Nearly 500 Irish troops will be deployed on United Nations peacekeeping duties in Liberia in west Africa by the middle of next month if the Dáil today accepts a proposal from the Minister of Defence, Mr Smith.
The majority of the volunteers for the mission - one of the toughest ever undertaken by the Defence Forces - are coming from the Western Brigade, though there are still up to 20 vacancies left.
Rigorous medical tests have been carried out on the volunteers, military sources say, while privates over the age of 40 and officers over the age of 50 have not been considered for the six-month tours of duty.
The soldiers, who will join the United Nations Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), will be taken out in three parties, on December 2nd/9th and 16th, though a construction team will travel before the end of the month.
Just 4,500 of the promised 15,000 United Nations troops have reached the trouble-hit country.
So far, UNMIL has managed to secure the country's capital Monrovia, but the countryside remains in crisis.
In a Dáil reply, the Minister for Defence said the Irish motorised infantry battalion would be 430 strong.
Twenty more will work at UNMIIL's force headquarters and as military observers.
Soldiers from the Defence Forces' elite Army Ranger Wing will be deployed along with the battalion for up to three months, while it is settling into the new duties, he told TDs on Tuesday in a written parliamentary question.
The Irish unit will act as UNMIL's Rapid Reaction Reserve, which will deploy "without delay" to offer "a swift and decisive military reaction to any crisis situation", he said.
"The safety of Irish personnel serving overseas is always of paramount concern.
"While no absolute guarantees can be given with regard to the safety of troops serving in missions, it is the policy and practice to ensure that Defence Forces personnel are adequately trained and equipped to carry out their mission.
"Troops selected for overseas service undergo a rigorous programme of training and this will be the case in respect of personnel selected for service with UNMIL," he said.
In particular, senior Defence Forces officers sought UN assurances that proper medical facilities, including ship-based hospitals, would be available, if necessary.
Tens of thousands of people have been left homeless and thousands more killed since the country descended into violence after 2000, human rights workers report.
