Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)

Under our UNSAS commitment, up to 850 troops can be deployed overseas at any time. Sometimes that number is slightly exceeded but that is the general position. This equates to 10% of the enlisted personnel in our standing Army. The military authorities manage the figures and I have been assured by them that our commitment to the battle group will not be affected. We can participate in missions to Chad, Kosovo and Bosnia while maintaining our commitment to the battle group. A battle group will only involve troops being on the ground for a limited period of 30 days, which can be extended to 120 days. I accept that by 2011 a number of troops will be on stand-by in case they are needed because that is the next time the battle group of which we are part will be needed. With regard to the number of troops on the ground, they will be deployed only for 30 days up to a maximum of 120 days. I am assured by those who manage personnel in the military that they can accommodate the battle group while maintaining our current overseas commitments.

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