Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance)
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83. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the military exercises that Irish troops have been involved in in 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28119/18]

Paul Kehoe (Wexford, Fine Gael)
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My priority as Minister with Responsibility for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Defence Forces is maintained to the greatest extent possible to enable the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service to carry out their roles as assigned by the Government. Participation in military exercises enhances capabilities in order to retain a flexible response for a wide range of

operational requirements both at home and overseas.  

The Defence Forces have participated in the following military exercises in 2018:

Overseas Military Exercises

- In January 2018 the Naval Service participated in a Passing exercise with the Netherlands Naval Service designed to enhance and maintain maritime skills, core competencies and interoperability between Naval Services.

- The Defence Forces participated in Exercise Viking in April 2018. This was a multinational and multidimensional civil-military exercise facilitated by the Swedish Armed Forces and Folke Bernadotte Academy.

- The Combined Joint European Exercise (CJEX) was conducted in May 2018. This multinational exercise took place in Portugal, the Netherlands and at various locations in Ireland.

- Exercise Arduous Serpent was conducted in the UK in June 2018. This multinational medical exercise involved the participation of fourteen Defence Forces personnel.

Domestic Military Exercises

- A Mission Readiness Exercise for UNDOF was completed in March 2018 and for UNFIL in April 2018.

- A Company Deliberate Attack exercise was conducted in May 2018.

- An Aid to The Civil Power (ATCP) Exercise was also conducted in May 2018. It featured a Company Group being exercised in conventional tactics in a variety of scenarios. This exercise transitioned to an ATCP Exercise with An Garda Síochána at Knock Airport where Defence Forces personnel were exercised in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear defence (CBRN), Army/Garda Checkpoints and also included a cordon of Knock Airport.

- A Crowd Riot Control (CRC) exercise, followed by a Peace Support Operation (PSO) exercise leading to a Fighting in Built Up Areas (FIBUA) exercise, was conducted in June 2018.