Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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Question 449: To ask the Minister for Defence if he will report on his recent visits to Irish troops abroad; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10504/08]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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During the past couple of months I visited Sweden in relation the Nordic Battlegroup (NBG), Irish personnel serving with EUFOR TCHAD/RCA in the Operational Headquarters in Paris and with EUFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina. On 7th November 2007, I visited Sweden to attend the Final Exercise (FINEX), carried out by the Nordic Battlegroup (NBG). The other members of the Nordic Battlegroup are Sweden, Norway, Finland and Estonia. During the visit I took the opportunity to meet with the Defence Ministers of the other four countries. I also had the opportunity to meet with and receive separate briefings on the exercise from the representatives of the Irish contingent and Force Commander Brigadier General Karl Engelbrektsson (Sweden).

On 13 February 2008 the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces accompanied me on my visit to Lt General Nash, Operation Commander of the European Union military mission to Chad and the Central African Republic, EUFOR TCHAD/RCA, at the Operation Headquarters in Paris. Lt General Nash assured me that the broad range of capabilities required to deploy the EU Force are now available. He also informed me that a total of three Role 2 medical facilities, plus air assets, will be provided. In addition, each Battalion will have its own Role 1 medical facilities.

Deployment of EUFOR personnel to Chad commenced on 12 February 2008. Lt General Nash is confident that the capabilities required to support EUFOR's main force deployment will be available by mid-March 2008. By this time he is planning that the mission will achieve initial operational capability with at least 1,200 troops in theatre. Planning for the follow-on deployment of three multinational Battalions, including the Irish Battalion, can then commence. The logistics of deploying the multinational Battalions requires extensive planning as the vast majority of equipment etc., will arrive in Douala port in Cameroon and will be transported from there to the relevant operational sector. Lt. General Nash is satisfied that the OHQ will have the necessary logistical arrangements in place to accommodate this. Ireland and Sweden will be the first of the multinationals to deploy. The mission is planned to reach full operational capability by mid-May 2008.

During the period of the 4th — 6th March 2008, I took the opportunity to visit troops serving with EUFOR in Bosnia and Herzegovina and met the Senior Irish Officer (SIO) EUFOR and the Irish Contingent Commander. There are currently 29 countries contributing to EUFOR and the force now numbers some 2,500 troops. Ireland contributes 44 members of the Irish Defence Forces to EUFOR. I also had meetings with the High Representative EUSR Mr. Miraslav Lajcak, the Commander of EUFOR, Major General Ignacio Martín Villalaín and the Head of the European Police Mission (EUPM), Brigadier General Vincenzo Coppola.