Sciathán Fiannóglach na hAirm
Shoulder flash and tab of ARW
Active	March 1980-
Country	Republic of Ireland
Branch	Army
Type	Special Forces
Motto	Glaine ár gcroí. Neart ár ngéag. Agus beart de réir ár mbriathar (The cleanliness of our hearts. The strength of our limbs. And our commitment to our promise)
Battles/wars	UNOSOM II, INTERFET, UNMIL, UNIFIL, UNFICYP, UNPROFOR, MINURSO

The Irish Army Ranger Wing (or Sciathán Fiannóglach na hAirm in Irish) is the special forces unit of the Irish Defence Forces. Image File history File links Arw03. ... Image File history File links File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Army (From Latin armata (act of arming) via Old French armée) can, in some countries, refer to any armed force. ... Special forces or (sometimes colloquially and incorrectly) special operations forces (general term) are military units formed and trained to conduct missions of unconventional warfare, counter-terrorism, reconnaissance, direct action, and foreign internal defense. ... Operation Restore Hope was an American military operation with the support of the United Nations which was formed to deliver humanitarian aid and restore order to the African nation of Somalia which was suffering from a severe famine, general anarchy, and domination by a number of warlords following the collapse... INTERFET (standing for INTERnational Force East Timor) was a multinational peacekeeping taskforce, mandated by the United Nations to address the humanitarian and security crisis which took place in East Timor from 1999-2000 until the arrival of United Nations peacekeepers. ... This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... UNIFIL (United Nations Interim Forces In Lebanon) was created in 1978 by the United Nations to confirm Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon, restore the international peace and security, and help the Lebanese Government restore its effective authority in the area. ... The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) was established in 1964 to prevent a recurrence of fighting between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. ... Pocket badge of the UNPROFOR The United Nations Protection Force, UNPROFOR, were the primary UN peacekeeping troops in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina during the Yugoslav wars. ... MINURSO is a UN peacekeeping mission, established in 1991 to monitor the ceasefire and to organize and conduct a referendum which would enable the people of Western Sahara to choose between integration with Morocco and independence. ... Special forces or (sometimes colloquially and incorrectly) special operations forces (general term) are military units formed and trained to conduct missions of unconventional warfare, counter-terrorism, reconnaissance, direct action, and foreign internal defense. ... The Irish Defence Forces are the army, navy and air force of the Republic of Ireland. ...

The Army Ranger Wing is Ireland's premier hostage rescue unit, and trains closely with the specialised firearms service of the Garda Síochána (known as the Emergency Response Unit or ERU). In any major hostage incident the Ranger Wing would be involved with the ERU in a supporting role. Some of the international special operations units the ARW has trained and operated with include the Swedish SSG, US Marine Corps Force Recon and US Navy SEALs, the Italian COMSUBIN, the Australian and New Zealand SAS, among others. Garda Síochána na hÉireann (Irish for The Peace Guard of Ireland; pronounced ) is the sole police force of the Republic of Ireland. ... ERU members in Abbeylara in April 2000 where John Carthy was shot dead. ... Särskilda Skyddsgruppen (Special Protection Group) is a highly elite Swedish military unit. ... Official Name USMC Force Reconnaissance Force Recon Marines Branch United States Marine Corps Command Structure MARFORPAC; MEF I, III; MEU(SOC) 11, 13, 15, 31 MARFORLANT, MEF II; MEU(SOC) 22, 24, 26 MARFORRES, Reserves Description MEU(SOC) Deep Recon Capability, Special Operations Capability Readiness Any shore in the world... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... COMSUBIN The COMSUBIN or Comando Subacquei ed Incursori - in English the Divers and Raiders Command is the Italian Navys sole special operations unit. ... The Special Air Service of New Zealand (NZ SAS) was formed in June 1955 as an elite New Zealand Army unit capable of undertaking special missions. ...

Name

The unit's official name is "Sciathán Fiannóglach an Airm", which roughly translates into English as "Army Ranger Wing". The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ...

"Fiannóglach" (representing "Ranger") is an amalgamation of two words. "Fian" is closest to the English word "warrior", and refers to the ancient band of warriors known as Na Fianna in Irish Mythology. "Óglach" means "volunteer" and refers to the name of the Defence Forces in Irish: Óglaigh na hÉireann. Na Fianna GAA Club is located in Glasnevin at the heart of the Northside of Dublin. ... The mythology of pre-Christian Ireland did not entirely survive the conversion to Christianity, but much of it was preserved, shorn of its religious meanings, in medieval Irish literature, which represents the most extensive and best preserved of all the branches of Celtic mythology. ... Irish Defence Forces cap badge Óglaigh na hÉireann (IPA: , old orthography ÓglaiÄ¡ na h-Éireann, ) is an Irish language term, traditionally translated as the Volunteers of Ireland. ...

