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Revision as of 03:47, 25 January 2009

Here is a list of the combatant organisations operating in Northern Ireland, divided into three categories (Official, Nationalist/Republican, Loyalist/Unionist). For reasons of convenience, the section devoted to the British Armed Forces will list only those units deployed to Northern Ireland for internal security. Some units of the regular British Armed Forces are routinely based in Northern Ireland but are not used in counter-insugency.

Official

The organisations listed below serve the British Government, and are responsible to either the Ministry of Defence, or the Home Office. All counter-insurgency efforts in Northern Ireland are officially the responsibility of the Royal Ulster Constabulary, which through the Home Office, requests support from the Ministry of Defence (known as Military Aid to the Civil Power).

Royal Ulster Constabulary

The regular territorial police force of Northern Ireland, the only British territorial police force that is routinely armed. In addition to community policing, they perfom anti-terrorist activities. The RUC reports is a Home Office police force. It is largely protestant, and is suspected of collusion with Loyalist paramilitary groups.

British Armed Forces (Operation Banner)

All British Armed Forces units in Northern Ireland are under the command of HQ Northern Ireland. In Northern Ireland, the British Armed Forces have two responsibilities, first the normal defence of Northern Ireland (in other words, their peacetime role, and their general war role), and second to assist the Northern Ireland Office, and the RUC in internal security duties (counter-insurgency).

Extra military forces can be deployed to Northern Ireland from Great Britain as required.

Regular British Army

The regular British Army maintains the following counter-insurgency forces in Northern Ireland

• 1 Battalion of Infantry
• Royal Engineers unit
  • Construction of bases, observation posts, and obstacles
  • Explosive Ordnance Disposal
• Royal Military Police
• Intelligence Corps
• Special Forces units
• 5 Regiment, Army Air Corps

Royal Air Force

The RAF's presence in Northern Ireland is centred around RAF Aldergrove. No 230 Squadron equipped with Westland Puma HC.1 is based there to provide support for Army and RUC activities. Detachments of Pumas, Super Pumas, and Chinooks also come to Aldergrove to provide extra support. An RAF Regiment unit defends the airfield. RAF Aldergrove also supports 5 Regiment, Army Air Corp, and the RUC Police Air Unit.

RAF Aldergrove has no routine military role. It was a maritime patrol base during the Second World War, and also served as a dispersal base for V-Bombers. The start of "The Troubles" caused the British Government to 'swap' Aldergrove for a base in Scotland to reduce security concerns, and to enable the MoD to remove all nuclear weapons from Northern Ireland. This left airborne support for counter-insurgency as its only role.

Ulster Defence Regiment

Locally recruited anti-Guerilla troops. Full-time and part-time volunteer troops who serve only in the UDR. The force is 95% Protestant, and is suspected of links to Loyalist paramilitary groups. Largest regiment in the British Army.

Royal Navy/Royal Marines

No counter-insurgency role.

Nationalist/Republican

These groups advocate a British withdrawal from Northern Ireland, and either the incorporation of Northern Ireland into the Republic of Ireland, or the creation of a new Irish state. These groups are illegal in both the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom.

Provisional Irish Republican Army

The main Nationalist combatant group in Northern Ireland. It has been responsible for most of the deaths in The Troubles, and is thought to be linked to Sinn Fein. It advocates a united Ireland under a Sinn Fein government. It previously espoused socialism, but is now more moderate on post-takeover economic questions. It was formed after a 1969 split in the Irish Republican Army. It claims to be the legitimate military and police force for all of Ireland (rather than the RUC and British Armed Forces for Northern Ireland, and the Garda and Irish Defence Forces for the Republic of Ireland). In some parts of Northern Ireland (notably the Bogside in Londonderry) the PIRA acts as a 'police' force, which finds and punishes criminals. Punishments range from beating through knee-capping and banishment, to death. The alleged criminals are 'tried' before a tribunal of PIRA leaders.

The PIRA have been weakened by years of infiltration, and attrition. In addition, a perception by some that they are not sufficient motivated has led to splits in the movement, which have in turn lead to intra-Republican violence. The PIRA however is still relatively strong, and can launch deadly attacks.

PIRA attacks in the present consist of the following:

• Shootings (usually by snipers)
• Roadside bombings (becoming less common)
• Mortar attacks
• Vehicle bombings

Official Irish Republican Army

The remnant of the IRA after the 1969 split. The OIRA is smaller, less active, and has a more Marxist focus than the PIRA. It is linked to Official Sinn Fein. The OIRA is suspected to have killed seventy people since 1972.

Irish National Liberation Army

The INLA is a small, Marxist Nationalist terrorist group. The group fought an intense armed campaign in the 1980's, which included the assassination of Airey Neave, an Conservative politician. It has also attacked British military posts in Northern Ireland, including posts linked to the Anglo-French Alliance (the INLA argued that such positions violated Irish neutrality). The INLA has largely collapsed due to infiltration by the RUC, and other security forces. They occasionally perform 'punishment beatings' on petty criminals. Ironically, the INLA has increasingly become a criminal organisation itself, branching into protection rackets, robberies, fuel laundering, and drug dealing. The INLA regularly feuds with dedicated drug dealing organisatons, and claims to have destroyed two such gangs. Some INLA members split off from the INLA to form the IPLO. The IPLO was destroyed by the PIRA in 1992.

It is thought that the INLA may be preparing to conduct more attacks, using the funds from its criminal activities.

Loyalist