Sicily, the port propeller shaft became fouled. This vessel was able to successfully deploy surface1, sub-surface2 and aerial3 assets to carry out the necessary work and return the ship to its operational tasking in short order. We are better able to conduct these operations with FORST having had rigorous assessment and fixing the capability gaps when we find them." Lt Cdr O'Mearain continued: "Because there is now a culture of assessment embedded within the NS and throughout the fleet, there is no place for complacency and units are constantly prepar- ing for and anticipating potential scenarios." The FORST deployment provided the author with the opportu- nity to speak to Cdr Brian Fitzgerald, OC LÉ Eithne, who is on his first Operation Pontus deployment. "I am looking forward to the mission," he told me. "I think one of the reasons that you join the NS is to pursue an exciting military career that can make a differ- ence. This particular mission is probably the highlight in terms of operational taskings that the NS has had over a sustained period." Cdr Fitzgerald is convinced that MRET is essential and valuable. "The NS has extraordinary experience in some of the roughest seas in the world off the west coast of Ireland and we pride ourselves as having a skill set that is finally tuned by constant operations," he says. "The Mediterranean presents different challenges. So, to have a team of specialists with direct experience of this mission come onboard for an extended period is excellent." Cdr Fitzgerald was very pleased with the MRET and FORST. "I think the key thing that FORST have shown is mentoring," he said. "FORST has developed the ability to transfer information and the instructor's knowledge through its system. It has allowed me to witness my crew move in the space of just a week, from a routine MDSO standard to an extraordinary level of mission readiness. I don't believe that this could have been achieved as effectively if you did not have an objective team of experienced instructors from FORST mentoring us through this process." At the end of the MRET I asked Cdr Minihane for his final thoughts. "Eithne's crew engaged complete- ly with the MRET," he told me, "and there was a significant amount of learning outcomes that have proven to us that they are now ready for opera- tions. That training and that assess- ment will stand to them when they get those first migrants onboard." As the FORST team made ready to depart LÉ Eithne, the crew of the NS flag- ship gathered on the flight-deck in the bright Sicilian sunshine in three ranks as the OC thanked them and the FORST team for their work. He spoke with great honesty about the challenges that they would face in the weeks ahead, and of his pride in the crew. He reminded them that their home, this warship beneath their feet, was the first vessel to undertake this mission in 2015, and he assured them that they would not just follow in that wake but lead. Cdr Fitzgerald also made reference to the proud his- tory in which they would play their part, a tradition of peacekeeping and international humanitarian efforts stretching back many decades. He ended by telling his crew that the tricolour on their shoulder and its com- panion flying off the stern of their ship marked them as part of an Irish team who would face the mission to come in the finest traditions of the Service. End notes 1 Surface assets: Rigid hulled inflatable boats (RHIBs) with inboard diesel engines; the workhorses of any ship. 2 Sub-surface assets: LÉ Eithne has a naval diving team onboard. NS divers also have other 'normal' day roles. 3 Aerial assets: LÉ Eithne is the first NS ship to deploy a drone onboard for aerial surveillance during migrant recovery operations. During diving operations it is used to provide a look out for threats to the team while sub-surface.

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