The Defence Forces is struggling to find enough troops to deploy with the United Nations to Lebanon next month amid increasing violence in the region.
The 123rd infantry battalion, comprising 343 troops, is due to depart on November 14th for a six-month deployment on the Unifil mission which monitors the border between Lebanon and Israel.
However, with just more than three weeks to go before deployment, the battalion is about 30 personnel short, including in several vital specialist areas. Furthermore, a number of troops who had previously volunteered for the deployment have since dropped out, citing personal reasons.
It is not unusual for military planners to have to scramble to fill positions on overseas deployments at the last minute, especially in recent years as the manpower crisis within the Defence Forces has become acute.
However, sources say it is unusual to have this many vacant roles so close to deployment.
The vacant roles will now be filled through “mandatory selection”, the term used for ordering troops to go on an overseas deployment. Some soldiers already in Lebanon as part of the current Unifil deployment may also be asked to stay on.
Military sources said there are a range of possible factors behind the shortages on the upcoming deployment, including the increasing violence in the region and ongoing clashes between Israel and Hizbullah in the Lebanese border area.
Hizbullah militants have been firing rockets into Israel from the Irish area of operations, raising fears Irish posts could be inadvertently hit in retaliatory attacks.
Irish Unifil troops have had to take shelter in concrete bunkers on multiple occasions in the last two weeks due to overhead fire.
A greater factor in the shortages, however, is likely “burnout”, one officer said. Due to worsening personnel shortages, soldiers are being forced to go on overseas deployments far more regularly.
“People are happy to go on a few tours for the extra money and promotion opportunities. But it can get old. It can be very disruptive to home life, especially if you have children.”
The difficultly in staffing deployments is likely to impact Ireland’s participation in the newly revamped EU Battlegroup system, which is intended to provide a military force for peacekeeping at very short notice.
Ireland has committed to send more than 170 troops to the battlegroup which is due to begin training in Germany next year. A call for volunteers was recently sent out to Defence Forces personnel but it is understood only a handful of soldiers have come forward so far.
A Defence Forces spokesman said there are “a small number of unfilled appointments” on the Unifil deployment. They said it is not unusual for shortages to arise or for personnel to withdraw before deployment.
“This can arise for a number of reasons but is usually related to shortages at a particular rank or within particular skill-sets.”
Asked about the current situation in Lebanon, the Defence Forces said while there have been exchanges of fire from both Lebanon and Israel across the Irish section, the Irish headquarters “has not experienced any projectiles falling in the immediate vicinity of their position”.
