Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 26 January 2005
1283 Mr. Durkan asked the Minister for Defence the number of personnel currently serving overseas; the extent to which further deployments are likely to take place in the near future, other than those ongoing; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2002/05]
View answerCurrently, a total of 772 Defence Forces personnel are serving overseas, full details of which are listed in the following table. Ireland has offered, through the UN Standby Arrangements System (UNSAS), to provide up to 850 military personnel, configured as a light infantry mounted battalion, for overseas service at any one time. This figure equates to 10% of Ireland's standing Army and demonstrates Ireland's commitment to the cause of international peace. This is the maximum sustainable commitment that Ireland can make to overseas peacekeeping operations. It should be appreciated that at any one time one group of personnel will have just returned from service, one will be on overseas duty and a further group will be in training. There are no plans at this time to increase the level of our commitment to UNSAS.
Ireland receives requests from time to time in relation to participation in various missions and these are considered on a case-by-case basis. However, we are currently fairly close to the limit of our sustainable commitments. It is appropriate that we keep some level of resources in reserve, should we need to reinforce existing missions or to take on additional missions at short notice. Apart from the secondment of four officers of the Permanent Defence Force on a volunteer basis to the United Nations Joint Logistics Centre in Sri Lanka following on the recent tsunami disaster, no other deployments are planned or envisaged at this time.
|
Number |
||
|
1. |
UN Missions |
|
|
(i) |
UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon) |
5 |
|
(ii) |
UNTSO (United Nations Truce Supervision Organisation) — Israel, Syria and Lebanon |
13 |
|
(iii) |
UNFICYP (United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus) |
1 |
|
(iv) |
MINURSO (United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara) |
4 |
|
(v) |
UNMIK (United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo) |
4 |
|
(vi) |
MONUC (United Nations Mission in Democratic Republic of the Congo) |
3 |
|
(vii) |
ONUCI (United Nations Mission in Ivory Coast) |
2 |
|
(viii) |
UNMIL (United Nations Mission in Liberia) FHQ |
6 |
|
UNMIL 92th Inf. Bn. |
428 |
|
|
TOTAL |
466 |
|
|
UN Mandated Missions |
||
|
(ix) |
EUFOR (EU-led Mission Operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina |
53 |
|
(x) |
KFOR (International Security Presence in Kosovo) |
208 |
|
(xi) |
ISAF (International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan) |
7 |
|
Total number of personnel serving with UN missions |
734 |
|
|
2. |
EU Missions |
|
|
(i) |
European Union Monitor Mission (EUMM) to the former Yugoslavia |
5 |
|
(ii) |
European Union Mission to the African Union Monitoring Mission to Darfur |
1 |
|
TOTAL NUMBER OF PERSONNEL SERVING WITH EU MISSIONS |
6 |
|
|
3. |
Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) |
|
|
(i) |
OSCE Mission to Bosnia & Herzegovina |
1 |
|
(ii) |
OSCE Mission in Croatia |
1 |
|
(iii) |
OSCE Presence in Albania |
1 |
|
(iv) |
OSCE Mission in FRY |
1 |
|
(v) |
OSCE Mission in Macedonia |
1 |
|
(vi) |
OSCE Mission in Georgia |
5 |
|
(vii) |
Staff Officer, Higher Level Planning Group, Vienna |
1 |
|
Total number of personnel serving OSCE |
11 |
|
|
4. |
Head of Military Staff (Brussels) |
1 |
|
5. |
EU Military Staff (Brussels) |
6 |
|
6. |
Liaison Office of Ireland, PfP (Brussels) |
2 |
|
7. |
Permanent Representative to EU (Brussels) |
3 |
|
8. |
Military Representatives/ Advisers |
|
|
(i) |
Military Adviser, Permanent Mission to UN, New York |
1 |
|
(ii) |
Military Adviser, Irish Delegation to OSCE, Vienna |
1 |
|
(iii) |
Military Representative to Partnership Co-ordination Cell/Supreme |
1 |
|
Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), Mons, Belgium |
||
|
9. |
Appointments — UN HQ (New York) |
|
|
Officers seconded to DPKO (Department of Peace Keeping Operations) |
2 |
|
|
10. |
Other Assignments — UNJLC (Sri Lanka) |
|
|
Officers seconded to the United Nations Joint Logistics Centre |
4 |
|
|
TOTAL NUMBER DEFENCE FORCES PERSONNEL SERVING OVERSEAS |
772 |
