had a major role in protecting Queen Elizabeth II on her state visit to Ireland, where "viable" assassination attempts by dissident republican terrorists were prevented. The ARW had airborne sniper teams in three AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters, counter assault teams in the motorcade and a number of ground teams, including 20 close protection officers. Also in May 2011, President of the United States Barack Obama received protection from the ARW on his visit to Ireland just days after the visit of the Queen. The two visits were the largest civil security operations ever undertaken in the Republic of Ireland, both ultimately successful. From January to July 2013, the wing formed part of the security apparatus for the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, held by Ireland for six months, which included supplying sniper and spotter teams. Also in June 2013, they helped secure the Republic of Ireland–United Kingdom border on land and at sea as part of the security operation for the 39th G8 summit in Northern Ireland. Casualties Three Rangers are known to have died while serving in the unit since its foundation in 1980, one of them overseas. Sergeant Derek Mooney, aged 33, of Blackrock, Dublin, died after the Land Rover Defender he was driving in a convoy overturned due to poor road conditions, 40 km south of Monrovia, Liberia on 27 November 2003. Sgt Kevin Mayne (1987) and RQMS Patsy Quirke (1998) also lost their lives while serving in the unit, however no details regarding the cause of their deaths are publicly available. No other losses have been publicly disclosed. In Paul O'Brien and Wayne Fitzgerald's book Shadow Warriors, it states "four operatives losing their lives while on active service" with the ARW, however their names and details are omitted at the request of the Irish Defence Forces. They are remembered on a memorial located within the ARW compound at the Curragh Camp. Equipment Weapons In addition to standard weapons of the Irish Defence Forces, weapons used by the ARW include:- Personal weapons Support weapons M203 grenade launcher Denel Vektor M1 60mm Mortar Commando mortar Carl Gustav 84mm recoilless rifle – including M2 and M3 variants AT4 Short Range Anti-Armour Weapon Raytheon Javelin Anti-tank guided missile Vehicle-mounted weapons FN 7.62mm GPMG Browning M2 heavy machinegun .50cal Heckler & Koch GMG 40mm automatic grenade launcher Specialised equipment Terrain vehicles 13 x Ford F-350 Special Reconnaissance Vehicle (SRV)