Richard Brennan (barrister)
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Col. Richard Brennan is a
Barrister-at-Law A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching the law and giv ...
in the Legal Service of the
Irish Defence Forces The Defence Forces (, officially styled ) derives its origins from the Irish Volunteers. Whilst the Irish for ''Defence Forces'' is , as Ó Cearúil (1999) points out, the Defence Forces are officially styled . is used in other contexts (e.g. ...
(DF) and former National Legal Advisor to the Defence Forces during
United Nations peacekeeping operations The Department of Peace Operations (DPO) (French: ''Département des opérations de maintien de la paix'') is a department of the United Nations charged with the planning, preparation, management, and direction of UN peacekeeping operations. P ...
as a
United Nations Military Observer A United Nations Military Observer (UNMO) is a military official deployed by the United Nations to provide support to a UN mission or peace operation. Described as the "eyes and ears" of the UN Security Council, observers fulfill a variety of rol ...
. He is a legal scholar on
international humanitarian law International humanitarian law (IHL), also referred to as the laws of armed conflict or the laws of war, is the law that regulates the conduct of war (''wikt:jus in bello, jus in bello''). It is a branch of international law that seeks to limit ...
and the legal basis of peacekeeping missions.


Military career

Brennan was commissioned as an officer in the Irish Defence Forces in 1991. He first deployed as an infantry officer on two tours in
Lebanon Lebanon, officially the Republic of Lebanon, is a country in the Levant region of West Asia. Situated at the crossroads of the Mediterranean Basin and the Arabian Peninsula, it is bordered by Syria to the north and east, Israel to the south ...
with the
United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (; ), or UNIFIL (; ) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission established on 19 March 1978 by United Nations Security Council Resolutions United Nations Security Council Resolution 425, 425 and Unit ...
(UNIFIL) in 1995 and 2000. In 2002, he deployed to
Eritrea Eritrea, officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of East Africa, with its capital and largest city being Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia in the Eritrea–Ethiopia border, south, Sudan in the west, and Dj ...
with the Irish Defence Forces supporting the
United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea The United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) was established by the United Nations Security Council in July 2000 to monitor a ceasefire in the border war that began in 1998 between Ethiopia and Eritrea. First military troops Nethe ...
(UNMEE). Following extensive infantry service, Brennan was appointed as a legal officer in the Defence Forces in 2004. Between 2004 and 2009, he served as a staff officer within the office of Legal Service at the Defence Forces headquarters and held the rank of
Commandant Commandant ( or ; ) is a title often given to the officer in charge of a military (or other uniformed service) training establishment or academy. This usage is common in English-speaking nations. In some countries it may be a military or police ...
.


KFOR

In 2008, Brennan acted as the National Legal Advisor to Brigadier General Gerry Hegarty (Ret.), the Commander of the Multinational Task Force Centre (MNTF-C) for the NATO-led
Kosovo Force The Kosovo Force (KFOR) is a North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO-led international NATO peacekeeping, peacekeeping force and military of Kosovo. KFOR is the third security responder, after the Kosovo Police and the EU Rule of Law (European ...
(KFOR), during
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
’s framework nation role in its "lead nation period" with KFOR.


UNDOF

In 2012, Brennan was appointed the National Legal Advisor to the Irish Contingent of the
United Nations Disengagement Observer Force The United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission tasked with maintaining the ceasefire between Israel and Syria in the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War. The mission was established by Unite ...
(UNDOF) in
Golan Golan (; ) is the name of a biblical town later known from the works of Josephus (first century CE) and Eusebius (''Onomasticon'', early 4th century CE). Archaeologists localize the biblical city of Golan at Sahm el-Jaulān, a Syrian village eas ...
. He subsequently advised on
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
’s on deployments in
Chad Chad, officially the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of North Africa, North and Central Africa. It is bordered by Libya to Chad–Libya border, the north, Sudan to Chad–Sudan border, the east, the Central Afric ...
and
Liberia Liberia, officially the Republic of Liberia, is a country on the West African coast. It is bordered by Sierra Leone to Liberia–Sierra Leone border, its northwest, Guinea to Guinea–Liberia border, its north, Ivory Coast to Ivory Coast–Lib ...
.


UNIFIL

In 2017, Brennan served as the National Legal Advisor to the Irish Contingent of the
UNIFIL The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (; ), or UNIFIL (; ) is a United Nations peacekeeping mission established on 19 March 1978 by United Nations Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426, and several further resolutions in 2006 to con ...
.


