Page 16 - Signal Winter 2019

| ON THE BRIDGE |
The ship alongside in London
in general is designed to operate and sustain a presence in Beaufort force twelve (wind speeds of 73+ m/h) and Sea State 6 and continue with the mission.
The P60 class has been fitted with a suite of modern systems which include Dynamic Positioning, allowing the ship to maintain its position and simply put, the ship will maintain its position using the Main Engines and Thruster. There is also a Power Take In (PTI) system which allows the main shafts to be driven by the generators allowing for greater fuel efficiency. The majority of technology is now common across the Naval Service fleet which allows for personnel to change units but still be using the same kit. The P60 class has added capabilities which displays the evolution of the Naval Service and the various theatres that we operate in. An example of this, is that onboard L.E. Niamh in January of 2015, if you told me that we would carry five hundred plus migrants to safety in July 2015, I would not have believed you. The P60 class has an extended afterdeck which can carry three thirty-foot containers and can be used for the resupplying of Defence Forces Missions Overseas. It can also be used to support the Naval Service Diving Section for short or prolonged operations such as the Rescue 116 Search and Recovery operation. Referring to NS operations such as EUNAVFOR Med – Operation SOPHIA and Operation PONTUS, L.E. Samuel Beckett carried over seven hundred migrants to safety during one rescue operation.
While the above provides a brief synopsis of the capabilities the P60 class bring to Ireland, these ships represent value for money, have room for future capability development, are extremely comfortable in the North Atlantic and can be deployed globally. It is also exciting to see that the White Paper programme for the
delivery of a Multi-Role Vessel is still moving forward. This will be a paradigm shift for all three services in the Defence Forces, particularly as global strategic trends are indicating that the future operating environment will present new and complex challenges and that future humanitarian and stabilisation operations will require a joint approach, both civil and militarily. Experience however has shown me, that without the support of well trained and motivated personnel, these ships and the organisation cannot perform to its full potential.
With the changing environment, Ireland is located is a key geostrategic location on the North Western edge of Europe. Our Exclusive Economic Zone extends into the North Atlantic and is home to some of the cross Atlantic trade routes, subsea cables, and airline routes to and from North America, and some of the most plentiful fishing grounds in the EU. The acquisition of the P60 class allows Ireland to effectively patrol this EEZ. Through the combination of the ship and surveillance technology, the NS has turned each ship into a sensor platform which allows for comprehensive analysis of all activity in our area of operations. In our routine patrolling, NS ships have encountered a myriad of activity which is then transmitted to the relevant authorities ashore ensuring that Ireland Incorporated has a full appraisal of what activity is happening in our own and adjacent waters.
How has international cooperation continued to develop in terms of UN appointments and Naval Service work with MAOC-N?
The NS maintains strong links with Maritime Analysis Operations Centre- Narcotics (MAOC-N) through Naval Operations Command HQ and the units at sea providing the surveillance support. Using the systems such as the Recognised Maritime Picture (RMP), NS assets conduct surveillance and ground truthing on a daily basis. All ships monitor their Area of Operations looking for outliers, which are described as contacts which are not found on electronic systems or are not regularly encountered coming to or from Ireland. Last year the NS and Air Corps were involved in two MAOC-(N) led operations under the aegis of the JTF to locate, surveil and potentially interdict Vessels of Interest (VOI). One of these missions concluded with an interdiction operation by the UK Border Force and the UK National Crime Agency. While no narcotics were found in the interdiction conducted by L.E. William Butler Yeats, it proved that the tactics, techniques and procedures currently in use are effective but each operation requires some level of adaptability or adjustment.
At present, there are no formal opportunities or designated postings for Naval Officers overseas with the UN and MAOC-(N), and this can be frustrating, particularly as a retention initiative. Given the increase of narcotic use in Ireland and the evident impact drugs has on Irish society, deploying a Naval Officer to MAOC-(N) would be positive development in my opinion. In addition, missions such as UNIFIL have a maritime component and given the nature of the operations associated with that UN mission would be an ideal opportunity for NS involvement based on my experience of observing how the NS performed during Op PONTUS and EUNAVFOR Med. However, on occasion, there are limited opportunities to serve overseas, and naval officers and NCOs sometimes deploy with Infantry Battalions. This would be a career aspiration for all NS personnel.
16 | | WINTER ‘19 |