Interesting articles

ohnonotgmail

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120476391#Comment_120476391

put the link into archive.is

jonnybigwallet

Seems fair to me overall. Though increasing military spend does not necessarily mean joining nato.

Larbre34

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120477538#Comment_120477538

Try telling that to People Before Logic.

Its actually where I think we should go ourselves, I wouldn't be in favour of becoming the 33rd NATO member, but rather to enchance PfP and the cooperative relationship with NATO, by, most importantly, enhancing our military capability enough to comprehensively protect and defend our own yard and leave our NATO neighbours assured that we are no longer a soft underbelly, an unlocked back door to the European territory.

Dohvolle

The only way this island will spend appropriately on defence is if someone else tells us we must. See how the Naval Service expanded once Europe told us that we had to protect OUR waters, otherwise they couldnt stop other fleets from taking all the fish. Within 5 years we went from One 40 year old Corvette with no parts to keep it at sea, to a modern OPV, 3 modern Minesweepers (the same as what the RN were using for fishery protection at the time) and plans to build 5 more OPVs by 1982! Then they told us or 12 mile was becoming 200 mile and we needed Planes and Helicopters to watch over it. So 2 maritime patrol aircraft were bought, and plans were made for Naval helicopters, and 2 of the OPVs in the pipeline would have helicopter facilities.

So they gave us a donation towards it, but we pay them back in VAT every year.

We can do it when we want to. We just need to be told.

Larbre34

An MoU between this State and NATO could achieve that.

Besides, I don't think the Government need persuading anymore, its the engagement with the people and any referendum that may follow that now require focus and communication.

Dohvolle

Ireland rethinks neutrality in wake of Ukraine war – DW – 04/15/2023

Larbre34

A fair description of the evolving situation.

Dohvolle

Small States Big Problems? | Thin Pinstriped Line

Another one, not written from our perspective, but about us. The rest of Europe suddenly seems more concerned about our security than we are.

We are that house on the block that leaves its doors unlocked, attracting the opportunist criminals to the street. Then the criminal realises our neighbours offer far better pickings, and it can gain access to their property, via out unlocked doors.

roadmaster

I know the below issue is under the EU remit and they are over security but will it trigger the civil servants here to get the ministers to speed up on legeslation to deploy the army for protection on certain irish embasseys

https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41118985.html

Larbre34

They could legislate all they want, but there are very few countries that have the military capability to safely insert themselves into the middle of a burgeoning civil war in the middle of Africa.

No I don't think such powers are ever in our future.

sparky42

Well it’s a good thing that our “neutrality!” Means that these ships would never do anything hostile to our infrastructure…

https://www.irishtimes.com/world/europe/2023/04/19/russia-has-plan-to-sabotage-north-sea-windfarms-cables/

Larbre34

Phew, thank God eh?

Its also such a stroke of luck that none of the cables and pipelines connected to Ireland go to territories that aren't neutral, that would be bad.

roadmaster

Does the below refer to the current air corps chief or a former?

https://www.irishlegal.com/articles/court-of-appeal-air-corps-sergeant-wins-appeal-against-refusal-to-consider-him-for-promotion

Dohvolle

It doesn't matter. The Office is the office.

Larbre34

Hey I'd love to be an Air Corps pilot, even though I'm too unfit, too poor of vision and have never undertaken a day's training in my life. But I know they're a bit short, so maybe if I write to the GOC, he'll make an exception due to the exigencies of the Corps and let me do it anyway.

Dohvolle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120497469#Comment_120497469

Not really the same thing. Using your analogy,

"I'd love to be an air corps pilot. I'm already in the air corps and write the manuals that tell pilots how to fly the aircraft. I've already got a PPL, and A CPL on helicopters, and I trained on the EC135."

sparky42

Something more from Martin on his upcoming “review” I guess:

https://www.rte.ie/news/2023/0420/1378214-defence-forces/

Larbre34

On that note, still no word on these forums that are to take place in June.

