The Defence Forces are preparing a contingent of soldiers in anticipation of a UN request for military aid to support humanitarian work in Zaire.
No request has been received yet for military support hut the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lt-Gen Gerry McMahon, said yesterday an examination of the likely needs of a UN force was already under way.
The Government has already stated it will provide military assistance if asked.
Lt-Gen McMahon said there was a spectrum of military needs in an operation of the type which would serve in Zaire. He said any request from the UN for Irish assistance would probably be for a specialist unit of soldiers such as engineers, military police or logisticians.
Two years ago the Defence Forces provided a transport unit of 80 troops during the crisis in Somalia. However, there were already reasonable transport arrangements for humanitarian relief in Zaire, he observed.
Earlier yesterday, the Chief of Staff told the annual conference of the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (RACO), at its annual conference in Galway that the Defence Forces were at a crossroads in terms of overseas commitment.
They face serious problems from lack of resources as well as competition, particularly from former Eastern Bloc countries.
He said the Government must ensure that money saved from the reduction in size of the Defence Forces must be devoted to acquiring new equipment and improving the defence infrastructure.
