Chief of Staff designate

Larbre34 · 15-07-2021 11:47pm #1

The Government has announced that on the retirement of DF CoS Vice Admiral Mark Mellett at the end of September, the new CoS will be the current DCoS (Support) Major General (AC) Sean Clancy, who will be promoted to Lieutenant General.

General Clancy will be the first career Air Corps officer to get the top job, so many congratulations to him for that. I don't know the man, but I've heard from some of those that served under him down the years that he's very highly regarded.

Perhaps, just as the elevation of Admiral Mellett coincided with some unprecedented investment in the Naval Service, maybe the new CoS can move along the development of Air Corps capability and equipment under his tenure.

Beir bua.

randy hickey · 16-07-2021 12:01am

You took the words right outta my mouth Labre34!

As you said, here's hoping that their inside man can draw renewed focus and attention to the lack of investment in the AC.

....and actual investment of course!

randy hickey · 16-07-2021 12:02am

^ New site is going great, isn't it?!!

Larbre34 · 16-07-2021 10:04am

No. It took me a stupid amount of time and concentration to even find the forum and post a new thread, sorry discussion. Joke.

Dohvolle · 17-07-2021 1:51pm

The extra investment the NS got during the term of the current DF COS was going to happen, no matter who was in charge. The P20s were struggling to remain in service, keeping them seaworthy was becoming an ever costly, full time task. Had they stayed in service here much longer, one of them would probably have sunk, such was the state of their hulls. This is why they all went to nice, calm sheltered waters (except the Nigerian one, I hope they don't venture too far into the Atlantic with it.)

The work was done on replacing them before he became CoS, even before he became FOCNS. Contracts were signed for 3 when Frank Lynch was Flag officer.

The fact is once he became COS, he had nothing to do with the NS. Many in the NS were surprised and disappointed at this, but that's the job.

Hopes that the New COS will be good for the Air Corps are not looking good based on his track record as D/COS-Support.

This is the person who advised the DoD that no, we couldn't take a 5th bare Pilatus PC12 which was being offered to us because:

(a)We had no place to park it

(b)We would struggle to train the extra pilots this one aircraft needed. (single pilot aircraft).

This was when it was clear the 3 ordered would be late delivered, the C172s were all withdrawn from service and there was a developing urgent need for aircraft capable of carrying cargo, such as PPE, for hospitals, ventilators, etc,as many states closed their airspace to all civilian aircraft movements.

roadmaster · 18-07-2021 9:05am

I wonder if he had said to the department at that time the air corps need that 5th pc12 which is at a bargin price would he be now COS or still in the same job?

Larbre34 · 18-07-2021 3:50pm

We didn't need a fifth '12 and whatever about a parking space, we really didn't have the pilots to operate it. Hell we don't have the pilots to operate the fixed wing fleet as it stands now!

roadmaster · 18-07-2021 4:50pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117628018#Comment_117628018

id take a totally different view, if you had the extra one you could leave the 3 surveillance ones fitted out and never be messing with there gear just to transport stuff while you would have the other two as the donkeys' transporting etc. and also providing cover when the others are down for maintenance. An they only need one pilot to operate

Larbre34 · 18-07-2021 9:34pm

We've no need to have 3 of the type available for ISTAR at all times.

And also, it's not more light transports we need, it's a separate single plane of a flexible medium lift capacity. To my mind that would either be a used C-130, another new C-295 in basic cargo config or, if possible, to extend the life of one of the outgoing 235s and strip it for freight and troop transport.

Dohvolle · 18-07-2021 10:07pm

If you remember at the time, the 3 we had ordered were in the US being fitted with the secret squirrel kit, lockdown had just happened, and their delivery was delayed indefinitely.

The work they have done since delivery has shown how useful the type could be.

Although maybe pushing more down the fixed wing route would jeopardise the supposed attempt to get back in the SAR game?

Larbre34 · 18-07-2021 11:03pm

I'm which case, someone in authority (and by that I do mean the Ministers for Defence and Transport) need to sort out the priorities for both sides of this coin.

The Air Corps should be stopped holding a candle for SAR and be focused onto core military and ACP tasks and the Dept of Transport need to get on with the successor contract for Coastguard SAR services (including top cover and all the extras) and get this issue off the table for the long term.

I would go as far as to remove the Air Ambulance role from the Air Corps and contract further helicopters to the National Ambulance Service for a national integrated operation.

Military bodies for military roles, civilian bodies for civilian roles.

Psychlops · 19-07-2021 9:20pm

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117629709#Comment_117629709

Which is where they need to go, CHC are doing SAR & are excellent at it, leave it to them. Military to stay on Military taskings.

Dohvolle · 20-07-2021 8:36am

https://boards.ie/discussion/comment/117634547#Comment_117634547

While it would be wonderful to see the Air Corps provide a properly funded SAR service, as discussed elsewhere, it didn't happen between 1963 and 2001, and it won't happen now either. However, when the Air Corps were liberated from their SAR commitment, for a short few years they were doing actual military things more often. When the AW139 arrived painted green, some hoped it was a return to the days of sections of infantry being bussed here and there , and de-bussing under the cover of a door gunner GPMG. Maybe even doing it for real, overseas.

But the Air Ambulance commitment has brought us back to the situation we were at with daytime SAR. Priority is to keep the Air Ambulance Service operational. If there is a spare aircraft, maybe keep it outdoors in case a minister needs to go anywhere.

It looks like the ARW have attached themselves to the EC135. Sadly we only got 2.

Meanwhile in fixed wing world we have cadets getting their first flying experience in a tandem trainer designed to prepare pilots for single seat operations, unfortunately we have no single seat aircraft, and they must transition to a side by side configuration wherever their flying career takes them. Are the PC9M just expensive toys that look good for a flypast, with no real military capability from our needs?

A new DFCOS, coming from an Air Corps (and rotary wing) background, should be in a position to get the states military air wing into a position where they are efficient and equipped to do all tasks they may be asked to do. He is best placed to supervise future growth, done in a way to operate in a 24/7/365 manner.

roadmaster · 20-07-2021 4:57pm

There was comments made in the past weather they are true or false i dont know that the air corps didnt want the army neary there helicopters. Maybe in that case it would be better to transfer all rotary wing assests to direct control of the army