History

ARW fast rope training, wearing new RBH303IE helmets

‎In the late 1960s and early 1970s a small number of Irish Defence Forces personnel attended the U.S. Army Rangers course at Fort Benning, Georgia, USA. On their return, these personnel organised similar courses with the goal of bringing standards of training throughout the Irish Defence Forces into line with accepted international standards. Students on these courses were selected from among all ranks and units of the Army, Air Corps and the Naval Service and covered physical endurance, marksmanship, individual military skills and small unit tactics. Image File history File links Arw_heli1. ... Image File history File links Arw_heli1. ... Official force name 75th Ranger Regiment Rangers Other names Airborne Rangers Army Rangers U.S. Army Rangers Branch U.S. Army Chain of Command USASOC Description Special Operations Force, rapidly deployable light infantry force. ... Fort Benning is a military base facility of the United States military southwest of Columbus, Georgia. ... The Irish Army (Irish: Arm na hÉireann) is the main branch of the Irish Defence Forces. ... Aer Chór na hÉireann(Irish Air Corps) provides the air defence function of Óglaigh na hÉireann(Irish Defence Forces), in support of the Army and Naval Service, together with such other roles as may be assigned by the Government (e. ... Irish Naval Jack The Irish Naval Service is the navy of the Republic of Ireland and is one of the three standing branches of the Irish Defence Forces (Óglaigh na hÉireann). ...

Formalising these standards and creation of the Army Ranger Wing resulted from the increase in international terrorism in the late 1970s and 1980s. The increased skills and endurance training of 'Ranger'-trained personnel provided the perfect basis for the creation of a new specialist unit to counter these threats. The Army Ranger Wing (ARW) was formally established, in accordance with the Defence Act, by Government order in March 1980.

Command and Communications

The Officer Commanding the Army Ranger Wing is responsible for the Administrative, Disciplinary and Operational control of the unit, and is in turn directly under the command of The Chief of Staff at Defence Forces HQ. The Army Ranger Wing is on immediate call for operations throughout the State.

The ARW is equipped with state of the art SINCGAR, RACAL and Harris communications equipment, all of which have an inbuilt encryption and frequency hopping systems. It is also equipped with satellite communications, though it should be noted that Ireland is a neutral state and does not have its own military satellites. SINCGARS stands for Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System. ... Racal Electronics plc was a British defence electronics firm purchased by Thomson-CSF (now Thales Group) in 2000. ...

Roles

The ARW has a wide variety of roles, covering conventional warfare, anti-terrorist warfare and training for the Defence Forces Counter-terrorism refers to the practices, tactics, and strategies that governments, militaries, and other groups adopt in order to fight terrorism. ...

• Offensive Operations behind enemy lines, e.g. Securing of vital objectives, Long Range Patrolling - Raids - Ambushes - Sabotage, Capture of key personnel, Diversionary Operations
• Defensive Operations, e.g. VIP Protection, Counter-insurgency.
• Specialist Aid to the Civil Power (Anti-Terrorist Tasks)
• Standards, e.g. Testing and evaluation of military equipment, conducting specialist courses.
• Returning highly-skilled personnel to the Defence Forces on completion of service in the ARW

Missions

ARW training - prior to deployment to Liberia

The Army Rangers have seen active service assisting peacekeepers in Liberia, East Timor, Somalia and Lebanon. Image File history File links Arw4. ... Image File history File links Arw4. ...

Liberia

The ARW was deployed in Liberia following the Second Liberian Civil War as part of a peace-keeping contingent of more than 400 troops from the Irish Defence Forces, in turn part of a rapid reaction force for the United Nations mission in the country. Combatants voluntarilly disarm in May 2004 during the UN program, Disarmament, Demobilization, Rehabilitation and Reintegration (DDRR) The Second Liberian Civil War began in 1999 when a rebel group backed by the government of neighboring Guinea, the Liberians United for Reconciliation and Democracy (LURD), emerged in northern Liberia. ... The Irish Defence Forces are the army, navy and air force of the Republic of Ireland. ...