Legal career

Brennan is an expert on
international humanitarian law International humanitarian law (IHL), also referred to as the laws of armed conflict or the laws of war, is the law that regulates the conduct of war (''wikt:jus in bello, jus in bello''). It is a branch of international law that seeks to limit ...
, the protection of civilians and victims of
armed conflict War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
, and the legal basis of peacekeeping operations and their contemporary challenges. Brennan has also lectured on the protection of civilians during
peace operations Peace is a state of harmony in the absence of hostility and violence, and everything that discusses achieving human welfare through justice and peaceful conditions. In a societal sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such a ...
and the legal nexus in peace operations. He has advocated for continued relevance and importance of
international humanitarian law International humanitarian law (IHL), also referred to as the laws of armed conflict or the laws of war, is the law that regulates the conduct of war (''wikt:jus in bello, jus in bello''). It is a branch of international law that seeks to limit ...
, even with the genesis of new
terrorist Terrorism, in its broadest sense, is the use of violence against non-combatants to achieve political or ideological aims. The term is used in this regard primarily to refer to intentional violence during peacetime or in the context of war aga ...
groups and the ever evolving nature of conflict. He has also raised the question of the interface between
human rights law International human rights law (IHRL) is the body of international law designed to promote human rights on social, regional, and domestic levels. As a form of international law, international human rights law is primarily made up of treaties, ag ...
and
international humanitarian law International humanitarian law (IHL), also referred to as the laws of armed conflict or the laws of war, is the law that regulates the conduct of war (''wikt:jus in bello, jus in bello''). It is a branch of international law that seeks to limit ...
, advocating for assurance that there is a clear distinction in the dichotomy between human rights obligations and
law of armed conflict The law of war is a component of international law that regulates the conditions for initiating war (''jus ad bellum'') and the conduct of hostilities (''jus in bello''). Laws of war define sovereignty and nationhood, states and territories, ...
(LOAC) obligations. With Ireland’s traditional role in peace support operations and
peacekeeping Peacekeeping comprises activities, especially military ones, intended to create conditions that favor lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed w ...
operations, a lack of clarity can prevent appropriate dissemination of the law, which in turn affects the consistency of its operational application on the ground. Brennan spoke on general data protection regulation (GDPR) and its potential to drive major cultural changes at the Data Protection Conference in Dublin in 2018. Brennan is a member of the Board of Directors of the International Society for Military Law and the Law of War and represented the Office of the Director of Military Prosecutions, Defense Forces (Ireland) at the
International Association of Prosecutors The International Association of Prosecutors (IAP) is a global non-governmental organisation of prosecutors, established by the United Nations in 1995, Vienna. It has 183 organizational members from 177 countries, and individual members. The IAP ...
European Regional Conferences at
The Hague The Hague ( ) is the capital city of the South Holland province of the Netherlands. With a population of over half a million, it is the third-largest city in the Netherlands. Situated on the west coast facing the North Sea, The Hague is the c ...
. He is also a Trustee of the CAFNBO Distress Fund, set up for the purpose of reliving distress among serving NCO’s. Brennan is currently an appointed prosecutor with the Director of Military Prosecutions and serves as Brigade Legal Advisor at two Brigade Headquarters.


Education

Brennan holds a BA in History and Legal Science from UCG and graduated from
NUI Galway The University of Galway () is a public research university located in the city of Galway, Ireland. The university was founded in 1845 as "Queen's College, Galway". It was known as "University College, Galway" (UCG) () from 1908 to 1997 and as ...
with an
LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...
in 1999. He studied at the
King's Inns The Honorable Society of King's Inns () is the "Inn of Court" for the Bar of Ireland. Established in 1541, King's Inns is Ireland's oldest school of law and one of Ireland's significant historical environments. The Benchers of King's Inns aw ...
in Dublin and was called to the Irish Bar in 2004 as a
Barrister-at-Law A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, researching the law and giv ...
. Brennan completed a Master's Degree ( MA) in Leadership, Management and Defence Studies (LMDS) at
NUI Maynooth Maynooth University (MU) (), is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland in Maynooth, County Kildare, Ireland. Maynooth University was formerly known as National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM; ). It was Ireland ...
in 2007. Brennan is a graduate of the Command and Staff School at the Military College of the Irish Defence Forces Training Centre. His dissertation for the 63rd Command and Staff Course on "Targeting in the modern Battle-Space" was awarded the "Gradam Taighde Na bhForsai Cosanta," The Defence Forces Award for Excellence for thesis research for best thesis. He is a graduate of the
International Institute of Humanitarian Law The International Institute of Humanitarian Law (IIHL) is an independent, "non-profit, humanitarian association having social values as its objectives", founded in 1970 in Sanremo, Italy. The main purpose of the Institute is to promote internati ...
in San Remo,
Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
, and has also completed operational law courses at the
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
Operational Law School in Oberammagau, Germany and the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...
at the Operational Law Centre Warminster. He completed the Advanced Laws of War course at the
University of Liverpool The University of Liverpool (abbreviated UOL) is a Public university, public research university in Liverpool, England. Founded in 1881 as University College Liverpool, Victoria University (United Kingdom), Victoria University, it received Ro ...
under Dominic McGoldrick. Brennan has instructed as class leader at the
International Institute of Humanitarian Law The International Institute of Humanitarian Law (IIHL) is an independent, "non-profit, humanitarian association having social values as its objectives", founded in 1970 in Sanremo, Italy. The main purpose of the Institute is to promote internati ...
and at the
NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
/ PfP School in
Ankara Ankara is the capital city of Turkey and List of national capitals by area, the largest capital by area in the world. Located in the Central Anatolia Region, central part of Anatolia, the city has a population of 5,290,822 in its urban center ( ...
, Turkey.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brennan, Richard Living people 21st-century Irish lawyers Year of birth missing (living people) Alumni of Maynooth University Alumni of the University of Galway Alumni of the University of Liverpool Irish Army officers