Written answers

Thursday, 23 February 2006

Department of Defence

Defence Forces Personnel

4:00 pm

Photo of Dan NevilleDan Neville (Limerick West, Fine Gael)
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Question 12: To ask the Minister for Defence the number of Defence Force personnel currently on service overseas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7204/06]

Photo of Bernard DurkanBernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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Question 168: To ask the Minister for Defence the number of Irish troops likely to be posted overseas in the future on EU or UN missions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [7584/06]

Photo of Willie O'DeaWillie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 12 and 168 together.

Ireland is currently contributing approximately 766 Defence Forces personnel to 19 different missions throughout the world. Full details of all personnel currently serving overseas are listed in the following table.

The main commitments are to the United Nations Mission in Liberia, UNMIL, with 426 personnel, to the NATO-led international security presence, KFOR, in Kosovo, with 213 personnel and to EUFOR, the EU-led operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with 56 personnel. Other personnel are serving as monitors and observers with the United Nations, UN, the European Union, EU, and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe, OSCE. Staff are also deployed at the organisational headquarters of the UN, the EU and NATO.

With regard to future participation by the Defence Forces in UNMIL, our plan is to withdraw the Irish contingent towards the end of this year. The UN itself is due to review the operation in March with a view to downsizing and we will examine the issue further in the context of that review and of our own threat assessment. It had been anticipated that a reorganisation and scaling-down of KFOR would take place in 2004. This had partly commenced when civil disturbances broke out in March 2004 in Kosovo. The phased withdrawal of the Irish contingent was planned as part of this reduction in KFOR presence and was to have been completed by October 2004. However, having regard to the fragility of the peace in Kosovo, and subject to ongoing assessments of the situation on the ground, both myself and the Minister for Foreign Affairs are agreed on the importance of maintaining an Irish presence in the western Balkans in 2006.

There is no plan to alter the Irish contribution to EUFOR's Operation Althea in Bosnia and Herzegovina over the next 12 months. Ireland's commitment under the United Nations stand-by arrangements system, UNSAS, is 850 which represents 10% of the total Army strength. This is the figure set in the White Paper on Defence and is the maximum sustainable commitment that Ireland can make to overseas operations. There are no plans at this time to increase the level of our commitment to UNSAS and any contribution to EU or UN missions will be met within the context of the 850 ceiling.

Ireland receives requests from time to time in relation to participation in various missions and these are considered on a case by case basis. To date in 2006, no such requests have been received from either the United Nations or the EU.

Members of the Permanent Defence Force serving Overseas as of 01 February, 2006
Numbers
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)MINURSO (United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara) 4
(iv)UNMIK (United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo) 4
(v)MONUC (United Nations Mission in Democratic Republic of the Congo) 3
(vi)UNOCI (United Nations Mission in Ivory Coast) 2
(vii)UNMIL (United Nations Mission in Liberia) FHQ 7
UNMIL 93rd Inf Bn 419
TOTAL 457
UN Mandated Missions
(viii)EUFOR (EU-led Operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina) 56
(ix)KFOR (International Security Presence in Kosovo) 213
(x)ISAF (International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan) 7
Total number of personnel serving with UN missions 733
2. EU Missions
(i)European Union Monitor Mission (EUMM) to the former Yugoslavia 6
(ii)EU support to UN authorised African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) 3
(iii)ACEH Monitoring Mission (AMM) 1
TOTAL NUMBER OF PERSONNEL SERVING WITH EU MISSIONS 10
3. Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
(i)OSCE Mission to Bosnia & Herzegovina 1
(ii)OSCE Mission in Montenegro 1
(iii)OSCE Presence in Albania 1
(iv)OSCE Mission in FRY 2
(v)OSCE Mission in Georgia 1
(vi)Staff Officer, Higher Level Planning Group, Vienna 1
Total number of personnel serving OSCE 7
4. Head of Military Staff (Brussels) 1
5. EU Military Staff (Brussels) 4
6. EU Military Staff (New York) 1
7. Liaison Office of Ireland, PfP (Brussels) 2
8. Permanent Representative to EU (Brussels) 3
9. 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 Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE), Mons, Belgium 1
10. Appointments — UN HQ (New York)
Officers seconded to DPKO (Department of Peace Keeping Operations) 2
TOTAL NUMBER DEFENCE FORCES PERSONNEL SERVING OVERSEAS 766

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