Michael Beary

{{Infobox military person

| honorific_prefix = Major General

| name = Michael Beary

| honorific_suffix = DSM

| image = File:Maj Gen Michael Beary, Irish Army, Force Commander of UNIFIL.jpg

| image_size = 200px

| alt = Major General Beary speaking in Lebanon as Force Commander of UNIFIL

| caption =

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| birth_date = {{birth year and age|1956}}

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| allegiance = {{flag|Ireland}}

| branch = 25px Army

| serviceyears = 1975–2018

| rank = 15px Major general

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| commands = Commander UNIFIL
Commander EUTM Somalia
GOC 2 Brigade
Director of Defence Forces Training
OC Eastern Brigade Training Centre

| battles = UNIFIL (Lebanon)
UNIKOM (Iraq-Kuwait)
UNPROFOR (Bosnia and Herzegovina-Croatia)
ISAF (Afghanistan)
EUTM (Somalia/Uganda)

| battles_label =

| awards = 35px Distinguished Service Medal (with Honour)
35px Service Medal
35px UN Peacekeepers Medal
35px Centenary Medal
35px UN Medal for UNIFIL (3)
35px UN Medal for UNIKOM
35px UN Medal for UNPROFOR (2)
35px NATO Medal for the Balkans
35px NATO Medal for ISAF
35px CSDP Medal for EUTM Somalia
35px Commander of the National Order of the Cedar

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File:Michael Beary, July 2017.jpg, Gadi Eizenkot, July 2017]]

Michael Beary (born 1956) is a retired Irish Army major general and former head of mission and force commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). Beary is the current leader of the United Nations Mission to support the Hudaydah Agreement, having retired from the military.

Military career

Beary was commissioned as an officer in the Irish Army Infantry Corps in 1975. Beary has held appointments as commanding officer of the Eastern Brigade Training Centre, in training, operations and Military Intelligence at Defence Forces Headquarters (DFHQ) and served as a Senior Instructor at the Command and Staff School, Military College, Defence Forces Training Centre (DFTC). In March 2009 Beary was promoted to the rank of colonel and appointed Director of Defence Forces Training with responsibility for education and training policy, the development of doctrine and liaison with external education and training agencies.{{cite web|title=Brigadier General Michael Beary|url=http://www.military.ie/info-centre/general-staff/brigade-commanders/goc-2-brigade/|publisher=Defence Forces Ireland|accessdate=28 May 2016}}

In November 2013 and upon promotion to the rank of brigadier general, Beary was appointed general officer commanding the 2nd Brigade (Army).{{cite news|last1=Quann|first1=Jack|title=Irish general announced as head of UN mission in Lebanon|url=http://www.newstalk.com/UNIFIL-Irish-general-Major-General-Michael-Beary-UN-Ban-Ki-moon-Lebanon|accessdate=28 May 2016|publisher=Newstalk|date=27 May 2016}}

=Overseas appointments=

Beary has served on three deployments to Southern Lebanon (1982, 1989, 1994) with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeeping mission, including as company commander and staff officer in the Operations Branch at UNIFIL HQ.

He served in Kuwait and Baghdad, Iraq as part of the United Nations Iraq–Kuwait Observation Mission (UNIKOM).

He served in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the United Nations Protection Force (UNPROFOR).

In 2003, Beary completed a four-month tour of duty as Liaison Team Leader with the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) HQ in Afghanistan.

Between September 2004 and 2007, Beary served for three years with the European Union Military Staff (EUMS) Intelligence Division in Brussels while seconded to the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union. Beary provided intelligence planning expertise in this role for EU military operations and civilian missions.

