An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir June 2018 www.dfmagazine.ie 18 | By SgT WAyNE FITzgERAlD maJoR GeNeRal kieRaN bReNNaN iS Now thRee yeaRS iN the aPPoiNtmeNt of DePuty chief of Staff oPeRatioNS (DcoS oPS). AN COSANTóIR ReceNtly SPoke to him to Get hiS ViewS oN DefeNce foRceS PeacekeePiNG aND cuRReNt aND futuRe miSSioNS. this year marks 60 years of continuous peacekeeping involvement by the Df. what have been the highlights of this remarkable commitment? There have been a number of highlights, the first being the absolute commitment of the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann to serve their country and the international community in very challenging security environments, where the risks to their lives were real and ever present. We have done so continuously for over 60 years, enhancing the lives of the people where we served. Complementary to this has been the selection of DF personnel as force com- manders, deputy force commanders and in key officer and NCO staff appointments, again greatly enhancing the abil- ity of various UN missions to deliver on their mandates. Secondly, our peacekeeping operations have continuously evolved over the years, moving seamlessly from Chapter VI peacekeeping to the more robust Chapter VII peace en- forcement operations. As part of this evolution, the Defence Forces developed significant expeditionary capacity, which was exemplified in our deployments to Eretria, Liberia, and the most chal- lenging of all, Chad in 2008, where, as OC 98 Inf Bn, I saw at first hand how successful we had become in delivering our personnel and equipment to remote parts of the world. Finally, the development of our military capability, from our first troop deployment to the Congo to our present posture in the Golan and UNIFIL, has been significant. Much of our current military capability has been informed by our experiences overseas, which have also led to the Defence Forces being recognised internationally as a highly valued and professional military force and a partner of choice on UN-mandated peacekeeping operations. what developments in overseas commitments have taken place in your time as DcoS ops? A major honour for the Defence Forces, and indeed Ireland, was the appointment of Maj Gen Michael Beary as Force Commander and Head of Mission UNIFIL, in July 2016. Also the ARW deployment to UNIFL HQ in a close-protec- tion capacity, and the Defence Forces taking over the lead role from the Finns in November 2016, which allowed us to deploy additional personnel back into UNIFIL. In Mali we increased our participation from 12 to 20 per- sonnel as a practical demonstration of our support to the French in combating terrorism, not just in France but in the greater Sahel region of Africa. UNDOF has seen the reconfiguration of the Force Reserve Company (FRC) with the withdrawal of a platoon from a static position in early 2017, allowing the FRC to expand its operational footprint on the Alpha side. And of particular significance has been the deployment of eight DF officers to Camp Faouar on the Bravo side in March this year. The appointment of Col Michael Dawson as Chief of Staff UNDOF in January is also significant as it ensures that the general staff have full oversight of on-going security and mission-support developments on the Bravo side. From a Naval Service perspective, we had the com- mencement of Operation Pontus, the humanitarian mis- sion, where the Naval Service excelled in their response to the migration crisis in the Mediterranean, rescuing up to 18,000 personnel. This operation was conducted under a bilateral arrangement with the Italians. As a follow on in 2017 we saw the Naval Service entry into Operation Sophia, a UN-sponsored mission in the Mediterranean under the auspices of the EU. This has also seen the deployment of two NS personnel to the OHQ in Rome, and two to the flagship in the Mediterranean. Since taking up my appointment the Defence Forces has also completed its deployments to Afghanistan and Côte d'Ivoire. From a capability perspective I was delighted to see the deployment of new armoured utility vehicles to UNIFIL and UNDOF this year, greatly enhancing force protection for our personnel. Finally, for the first time in a number of years we de- ployed an officer to the Dept of Peacekeeping Operations (DPKO) in New York, who provides the general staff with situational awareness at the strategic level in respect of evolving security trends worldwide. what developments are on the horizon for our overseas missions? In relation to UNIFIL, Gen Beary is expected to complete his assignment in 2018. To date he has had an outstanding tour of duty in a very challenging appointment. Another big UNIFIL development from an Irish perspective has been the decision of Finland to withdraw its personnel from Post Maj Gen Kieran Brennan, DCOS Ops

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