One of their most successful missions during this deployment was the rescue of a group of civilians captured by gunmen from renegade Government of Liberia forces. Acting on intelligence, twenty heavily armed Rangers were dropped by helicopter into the town of Gbapa. To avoid casualties among the hostages, the Rangers implemented a policy of non-lethal intervention and, after surrounding a 40-foot container containing the 35 hostages, rescued them. ^[1]

East Timor

In 1999, the Dáil voted to send the ARW to serve with the United Nations International Force, East Timor (INTERFET). Mandated under a UN Security Council resolution, INTERFET was a peacekeeping force deployed to restore security in the region, support and protect the UN Mission in East Timor, and to facilitate humanitarian assistance operations. The detachment of 30 ARW personnel was involved in peacekeeping duties with Canadian and New Zealand troops near the West Timor border. INTERFET (standing for INTERnational Force East Timor) was a multinational peacekeeping taskforce, mandated by the United Nations to address the humanitarian and security crisis which took place in East Timor from 1999-2000 until the arrival of United Nations peacekeepers. ... The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is the organ of the United Nations charged with maintaining peace and security among nations. ...

Iraq

As Ireland's premier hostage rescue unit, operators from the ARW were deployed to Iraq alongside Arabic-speaking members of G2 (the military intelligence branch of the Irish military), after Irish journalist Rory Carroll was abducted in 2005. The Rangers were charged with liaison with U.S. Special Operations Forces in regard to a possible rescue operation, and to provide security to the Irish Government representatives who were attempting to negotiate his release. Their assistance was not required however, as Mr. Carroll was released a short time later. ^[2] Please wikify (format) this article or section as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Rory Carroll is an Irish journalist for The Guardian. ... The United States Special Operations Forces is the official category where the U.S. Department of Defense lists the U.S. military units that have a training specialization in unconventional warfare and special operations. ...

Equipment

ARW operator with M3T shotgun

Image File history File links Arw_benelli. ... Image File history File links Arw_benelli. ...

Weapons

In addition to standard issue weapons of the Irish Defence Forces, weapons used by the ARW include:

Squad weapons

• Pistols
  • Sauer P226(See: Image )
• Combat Shotguns
  • Benelli M3T Tactical
• Assault rifles and Carbines
  • Steyr AUG A2
  • Heckler & Koch 33/SG1 (See: Image )
  • Heckler & Koch G36K/C
  • Heckler & Koch HK53
• Submachine guns
  • Heckler & Koch MP5 - Including MP5A3 and MP5K variants
  • FN P90 (Not a standard issue weapon)
• Sniper rifles
  • Accuracy International PM/L96 - Including L115 (.338), AI96 (.308), and AW50 (.50 Anti-materiel variants (See: Image )
• Light machine guns
  • FN Minimi Para

A Browning 9 millimeter Hi-Power Ordnance pistol of the French Navy, 19th century, using a Percussion cap mechanism Derringers were small and easily hidden. ... The Schweizerische Industrie Gesellschaft (SIG)-Sauer P226 is a full-sized, service type pistol originally chambered for 9 mm Luger. ... The original trench shotgun, a Winchester Model 1897 Pump Shotgun, modified for use in World War I. Combat shotguns, shotguns modified slightly to increase their suitability for use in combat, have been popular in the United States, both with law enforcement and with the US military (particularly the US Marine... The Benelli M3 Super 90 shotgun is a modern firearm. ... -1... A carbine is a firearm similar to, but generally shorter and less powerful than, a rifle or musket of a given period. ... Steyr AUG is a family of firearms, first introduced in 1977 by the Austrian company Steyr Mannlicher. ... Heckler & Koch G41 Heckler & Koch GmbH (H&K) (pronounced //) is a German weapons manufacturing company famous for various series of small firearms, notably the MP5 submachine gun, the MP7 personal defense weapon, USP series handguns, high-precision PSG1 sniper rifle, and the G3 and G36 assault rifles. ... This article is about an automatic rifle. ... The G36 (company designation, Bundeswehr designation Gewehr G36) is an assault rifle designed in the early 1990s and manufactured in Germany by Heckler & Koch. ... Although Heckler & Koch states that the Heckler & Koch 53 (short: HK 53) should be considered an assault rifle because it fires the 5. ... An MP5A4 (fixed stock and 3-round burst trigger group), a popular modern submachine gun A submachine gun is a firearm that combines the automatic fire of a machine gun with the cartridge of a pistol, and is usually between the two in weight and size. ... The Heckler & Koch MP5 is a submachine gun developed by German weapons manufacturer Heckler & Koch (HK) in the 1960s. ... The MP5K (German: Maschinenpistole 5 Kurz, Machine Pistol 5, Short) is a submachine gun manufactured by Heckler & Koch. ... The P90 is a submachine gun developed and manufactured by Fabrique Nationale de Herstal (FN Herstal). ... The M40, United States Marine Corps standard-issue sniper rifle Sniper rifle is a term most frequently applied to rifles used by military or law enforcement to ensure accurate placement of shots at greater ranges than other small arms. ... The Accuracy International Arctic Warfare rifle is a family of bolt-action sniper rifle designed and manufactured by the British company Accuracy International. ... The . ... NATO 7. ... A . ... An anti-materiel rifle is a rifle that is designed for use against military equipment (Matériel) rather than against other combatants (anti-personnel). Generally speaking, they are large-caliber rifles chambered for a powerful cartridge. ... The M249 SAW, one of the most popular 5. ... The M249 Squad Automatic Weapon (M249 SAW) is the United States military designation for a sub-family of the FN Minimi squad automatic weapon (from Mini-mitrailleuse French: mini-machine gun. Both are 5. ...

