Defence Forces personnel have to be ready to deploy anywhere at any time by any means and be capable of carrying out any mission assigned to them. The key to this is training. 4 W Bde conducted their annual battalion exercise in North West Donegal last week from November 9 to 12. At their disposal were land, sea, and air assets.
The exercise, conducted around the Loch Gartain area, was based on that of a potential Peace Support Operation that a stand-by battalion may face in the future. The scenario outline consisted of the Puntland militia uprising in East Africa. As a result vast amounts of internally displaced peoples are streaming across the borders of surrounding countries as a result destabilising the region. The Defence Forces have been requested to send in a battalion to stabilise the region. To contain the militia Lt Col Michael Meehan (OC 28 Inf Bn) deployed his troops in three waves, by land, sea and air.
Troops from 1 Inf Bn deployed by sea, taking a 12 hour embarkation on the LÉ Eithne from Galway to Killybegs in Donegal. The 6 Inf Bn from Athlone deployed by helicopter into the mission area, while the 28 Inf Bn from Finner Camp deployed by road. The Air Corps also provided helicopters for casavac, troop deployment, fire support, and surveillance, while Pilatus PC-9’s gave top cover and ground support missions when called upon. “We have to be capable of deploying anywhere in the world and operate in the toughest of conditions,” said Lt Col Meehan, “today we have shown that we can deploy and operate beyond the littoral, by air and by land and carry out our mission.”
To view images from the exercise view our Flickr photo gallery