Troops prepare to train with EU battle group

TONNES of military equipment was shipped out of Cork last night for a major EU battle group military exercise in Sweden next week involving Irish Defence forces.

A total of 32 vehicles, including 18 MOWAG armoured personnel carriers, light tactical armoured vehicles, supporting container trucks, light patrol vehicles, and up to 11 sea containers, were loaded on board the MV Nemel at Ringaskiddy for the five-day voyage to Sweden.

Some 140 Defence Forces personnel, drawn mainly from Collins Barracks in Cork and under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Brendan O’Shea, are due to fly out from Cork Airport next week to begin the Peace Support Operations in south-central Sweden from October 15 to 19.

They will join more than 2,000 troops from Sweden, Norway, Finland and Estonia, under the command of Swedish Brigadier Stafan Andersson for the exercises.

It represents the culmination of the Nordic Battle Group 2011 preparation.

During the exercise, the troops will simulate the deployment of a Peace Support Operations Task Force in a ‘failed state’, typical of the scenarios which may face international peacekeepers.

The Irish element provides a specialist information-gathering capability to the force, and is equipped with specialist reconnaissance, surveillance and communications vehicles, which allow them to gather information up to 70km ahead of the main force.

The exercises are intended to prepare troops for duty as members of the EU’s Nordic Battle Group which will be on stand-by to deploy on Peace Support Operations at just five days’ notice during the first half of 2011.

Brigadier Andersson visited the Irish element in training in Ireland twice, most recently in September.

“I’m very impressed with what I’ve seen,” he said during the last visit.

“This is actually my second time visiting the Southern Brigade down in Cork. One big advantage of the Irish contribution is that Ireland, like Sweden, has a long tradition of serving as peacekeepers.

“This unit has just recently returned from peacekeeping duties in Chad, which means the troops have experience not just as soldiers but also from the cultural and the ethnic dimension and that is very important.

“I am very happy to have Irish soldiers participating in the Nordic Battle Group. I have served with Irish soldiers before both in Lebanon and Bosnia and if I was to summarise my impressions, I would use only one word: professional.”

The Irish troops and their equipment are expected back in Ireland between November 19 and 25.