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IRELAND MAY BE forced to cut up to 40 troops from its peacekeeping deployment to Lebanon as the UN makes dramatic emergency cuts to funding, The Journal has learned.
UNIFIL has been told to make cuts of 15% because of a shortfall of more than €2 billion in its peacekeeping budget.
The cuts are an added complication to an already fraught situation: it comes ahead of the impending withdrawal of troops from the region after 47 years, during which time 48 Irish lives were lost.
Planning for the wind-down has begun as the end date of the mission – 31 December 2026 – looms. A number of visits took place including from Irish military logistical officers and the Chief of Staff Lt Gen Rossa Mulcahy in recent weeks to assess for the plan to bring home the Irish equipment.
Now, plans are believed to be at an advanced stage for reducing troop numbers, as the United Nations simply cannot afford to pay for them.
The Journal has learned that high level meetings are underway behind the scenes in Ireland and abroad to find a way to lessen the impact of the unavoidable cuts.
The troop numbers could be reduced by upwards of 40 soldiers along with other measures.
One of the solutions being considered is that Ireland, rather than the UN, would pay the bill for those soldiers being deployed on what is likely to be the penultimate Lebanon mission.
UN Peacekeeping is funded through a hugely complicated set of reimbursements. Each member state pays for its troops but the UN in turn pays those countries back for their equipment use and the soldiers they provide.
This has meant, down through the years, that Ireland has benefited from money coming back into the State from these foreign deployments via the United Nations and it has proven a lucrative earner for the State.
There are high-level concerns in Government and defence in Ireland that the UN may come back for further cuts to be imposed.
The Journal visited the 127 Infantry Battalion today who are preparing to deploy to Lebanon in November. They are putting their final training touches in the Glen of Imaal in Wicklow. They will replace the 350 Irish soldiers currently in South Lebanon, which this publication visited last week.
Leading the troops is Lieutenant Colonel Mark Lennon who will be on his eighth peacekeeping trip – he spoke about the added complication of dealing with the cuts.
“We are well aware of the strategic change [financial cuts] in that zone and it is a Defence Forces priority in terms of assessing where that goes forward.
“I am the tactical commander on the ground and I am operating for the six month trip with the forces I have. At the operational strategic level Defence Forces Headquarters are contact with UN headquarters in New York and UNIFIL HQ in South Lebanon.
“Flexibility is a huge principle for us as soldiers. As members of the Defence Forces we have to flexible, if changes come and we have to make those changes we are well fit and capable to do that,” he said.
Lennon, who is from Longford, will lead 350 soldiers as it stands now, but that may be reduced and he said that “is something we’re tracking in the background”.
He was keen to say that the deployment is going ahead as planned and that the Defence Forces General Staff were working on a solution.
The Commanding Officer said there is a “potential” that he will have to tell troops that they cannot travel but that he is not able to say if that will happen as yet.
Lennon said that it could “potentially” be upwards of 40 to 50 troops being left behind if the worst case scenario is needed. He added that plans and contingencies were being drawn up to deal with whatever decision is taken.
A spokeswoman for UNIFIL said that the mission was finalising the plan to meet a global reduction of 15% in budget.
“It is likely that all battalions will see reductions in the number of peacekeepers (i.e., the cuts won’t be concentrated in any specific contingent).
“But we will be working closely with Lebanese authorities and troop-contributing countries to implement any needed reductions in the least disruptive way possible. And of course we will do everything we can to ensure we can still accomplish our most important tasks,” she said.
The Department of Defence said Ireland is engaging with the UN to find a way to reduce the impact of the smaller budget.
“This is being done in a manner which will ensure the continued safety and security of troops in the field and aligning with future Battalion rotations,” a spokesman said.
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