“Lt Gen Ishwar Hamal, UNDOF Head of Mission and Force Commander, visited the Irish Force Reserve Company on 07 JUN 21 for the first time since their induction to the mission area in April.

The Force Commander was greeted on his arrival by Lt Col Frank Flannery, Officer Commanding FRC, and received a salute from an honour guard, before being escorted to the briefing room where Lt Col Flannery delivered a brief on the capabilities and skillsets within the FRC. He then visited the TOC where operations officer, Capt Collins, briefed him on the operations carried out by the FRC since arriving.

 Thereafter, the Force Commander visited the QRF where he received a demonstration of the equipment and capabilities of each section within the FRC, from engineer specialist search and clearance to explosive ordnance disposal and medical support, all of which may be deployed alongside the QRF as required. He was given an insight into the capabilities and flexibility of the QRF and its APC fleet, as well as the reconnaissance capability and the organic transport and maintenance assets within the FRC.

 The Force Commander addressed the troops present, praising their professionalism in the operations conducted since deploying in April and expressing his utmost confidence in their ability to uphold the mission’s mandate and to respond to the wide range of challenging circumstances with which the FRC may be faced in support of the mission. He encouraged them at all times to remember and embody the mission’s motto of “One mission, one team, one goal.”