Will the irish defence force evr be going to Afghanistan?

Foghorn

The Irish Defence Force have been prominent in UN Peacekeeping operations since the late 1950s - they sent a battalion to the Congo. They have also been in Cyprus and they had a prolonged presence in the Lebanon; at one time, the Commander of the UN Force was the Irish Lt General Callaghan.

The Irish Defence Forces are ludicrously small - their air component has no effective fighter aircraft, the Naval Service consists of some offshore patrol ships; so for both Naval and Air they have to tacitly depend on Britain.

However, the Army component, though small, is well armed with MOWAG Piranha APCs; and the ageing but excellent AML90 Armoured Car (South Africa used their equivalent vehicle to take out T55 tanks). The Infantry have the Steyr Aug 5.56 SLR; Carl Gustav RPGs and MILAN ATGW; along with the BOFORS BILL AAGW to provide some level of tactical anti-aircraft defence. The weapons Coys have the M2 HMG and some decent Mortars.

The Irish Defence Forces have acquitted themselves well on UN operations and put some NATO members to shame - I do not know of much Belgian or Dutch involvement, but I am open to correction on this.

It is to the eternal discredit of the Irish Government that they do not commit themselves to a realistic defence posture. Their neutrality amounts to as much protection as a fig-leaf in Antartica; the defence of an island without a Navy is like trying to cook without a saucepan and their early-warning system consists of a few hardy types on Malin and Clifden Heads with a few pairs of binoculars.

The Irishman can fight, will fight, and is willing to fight - the IRA and the UVF both prove this - the Irishman; North or South, Republican or Loyalist, are formidable adversaries.

Half a dozen frigates; six P3 Orion ASW aircraft; two squadrons of Eurofighter Typhoons; six Hawkeye AEW aircraft and eight brigades of mobile Infantry, with some M109A2 SPGs and Rapier tracked AAGW would help.

As for Afghanistan, an Irish contingent would be wasted. One Bn of infantry could only provide garrison defence; and the equipment of the Bn is so different from the US and British that combined operations would be diffisult to achieve.

AL G

They do regular UN peacekeeping missions, they were also in Kosovo, I kept getting them mixed up with the Italians, same flag but upside down, and the same combat uniforms.

"Hey, that Italian speaks English with an Irish Accent!" "Slap!"

The irish defence force has been in Afghanistan since 2001
http://www.military.ie/overseas/ops/asia/isaf/index.htm

lancher

Only if the influencial Bilderbergers such as former PM John Burton or the Rothschilds' investment bank 'Goldman Sachs' big wig Peter Sutherland get their way.

David H

Hundreds of thousands of Irishmen joined the British Army in both world wars and died in the fight.

Jordan

No because at the minute Ireland are in worst hit area in Europe by the recession. There is no way of them affording a war anywhere at the moment. Plus there is little public support for it and the UK and USA are planning on leaving soon.

Frank S

not to my knowledge------ it was suspected that the coast line provided shelter for u- boats during ww2

how_would_I_know

They have nothing to send and no way to get them there.

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