Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I absolutely agree that the term battle group is a misleading and unfortunate term. I have raised this with the Department but I understand that we alone cannot change it. A change in the term would have to go through the UN. The term is a standard, technical military term. Essentially, it is a battalion size force with support elements including transport and logistics. The overall size of a battle group is approximately 1,500 personnel. EU battle groups have a readiness to deploy, within five to ten days, a range of possible missions.

The Deputy raised the issue of our neutrality. The participation in battle groups has no effect on our traditional policy of military neutrality. A commitment to a battle group does not involve any commitment to common or mutual defence. I will state again that any deployment of 12 or more personnel in a peacekeeping or peace enforcement operation will require a UN mandate as well as Government and Dáil approval in accordance with the triple lock mechanism. This is one of the reasons I brought the issue of the EU battle group to the Dáil recently.

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