Seán Crowe (Dublin South West, Sinn Fein)
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101. To ask the Minister for Defence the exact size of the Nordic Battle Group of which Ireland is a member; the number of troops it consists of; the number of troops that Ireland contributes; and the military equipment that is at their disposal. [45659/14]

Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael)
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In January 2014, the Government approved Ireland’s participation in the Nordic Battlegroup, which will be on standby for the first six months of 2015. The Nordic Battlegroup will consist of acombined total of approximately 2,500 personnel. The contributing nations in this Battlegroup are Sweden, Ireland, Finland, Norway, Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia. Sweden, acting as Framework Nation, takes the lead role in the Nordic Battlegroup formation and will contribute most of the personnel. The planned Defence Forces contribution to the Nordic Battlegroup is a Reconnaissance Company and related combat support elements. It is also planned that Ireland will take command of a multinational Reconnaissance Group Headquarters, providing Ireland with a more significant role within the Battlegroup. The total number of Defence Forces personnel involved in the Nordic Battlegroup will be approximately 175. However, this level of resource commitment will only arise should the Battlegroup be called on to undertake an operation and should Ireland agree to participate. Fourteen (14) Defence Forces personnel are currently deployed to the Force Headquarters in Sweden for the lead up to and the duration of the standby period for the Nordic Battlegroup. These personnel, mainly staff officers and NCOs, are engaged in training and planning activities serving in various appointments and posts.

The capabilities and the requisite high-end equipment in respect of Ireland's contributions to the Battlegroups already reside within the Defence Forces. As with all Defence Forces overseas deployment, the Defence Forces personnel assigned to the Nordic Battlegroup will have, at their disposal, all the necessary equipment and force protection assets to carry out the tasks that may be assigned to them should the Nordic Battlegroup deploy in 2015. This equipment includes MOWAGs Armoured Personnel Carriers and Reconnaissance vehicles, Light Tactical Armoured Vehicles and highly specialised Reconnaissance and Surveillance equipment, together with the requisite personal protection equipment.

Participation in EU Battlegroups underlines our commitment to the development of the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy and enables Ireland to continue to contribute effectively to UN-authorised EU military and civilian crisis management operations in support of international peace and security. Any decision by Ireland to participate in a specific Battlegroup operation is subject to our national sovereign decision-making procedures - “Triple Lock”, i.e. UN mandate, Government and Dáil approval.