From August 2011 to February 2013, Beary commanded the European Union Training Mission Somalia (EUTM Somalia), an EU Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) mission to train Somali Armed Forces in Uganda.{{cite news|last1=Brady|first1=Tom|title=Irish general is tipped for top UN post on the Golan|url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/irish-general-is-tipped-for-top-un-post-on-the-golan-34312434.html|accessdate=28 May 2016|publisher=Irish Independent|date=24 December 2015}}

On Friday, 27 May 2016, Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon appointed Major General Beary as the head of mission and force commander of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, to succeed Major General Luciano Portolano of the Italian Army.{{cite news|last1=McMahon|first1=Cathal|title=Irish officer appointed head of UN mission in Lebanon|url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/irish-officer-appointed-head-of-un-mission-in-lebanon-34753031.html|accessdate=28 May 2016|publisher=Irish Independent|date=27 May 2016}} Beary assumed command of UNIFIL on 19 July 2016.{{cite web|title=Major-General Michael Beary takes over command of UNIFIL|date=19 July 2016 |url=https://unifil.unmissions.org/major-general-michael-beary-takes-over-command-unifil|publisher=United Nations|accessdate=8 December 2016}}

In August 2017, the Trump administration Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley accused Beary of being "blind" to a "massive flow of illegal weapons" to Hezbollah in Southern Lebanon. She said Beary displayed "an embarrassing lack of understanding of what's going on." Beary responded by saying "if there was a large cache of weapons, we would know about it" and that if anyone had information to the contrary, that they should provide it to the UN.{{cite news|title=Nikki Haley says UN commander in Lebanon 'blind' to illegal arms trafficking|url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/aug/26/nikki-haley-says-un-commander-in-lebanon-blind-to-illegal-arms-trafficking|accessdate=9 September 2017|agency=Associated Press|work=The Guardian|date=26 August 2017}} Secretary-General of the United Nations António Guterres gave his full backing to Beary, as did the Irish government. The US or Israel did not provide any evidence to back up the claims.{{cite news|last1=Murtagh|first1=Peter|title=Irish chief of Unifil backed after attack by US ambassador to UN|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/irish-chief-of-unifil-backed-after-attack-by-us-ambassador-to-un-1.3205258|accessdate=9 September 2017|newspaper=The Irish Times|date=31 August 2017}}

Civilian career

In 2021, Beary took up the role of Head of the UN Mission to Support the Hodeidah Agreement (UNMHA), a civil observer mission overseeing the ceasefire in Yemen.

In December 2022, Beary survived a landmine explosion which hit the armoured UN 4X4 he was travelling in while in Yemen as part of his UNMHA role. The UN team were travelling with members of the Houthi rebel group to oversee the decommissioning of explosives. A UN investigation was launched in order to determine whether the convoy was deliberately targeted.{{cite news |last1=Gallagher |first1=Conor |title=Former Defence Forces general survives landmine explosion in Yemen |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/crime-law/2022/12/07/former-defence-forces-general-survives-landmine-explosion-in-yemen/ |access-date=11 December 2022 |publisher=The Irish Times |date=7 December 2022}}

Education

Beary received his second-level education at Patrician College, Ballyfin, County Laois.

He has a Bachelor of Science (BSc) degree from NUI Galway and is a graduate of the Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, University College Dublin (UCD) holding a Master of Business Studies in organisational studies.{{cite news|url=http://www.military.ie/press-office/news-and-events/single-view/article/ireland-to-take-on-the-role-of-mission-commander-in-eu-training-mission-somalia/?cHash=216bade6b82ee77f875ab1fa65dce3d7|title=Ireland to take on the role of mission commander in EU training mission Somalia|date=26 July 2011|accessdate=26 July 2011|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426183013/http://www.military.ie/press-office/news-and-events/single-view/article/ireland-to-take-on-the-role-of-mission-commander-in-eu-training-mission-somalia/?cHash=216bade6b82ee77f875ab1fa65dce3d7|archivedate=26 April 2016|quote=Colonel Beary received his early education at Patrician College, Ballyfin, County Laois and completed a B.Sc Degree in University College, Galway. He is a graduate of the Smurfit Business School, University College, Dublin and holds a Master of Business Studies in Organisational Studies.}}

He is a graduate of the Irish Defence Forces Command and Staff School, and a 2009 graduate of the National War College, National Defense University in Washington, D.C., from which he holds a Master of Science degree in National Security Studies.{{cite web|title=Secretary-General Appoints Major General Michael Beary of Ireland Head of Mission, Force Commander, United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon|url=https://www.un.org/press/en/2016/sga1662.doc.htm|publisher=United Nations|accessdate=28 May 2016}}