Members of the Army's secretive Ranger Wing paraded in public yesterday - albeit disguised in combat face paint - at the insistence of the Minister for Defence.
Mr Smith restated his determination to bring the Defence Forces out from "behind the high walls" of barracks to put on display the State's physical commitment to foreign peacekeeping. Traditionally, the Ranger Wing maintains an air of secrecy, though in recent years it has simultaneously sought media coverage, particularly in the tabloid press.
The issue of secrecy among elements of the State security forces has arisen recently in the courts in the case of the shooting of the Co Longford man, Mr John Carthy, by the Garda's armed wing, the Emergency Response Unit (ERU). The ERU members involved objected to being identified at Mr Carthy's inquest.
More recently the State had to abandon a case against three men charged with possessing almost a ton of explosives at Howth in January 1998. The three men - including Joseph Dillon spokesman for the 32County Sovereignty Committee, which is opposed to the Belfast Agreement and IRA ceasefire - were acquitted after members of another specialist Garda unit refused to be identified in court. The gardai are members of the National Surveillance Unit which carries out covert surveillance and has access to electronic listening equipment.
It is understood there was opposition within the Army to the idea of parading members of the Ranger Wing, with one military source describing yesterday's parade as a "publicity stunt". However, Mr Smith said he was determined the Army's services to peacekeeping missions across the world would not be hidden. Until recently the parades had been "all out of sight behind the high walls of McKee Barracks in Dublin". He said: "It is only when the rows of Irish troops are lined up on the main street of a town that the importance and scale of Ireland's commitment to peacekeeping is appreciated by the general public."
He referred to the State's commitment to serve in UN-mandated peacekeeping missions alongside other forces in the Partnership for Peace (including the Irish transport unit serving in the NATO-led mission in Kosovo) and the EU Rapid Reaction Force being prepared for service in 2003.
Mr Smith was speaking after inspecting a parade in Roscrea, Co Tipperary, by the first contingent of Irish troops who served in East Timor in 1999 and by the next transport unit which is to serve in Kosovo for six months.
The troops who served in East Timor were presented with medals from the Australian Ambassador to Ireland, Dr Bob Halverson OBE. The mission was led by the Australian Defence Forces and an Irish contingent is currently serving there.
The Minister announced he has authorised the purchase of 20 armoured personnel carriers at a cost of £1 million each on top of 40 already ordered.