Support weapons

• Denel vector 60mm commando mortar
• Carl Gustav 84mm recoilless rifle - Including M2 and M3 variants
• Raytheon Javelin Anti-tank guided missile

Category: Possible copyright violations ... US soldier loading a M224 60-mm mortar. ... Carl Gustav recoilless rifle The Carl Gustav is the common name for the 84mm recoilless rifle anti-tank weapon from the Carl Gustav company in Sweden. ... A soldier practices with the Javelin on a firing range. ... An Anti-tank guided missile (ATGM) or weapon (ATGW) is a guided missile primarily designed to hit and destroy tanks and other armoured fighting vehicles. ...

Vehicle-mounted weapons

Ford F350 SRV

• FN 7.62mm GPMG
• Browning M2 heavy machinegun .50cal (See: Image )
• Heckler & Koch GMG 40mm automatic grenade launcher (See: Image )

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (819x546, 238 KB) Ford F350 SRV I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (819x546, 238 KB) Ford F350 SRV I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... The FN MAG is a machine gun manufactured by Fabrique Nationale (FN), Belgium. ... The general purpose machine gun (GPMG) is a compromise weapon, capable of doing the tasks of a light machine gun, a medium machine gun and a heavy machine gun, but none as well as a specialised weapon. ... This article is about the . ... Heckler & Kochs automatic grenade launcher is the Granat Maschinengewehr or grenade machine gun (GMG) It fires 40mm grenades at a rate of about 360 rounds per minute. ...

Specialised equipment

• Ford F350 (modified as Special Reconnaissance Vehicle)
• Land Rover Range Rovers (modified for Counter Terrorist duties)
• Yamaha 660 All-terrain vehicles
• KTM LC400 motorbike
• Armstrong MT350/500 motorbike (See: Image )
• Dräger LAV-7 Rebreather (See: image)
• Klepper MK13 canoe
• Combat Rubber Raiding Craft
• Rigid-hulled inflatable boats (RIBs) (Delta 7 metre, Lencraft 5.1 metre dive, and Lencraft 7.5&6.5 metre intruder RIBs) (See: image)

1955 Ford F-100 The F-Series is a series of full-size pickup trucks from Ford Motor Company sold for over 5 decades. ... The Range Rover is the top luxury 4x4 (four wheel drive in British English) model of Land Rover. ... Yamaha Motor Company Limited (ヤマハ発動機株式会社) TYO: 7272 , a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company, was initially part of the Yamaha Corporation. ... A group of “quad bike” all terrain vehicles The term all-terrain vehicle is used in a general sense to describe any of a number of small open motorised buggies and tricycles designed for off-road use. ... Kronreif, Trunkenpolz, Mattighofen (KTM) is an Austrian motorcycle manufacturer. ... The Drägerwerk AG is a German company based in Lübeck with a focus on breathing and protection equipment as well as gas detection and analysis systems. ... Inspiration closed circuit diving rebreather A rebreather is a type of breathing set that provides a breathing gas containing oxygen and recycles exhaled gas. ... Image File history File links Arw29. ... A folding kayak is a direct descendant of the original Inuit kayak made of animal skins stretched over frames made from wood and bones. ... The Combat Rubber Raiding Craft (CRRC) is a specially fabricated inflatable rubber raft often used by the Navy SEALs and US Marines, among other special operations teams. ... Two RIBs at Castletown, Portland, England. ... Image File history File links Arw23a1. ...

Training

ARW Counter Terrorist team drill

The ARW also has its own purpose built tactical training facility, including "shoot houses", training ranges and various urban settings. The facility is known as "Tac town". Image File history File links Arw_AT1. ... Image File history File links Arw_AT1. ...

Footnotes

1. ^ Irish Independent report Crack troops rescue hostages from gunmen in daring raid
2. ^ Sunday Independent report ARW involvement in plans to release captured journalist, and The Guardian report Carroll abduction

The Irish Independents header consists of its name and a green harp The Irish Independent is Irelands best-selling broadsheet newspaper. ... The Sunday Independent is a broadsheet Sunday newspaper published in the Republic of Ireland by Independent News and Media plc. ... The Guardian is a British newspaper owned by the Guardian Media Group. ...

External links

• (English) Official website