Defence Forces Review 2008

Punching Above Our Weight
17
Statement by the Minister for Defence, Mr. Willie O’Dea, T.D., in Dail Eireann on 11 October 2006 concerning
decision of the Government in relation to UNIFIL. “On 3 October, 2006, the Government authorised me, as
Minister for Defence, to despatch a contingent of the Permanent Defence Force, for a period of one year, for
service with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL), established on 19 March,1978 under UN
Security Council Resolutions 425 (1978) and 426 (1978), in accordance with its enhanced/additional mandate as
set out in UN Security Council Resolution 1701 (2006) of 11August 2006”.
18
O’Shea Brendan, Lebanon’s “Blue Line”: A New International Border or Just Another Cease-fire Zone Studies
in Conflict and Terrorism, Volume 27, Number 1, January-February 2004 , pp. 19-30(12)
19
Statement by the Minister for Defence, Mr. Willie O’Dea, T.D., in Dail Eireann on Wednesday, 5 April 2007.
“Joint training of the Nordic Battlegroup elements, including field manoeuvres, will take place in Sweden in
September/October, 2007, for a period of approximately 3 to 4 weeks. The full operational capability of the Nordic
Battlegroup will then be assessed and the Battlegroup will be on standby from January 2008, for a period of six
month”.
20
SHAPE News 3 August 2007. “An official MNTF-C TOA ceremony took place in Camp Ville July 31, 2007.
COMKFOR Lieutenant General Roland Kather presided over the ceremony in which Brig. Gen. Berndt Grundevik
passed on the symbolic flag signifying the end of his tour of duty to incoming commander, Brig. Gen. Gerry
Hegarty”.
21
Partnership for Peace (PfP) is a North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) project aimed at creating trust between
NATO and other states in Europe and the former Soviet Union; 23 nations are members. It was created in 1994,
soon after the collapse of the former Eastern bloc. Ten states which were members (Bulgaria, Czech Republic,
Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia) have since joined NATO. On April
26, 1995, Malta became a member of PfP; it left in October 1996 in order to keep its neutrality intact. As of March
2008, Malta is applying to rejoin the PfP. During the NATO summit in Riga on November 29, 2006, Bosnia and
Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia were invited to join PfP after which they joined PfP on 14 December 2006.
Ireland joined PfP on 1 December 1999.
22
European Union Force Chad/CAR, also EUFOR TCHAD/RCA after the French, is the European Union mission
in Chad and the Central African Republic, authorized in late 2007. EUFOR Chad/CAR was authorized under the
same United Nations Security Council resolution that mandated MINURCAT, a UN force tasked with training
police and improving judicial infrastructure. The European Union Force’s mandate includes “to take all necessary
measures, within its capabilities and its area of operation in eastern Chad and the north-eastern Central African
Republic”] to protect civilians, facilitate delivery of humanitarian aid, and ensure the safety of UN personnel. The
EU operation commander, Lt. General Patrick Nash, announced on 5 November that this force will be 4,300 troops
strong, expected to begin deployment in February 2008. Out of these, 3,700 troops will be deployed in the area of
operations, and a strategic reserve of 600 troops will be stationed in Europe. The military operation was approved
by the Council of the European Union on 15 October. Current confirmed contributors include (with number of
troops committed): France 2000 troops, 10 helicopters, 500 person logistical support / Ireland 450 troops / Poland
400 troops / Sweden 200 troops / Austria 160 troops, 50 special forces / Romania 120 troops / Belgium 100 troops,
22 special forces / Spain 80 troops / Finland 40 troops / Slovenia up to 15 troops / Netherlands 60 troops.
23
United Nations, ‘Remarks of Mr Jean-Marie Guéhenno, Under-Secretary-General for peacekeeping operations,
to the fourth committee General Assembly’, (New York, 20 October 2005), http://www.un.org.Depts/dpko/dpko/
articles/articles201005.htm (21 February 2006) quoted in Sreenan, James, Doing the World’s most dangerous
Work – From Cyprus to Liberia.
24
Buckley Joseph. Lt Col, R2P Combat Operations for Humanitarian Reasons; Policy Implications fro Ireland
-Rramifications for the Defence Forces, The Defence Forces Review Vol 3, 2006, p89.
25
Signal Magazine, Vol 2, Issue 2, Spring 2004, p53, London Calling
26
Signal Magazine, Vol 6, Issue 1, Summer 2007, p9, Interview with An Taoiseach.
27
Official Department of Defence statistics as on 21 February 2008.
28
Signal Magazine,Vol3 Issue 2,Winter 2004, Our Man in Dublin, p25.
29
Ireland has secured non-permanent membership of the security Council on three occasions 1962,1981-1982 &
2001-2002
30
Force Commanders: Lt Gen Sean McEoin ONUC (1961), Col Dick Bunworth UNTSO (1973), Maj Gen James
Quinn UNFYCIP (1976), Col Bill Cahhalhan UNTSO (1978 & as Lt Gen in1986), Lt Gen Bill Callaghan UNIFIL
(1981), Maj Gen Michael Minehan UNFYCIP (1992), Maj Gen David Stapleton UNDOF (1997), Maj Gen John
Vize UNIKOM (1999), Brig Gen Jim Sreenan UNIFIL (Acting Force Commander 1999), Maj Gen Karl Dodd
UNTSO (2002), Lt Gen Pat Nash EUFOR Chad (2007).
9