Defence Forces Review 2010

Abstracts – 65 Senior Command and Staff CourseMilitary Liaison: An Exploration from the Perspectiveof the Irish Defence ForcesComdt Rossa Mulcahy. BComm, MBS.ABSTRACTMilitary Liaison is an integral part of UN-sanctioned missions, providing military commanderswith valuable information from local sources that represent the mood and sentiment of localcommunities from social, political and economic perspectives. In the absence of a formalintelligence structure, the UN relies on military liaison to ensure that it can operate betweenmultiple actors in a transparent and impartial manner.The Irish Defence Forces has operated on UN-sanctioned missions since 1958 and has builtup a wealth of experience and knowledge on how to operate in complex and dynamic multinationalpeace-support forces. This thesis examines the role that Irish personnel can playwithin liaison teams on such missions, to enhance the situational awareness of commanderson the ground.The review of literature reveals the competencies required of military personnel to functioneffectively within liaison teams. The themes that emerge from this review are employedto conduct a post-positivist, qualitative research methodology to filter and interpret themeaning and experiences of the chosen sample group. The combination of semi-structuredinterviews and a focus group were chosen to explore the selected case study, Observer GroupLebanon, from the perspective of members of the Irish Defence Forces, selected internationalcommanders and Lebanese interpreters, who all served in this military unit before, during andafter the 2006 Hezbollah-Israel Conflict.The analysis revealed that liaison officers must have strong English language skills, be able tocommunicate effectively, employing emotional intelligence competencies, be aware of theircultural environment and how their own culture impacts on this and to conduct themselvesethically. Liaison officers can be educated to operate within liaison teams through focussedpre-deployment training.The implications of this research for the Irish Defence Forces suggest that liaison is an areathat could be further leveraged to continue to enhance the reputation of the Irish peacekeeperinternationally. By improving foreign language skills, enhancing awareness of emotionalintelligence and establishing a centre of liaison excellence; the Defence Forces can deployliaison officers to peace-support operations who will bring added value to commanders on theground, by delivering accurate and timely information relating to the economic, political andsocial pulse of the operational environment.119