The fictional chaos of a multinational operation is exercising the abilities of the Defence Forces, writes Alison Healy
THE TROUBLE in the Republic of Bogaland has been the only thing on the minds of 150 staff from the Defence Forces and civilian agencies for the past 12 days.
The country is emerging from a civil war and Irish soldiers have been dealing with the discovery of mass graves, the alleged shooting of a child by a soldier, smuggling and widespread civil disturbances.
Of course there is no Republic of Bogaland, but the scenarios are very real for members of the Defence Forces serving overseas.
To prepare for such situations, the Defence Forces and 15 civilian agencies have been taking part in Exercise Viking, a multinational simulation exercise which ends today at the Military College in the Curragh.
Some 150 members of the military, Garda Síochána and non-governmental organisations are simulating the operations of a multinational brigade headquarters in a UN-mandated peace support operation. There are a number of Swedish and Austrian participants in the Curragh exercise.
In total, 1,700 people are involved in the exercise in Austria, Finland, Ireland, Latvia, Norway, Switzerland and Sweden, with the latter country leading the project. The focus is on planning and co-operation between the military, police and civilian staff and does not involve deploying battalions on the ground.
Yesterday morning, the participants were coping with a fictional roadside bomb which killed an officer. Staff from agencies such as Goal, Concern, the UNHCR and the Irish Red Cross were dealing with growing tensions between ethnic groups at a camp and were preparing to meet the local mayor. The overturning of a tank carrying ammonia was also being addressed.
The major events are planned by the Swedish exercise control while the Irish exercise control secretly plan incidents such as a road bomb or a missing child. A team then evaluates the responses of staff to such scenarios.
Some 20 media students from NUI Maynooth and DIT are also involved, conducting interviews and writing stories.
The Defence Forces Chief of Staff, Lieut Gen Dermot Earley, said this was the fifth in a series of exercises begun by the Swedish Armed Forces in 1999 but it was the first time that the Defence Forces has involved civilians in this way.
"The important thing is that we develop it," he said. "We make it more difficult. We exercise our staffs in a more critical way and the problems become more serious and the responses must be serious as well."
The operation has been led by Brig Gen Dennis Murphy and directed by Col Mick Gannon. "It's a hugely important exercise for us," said Brig Gen Murphy.
"The challenges and the scenarios that we are playing out here are real-life scenarios."
The length of the exercise helped participants become immersed in the scenarios. "This is very, very real," he said. "I'm even being doorstepped by the media when I step outside."