They can't afford to be seen to try rush or railroad anything around this public consultation of sorts. It will make the socialist PANA / Irish Neutrality League even more arsey than they already are.

sparky42

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120501876#Comment_120501876

Yeah, while that shower of shite are going to wheel out their usual BS, I’m sure the likes of PBP and SF will be screaming about NATO an all day long anyway. That being said, I’m still not sure what exact purpose these meetings will have? Is it going to change anyones position? Will anyone who doesn’t already have a position on the matter actually pay attention long enough to educate themselves?

sparky42

So who do we bum a ride off of this time? Also has anyone checked the max capacity of a 295 when we have a situation where hundreds of Irish citizens might need to be moved (in a couple of years of course)?

https://www.independent.ie/news/plans-to-evacuate-irish-citizens-as-civil-war-escalates-in-sudan-42443337.html

roadmaster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120504082#Comment_120504082

So if someone provides a lift we will provide security?

If its not safe to go by air could they be looking at a armed convoy to a friendly country to the north?

Larbre34

71 pax plus 3 crew apparently. Maybe more if you're not talking about troops with full kit.

Good luck everybody else.

sparky42

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120504554#Comment_120504554

Maybe Foreign Affairs and Defence could ask everyone going to unstable countries to limit themselves to just some 70 odd people at any one time in those unstable states... Though then what happens if there's two unstable states at the same time...

roadmaster

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120506317#Comment_120506317

Time to put a call in to the ballsbridge leasing company to see if the two casas they where offereing are still around

Dohvolle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120506831#Comment_120506831

They are probably on the Ramp in Khartoum, awaiting a buyer. Or Maputo.

Grassy Knoll

No, what is happening is we are waiting (as usual) for our de facto defence force (the UK ) to evacuate their folks and hitch a lift for our citizens on their aircraft … am I wrong?

We maybe could interchange the UK for one or two other countries.

roadmaster

It looks like it will be the French to the rescue again.

https://www.irishtimes.com/world/africa/2023/04/22/evacuation-of-irish-citizens-from-sudan-threatened-by-fighting-at-airport/

sparky42

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120508391#Comment_120508391

If the upper figure of 300 or so is right I imagine it might be a number of different nations we will be thanking, least we could do is send support for securing the airport and processing the Irish, but I imagine like Kabul we will finally do that only a couple of days before the mission ends…

How hard is it to say “do what we eventually did for Kabul but do it now rather than leave it to the last”?

Larbre34

I know it's easy for us to throw brick bats at the Govt for the decades of under-investment and they are all fully justified, but honestly even if we had that 295 shined up, fuelled and ready to fly, I think this situation is far more dangerous than even Kabul was.

In Kabul, the allied forces on the ground had an absolute ton of defensive weapons, personnel, protective vehicles etc and controlled the airspace and the airport complex for the most part. Also, the Taliban were basically facilitating the allies to leave asap, so long as there were no tricks being pulled.

Khartoum is a different ballgame. Its basically an active warzone, with combat aircraft, artillery and trained combatants roaming around the place. There is no local presence of western forces to anchor a defensive position and lead an evacuation.

I suspect that even well resourced forces like l'Armeé de l'Air and the RAF will not be at all keen to stage an unsupported landing that far into deepest Africa, without combat air cover or a friendly ATC in place. The risk of a stray shell or something taking down a fully laden A400 with maybe 140 souls on board is beyond contemplation.

Even if the planes got in an out, there is still a high risk of casualties among the evacuees or the air force personnel deployed. You could bring in special operations forces on the plane, but they still have to get off by the ramp without knowing who's waiting to take a shot at them.

All that said, Khartoum is something like 600 km from the nearest border or the Red Sea coast so an overland exodus is no less fraught with danger and logistical nightmares.

I don't envy the civil and military authorities in any affected Country this one at all.

sparky42

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120508710#Comment_120508710

I don't think any of us are saying the situation isn't highly dangerous and unstable, that goes without saying, and we are so far behind the skill sets and equipment needed to help outside of the ARW, of course we are going to be left to put our faith in the resources of other nations. However when you see nations mustering planes and troops from Pacific nations to the US for the evac you can see what we are talking about in terms of resources.

What gets me is that it seems again we are in an "Ad hoc" type situation, I mean since Kabul has there been any formal planning by Foreign Affairs and Defence (and of course the Cabinet) in how to deal with these emergencies? Have we spent the time working with any partners to make a "formal" arrangement for how to respond/react or are we still at the point of "ring around and find out?"

Of course even if we had the Transport CASA and a full strength ARW we would only at best be playing a small role in such an operation.