Chapter 7 - Northern Ireland, Military Aid to the Civil Authorities and Conflict Prevention

Introduction

Two of the military tasks under the Defence mission Standing Home Commitments are: Military Aid to the Civil Power in Northern Ireland and Military Aid to the Civil Authorities. Chapter 7 is divided into two sections: Northern Ireland, and Military Aid to the Civil Authorities and Conflict Prevention.

Military Task 2.2: Military Aid to the Civil Power in Northern Ireland

Military Aid to the Civil Power in Northern Ireland supports the police in the defeat of terrorism and in the maintenance of public order in order to assist HM Government’s objective of returning to normality.
In fulfilling this objective, troop numbers have continued to decrease, with the Royal Irish Regiment being disbanded.
After 2008, it is likely that Northern Ireland statistics will no longer be included in UKDS.

Table 7.1 shows the numbers of Service personnel committed to Northern Ireland under the command of the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland, and the numbers of personnel in the Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service) included in this figure. Also shown are the numbers of regular Army units at 1 April each year. The numbers of Service personnel committed to Northern Ireland continued to reduce. As of 1 April 2007, the General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland TLB became an Intermediate Higher Level Budget (IHLB) under the Land Command TLB.

Table 7.2 shows the numbers of Service personnel committed to and deployed in Northern Ireland, and the numbers of Service personnel committed to Northern Ireland but deployed elsewhere.

Table 7.3 shows the numbers of Service personnel deaths and injuries, the numbers of persons charged with terrorist and serious public order offences, the weight of explosives, numbers of weapons, and amounts of explosives and ammunition found each financial year.

Table 7.4 shows the numbers of Army personnel deployed to Northern Ireland at 1 April in each year from 1969 to 2008. Numbers in the Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service) are also shown, although this regiment was disbanded on 1 August 2007. The table also shows the numbers of Service personnel deaths and injuries since 1969.

More information on the Security Situation in Northern Ireland can be found at the Police Service of Northern Ireland website at: http://www.psni.police.uk/index/departments/statistics_branch.htm

Military Task 2.1: Military Aid to the Civil Authorities

This covers aid to the civil power, other Government Departments and the community at large. Military Aid to the Civil Power is the provision of military assistance to the police and other law enforcement organizations in its maintenance of law, order and public safety. This includes Explosive Ordnance Disposal tasks. Military Aid to other Government Departments is the use of military forces for non-military Government tasks of national importance, maintenance of supplies and services essential to human life. This includes fishery protection and hydrographic tasks.
Military Aid to the Civil Community is the provision of Service personnel and equipment to assist the community at large in emergency situations.

Table 7.5 shows the numbers of vessels boarded by the Royal Navy Fishery Protection Squadron within British fishery limits, and convictions arising, in each financial year.

Table 7.6 shows examples of Service assistance to the Civil Community, the civil power and other Government Departments.

Conflict Prevention Activities

The MOD also contributes to the Government's cross-departmental initiative for Conflict Prevention, which cuts across many existing Military Tasks (MT), for example, MT4.3 Peacekeeping, and MT4.4 Peace Enforcement, and MT 3.3 Defence Diplomacy, Alliances and Support to Wider British Interests.

Table 7.7 shows examples of when and where the MOD provided support to the UK's Conflict Prevention Initiative during 2007/08.

Key Points:

Northern Ireland

  • As of 1 April 2008, there were 3,220 service personnel committed to Northern Ireland. This is a decrease from 6,170 personnel committed in 2007, continuing the trend of steady decrease in recent years (see Table 7.1).
  • Of the 3,220 personnel committed to Northern Ireland, 2,610 are from the Army, and the remaining 610 from the RAF (see Table 7.2).
  • In 2007/08, 16 bombs were neutralized, and 69 persons were charged with terrorist and serious public order offences
    (see Table 7.3).
  • There were no Service personnel deaths or injuries in Northern Ireland in 2006 or 2007 (see Table 7.4).

Military Aid to Civil Authorities

  • 1,309 vessels were boarded and 58 convictions arose as a result of these boardings in 2007/08 (see Table 7.5).