www.military.ie the defence forces magazine
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T
he Minister with Responsibility for Defence, Mr. Paul
Kehoe, t.D., accompanied by the Deputy Chief of
Staff (operations) of the Defence Forces, Major gen-
eral Kieran Brennan, reviewed the 130 men and women of
the 57th Infantry group ahead of their six month deploy-
ment to the golan heights as part of the united nations
Disengagement observation Force (unDoF). the review
began on Friday 23 March, at 10.45am in Kilkenny Castle.
The Unit formed up in Kilkenny Castle at 10.30am where
they were reviewed by Minister Kehoe. This was followed
by the blessing of the Unit Colours, the Minister's ad-
dress and a ceremonial 'March Past' through the streets of
Kilkenny to Stephens Barracks.
Previously in March the 57th Infantry Group carried out
a mission readiness exercise in preparation for their forth-
coming deployment to the United Nations Disengagement
Observation Force (UNDOF). This phase of training is a
culmination of three months of intensive preparation for
deployment overseas.
The 57th Infantry Group is commanded by Lt. Col. Mark
Brownen. The group contains 130 personnel of all ranks,
consisting of 14 Officers, 115 Enlisted Personnel and 1 Chap-
lain. 41 personnel are now on their first tour of duty over-
seas. The Group has a wide range of capabilities including
Armoured Force Protection, Patrolling and Mobility, Surveil-
lance, Communications, Medical and Operational expertise.
The 57th Infantry Group are the tenth Irish Defence
Forces peacekeeping contingent to deploy to the Golan
Heights for six months. Drawn from many different Units
across the Army and Air Corps, the majority of the 57th
Infantry Group's personnel are drawn from the 3rd Infantry
Battalion based in Stephens Barracks, Kilkenny.
