Description
Some sixty years ago on 28th June 1958, barely three years after Ireland gained membership of the United Nations, the first Irish Peacekeepers took up duty on the Lebanese Syrian Border. Since then, not a day has passed without an Irish soldier manning his or her post in numerous Peace Support Operations (PSOs) throughout the world; be it standing guard, manning an observation post, or patrolling a zone of separation somewhere within the world’s most dangerous and volatile locations. Former Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces (DF) Vice Admiral Mark Mellett noted in 2018 “The Irish DF has over 650 personnel serving overseas in 13 missions in 13 countries and on one sea.” This paper will examine three key overseas missions as a clustered case study, Kosovo, Liberia and Chad which saw significant deployments of Irish troops. These missions were a ‘Quantum Leap” in the evolution and development of Ireland’s role in PSOs that was significantly different in a number of key aspects of previous UN missions; particularly in respect of operational deployment, doctrine and logistical support. Indeed, these three historical examples also indicated potential dilemmas that not just Irish, but UN troops may face on the ground in future PSOs. Through an examination of key literature in this sphere morphed with interviewing practitioners from within the DF with a vast reservoir of ‘lived’ UN missions it will be demonstrated how Ireland has in effect played a significant role in the evolution and development of these “Third Generation” PSOs. From a lesson learned perspective a potential ‘portal’ will emerge as to how such missions can be assessed from a mission accomplishment barometer and how this in turn may inform the success or indeed failure of future PSOs undertaken by the UN.
