New garrison structures for peacetime 03 May 2006
The Army's 19th Light Brigade is to be re-deployed from Germany to form the new peacetime garrison in the Province. An additional local Army element will be retained and named the 38th (Irish) Brigade, consisting of the Territorial Army and an overall administrative set-up. The Army plans to unveil the new military structure soon. A spokesman would not be drawn on details, but said: "The restructure of the future peacetime shape of the garrison in Northern Ireland will be announced shortly." In all, as agreed in the Joint Declaration of 2003, the main garrison will comprise no more than 5,000 soldiers (mainly 19th Light Brigade), across no more than 14 bases. The TA element will be additional to this. This will replace the current military infrastructure which comprises: * at the top, the General Officer Commanding and headquarters staff. * underneath that, the 8th Infantry Brigade at Ballykelly and 39th Infantry Brigade at Thiepval Barracks, Lisburn – within which the 3,000 Royal Irish home service personnel has been included – and then the 107 (Ulster) Brigade, which is the TA. This structure is being dismantled as Operation Banner – the Army support for the police during the Troubles – comes to an end on July 31 next year. A senior military source said: "It's complicated, but put simply, the current structure which was developed during the Troubles will go. "The 8th and 39th infantries, the Royal Irish, the other military deployments and the 107 Brigade name go. "The 5,000-strong garrison of mainly 19th Light Brigade and the 38th (Irish) Brigade (TA) come in as the streamlined structure." However, it is believed that the 38th Irish name is causing some controversy among senior Army personnel. Ulster Unionist MLA Michael Copeland said he had received complaints. In particular, there is concern that the 107th (Ulster) Brigade – once part of the 36th (Ulster) Division, which fought at the Somme in 1916 – will be lost. This was another "sinister" attempt to erode British identity in the Province, said Mr Copeland. He added: "The 107th (Ulster) was formed on November 2, 1914, and combined with the 108th and 109th to form the 36th division. "By 1918 the brigade had been reduced to no more than a few platoons. "The current (107th) brigade was formed on November 2, 1988, and adopted as its insignia the red hand of Ulster set on a green shamrock superimposed on a black square. "In 1914, Sir Edward Carson and others insisted on the inclusion of the word 'Ulster' in the divisional title of the 36th. "That battle for recognition of the regional identity of Ulster within the United Kingdom was just as valid then as it is now. "The efforts to strip the world 'Ulster' from the Army, as was done in policing, must continue to be resisted if we are to remain a recognisable group within the United Kingdom." 03 May 2006
Sourced From: News Letter
Category: Army
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