Post by WYATT666 on Jan 26, 2009 21:50:19 GMT
Operation Banner was the operational name for the British Armed Forces' campaign in Northern Ireland between August 1969 and July 2007, initially at the request of the then Unionist government of Northern Ireland in support to the Royal Ulster Constabulary (RUC) (1972–2001), and later to the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) (2001–2007). Its role was to engage in counter-terrorism and public order operations in response to the Troubles, to assist the British Government in its objective of restoring normality in Northern Ireland.
It has since been replaced by Operation Helvetic, the reduced force levels in a much more peaceful province; the support was primarily from the British Army, with the Royal Air Force providing helicopter support as required. The operation ended at midnight on 31 July 2007, making it the longest continuous deployment in the British Army's history, lasting some thirty-eight years. An internal British Army document released in 2007 stated an expert opinion that the British Army had failed to defeat the IRA but had made it impossible for them to win through the use of violence.
The role of the armed forces in their support role to the police was defined by the British Army in the following terms:
Routine support — Includes such tasks as providing protection to the police in carrying out normal policing duties in areas of terrorist threat; patrolling around military and police bases to deter terrorist attack and supporting police-directed counter terrorist operations.
Additional support — Assistance where the police have insufficient assets of their own; this includes the provision of observation posts along the border and increased support during times of civil disorder. The military can provide soldiers to protect and, if necessary, supplement police lines and cordons. The military can provide heavy plant to remove barricades and construct barriers, and additional armoured vehicles and helicopters to help in the movement of police and soldiers.
Specialist support — Includes bomb disposal, search and tracker dogs, and divers from the Royal Engineers.
The operation saw 763 Service deaths and 6,100 injuries.
It has since been replaced by Operation Helvetic, the reduced force levels in a much more peaceful province; the support was primarily from the British Army, with the Royal Air Force providing helicopter support as required. The operation ended at midnight on 31 July 2007, making it the longest continuous deployment in the British Army's history, lasting some thirty-eight years. An internal British Army document released in 2007 stated an expert opinion that the British Army had failed to defeat the IRA but had made it impossible for them to win through the use of violence.
The role of the armed forces in their support role to the police was defined by the British Army in the following terms:
Routine support — Includes such tasks as providing protection to the police in carrying out normal policing duties in areas of terrorist threat; patrolling around military and police bases to deter terrorist attack and supporting police-directed counter terrorist operations.
Additional support — Assistance where the police have insufficient assets of their own; this includes the provision of observation posts along the border and increased support during times of civil disorder. The military can provide soldiers to protect and, if necessary, supplement police lines and cordons. The military can provide heavy plant to remove barricades and construct barriers, and additional armoured vehicles and helicopters to help in the movement of police and soldiers.
Specialist support — Includes bomb disposal, search and tracker dogs, and divers from the Royal Engineers.
The operation saw 763 Service deaths and 6,100 injuries.
