DF Commission Report

Very true but is the problem now compare to 20/30 years ago the pool instead of bring a big pool is now more like the kiddie pool

Possibly we need to recruit based on two presumptions. One that the pool is better educated and they are IT savvy. That recruiting should be done on a basic medical basis, with no cadet type interviews, rather decide later in training whether they will be Finally Approved or not.

The next step is shopping for various units to meet modern infantry standards. It seems each platoon needs to have 2 LMGs per section plus an antitank and a MANPADS unit also per section backed up by Mortars and mobile SHORRAD units within Companies. It seems a battalion needs at least 50 Javelins and 50 Stingers or similar. That will have to be scaled up to two Brigades and coverage for training units, say another Brigade.

The inventory could be in the region of 600 Javelins and 600 stingers with 10 rounds for each launcher. Thereafter Naval and Air Corps needs will also have to be met.

Very interesting. Time to get the cheque book out now and start buying the kit or we'll end up at the tail end of a long queue with all the other European nations purchasing shed loads of military hardware.

Good post Roadie!

At the Arbor Hill event today Martin basically repeated publicly what he was saying to Ógra FF, so I guess we now have to wait and see what Coveney brings to the table in June?

Maybe I missed it (apologies if I did), but from that all it says is before the Summer Recess, which has been flagged as the June Cabinet meeting (as mentioned by Coveney and others), even with the leg work being done as suggested in that post, I don't see anything to suggest something sooner?

There’s already the charity one operating in Cork/Munster?

Indeed, have they run into financial issues or something? Seem to remember the Commission Report suggesting a second helicopter but this seems different.

If the intention is to get it out before the summer recess, the June Cabinet meeting is too late. You may need to bring it to the house immediately after bringing it to cabinet, and time is tight.

I doubt it will go to the house before recess, I’m more expecting it to go to cabinet and then spend the summer recess arguing with DOD and Finance and it be voted on by the time of the budget in October, maybe it happens in May but no earlier than that I would think.

Not sure where to post, but it is rumoured (link) that 20-30 NZLAVs have been sold and to be refurbished to this end.

Is there any Irish RFP that tallies with this kind of acquisition?

Nothing I've heard of. Unless someone wants to get value out of the ship bringing the IPVs home...

They have little in common with our Mowags, the cav versions which are just heading off to be upgraded.

Bit more from Coveney regarding the next steps (and why it's going to be a while anyway), though he's being slightly optimistic when he suggests the underinvestment only dates to the 1970's:

The world is living through a “far more unpredictable and unstable security environment” and Ireland needs to respond to that, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence Simon Coveney has said.

However, Mr Coveney also cautioned against a “knee-jerk reaction” to the war in Ukraine in terms of the State’s defence and security provision.

The Minister was speaking at the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence on Tuesday, which was considering legislation to provide for members of the Military Police to take and use DNA samples to investigate crimes within the Defence Forces.

The Defence Forces (Evidence) Bill 2019 also will establish a DNA (Military Police) Database System, to be administered by Forensic Science Ireland, to hold DNA profiles generated from samples.

Responding to questions from Sinn Féin TD John Brady, Mr Coveney said he wanted to bring a paper to the Government in response to the Commission on the Defence Forces in June.

The commission published its final report earlier this year and found that the current Defence Forces’ capacity would leave the country without a credible military capability to protect Ireland.

Mr Coveney said the context in which the commission’s report was being considered had changed in relation to the war in Ukraine.

“Every country in the European Union is now looking again at defence provision and security issues,” he said.

“I don’t think we should have a knee-jerk reaction in that regard but I certainly think we are living in a far more unpredictable and unstable security environment, not just on this continent but globally and I think we need to respond to that.”

Mr Coveney said the vast majority of the commission’s recommendations would cost money and party leaders and Government Ministers had to be consulted to ensure that “what I bring to Government is something that’s supported”.

“There will be a lot of work on that over the next six to eight weeks before we actually bring a report to Government,” he said.

He said the report would then be debated in the Dáil and Seanad, and will be brought before the Oireachtas Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence.

Mr Coveney said there had been “decades of underinvestment in defence infrastructure” in Ireland by consecutive governments that dated back to the 1970s.

“We need to correct that. We can’t do it overnight. Even if we could do it – financially – overnight, the Defence Forces wouldn’t be able to respond to a dramatic increase in financial resourcing in one or two years,” he added.

In relation to the Defence Forces (Evidence) Bill 2019, he said he looked forward to “hopefully getting this legislation into law before the summer recess”.

Mr Coveney said he believed no political party had an issue with the legislation, adding: “It is about ensuring that there are appropriate mechanisms to investigate crimes within the military system.”

What you do with DNA needs to be copper-fastened by legislation. You don't want your DNA to be used to clone super soldiers in decades to come..

Joking aside, all such samples need to be used for the purpose intended. It is not good law, for example, to take samples for a random drug test, only then to use same samples to implicate the soldier in a sexual attack, for example.

Identification of remains can be done without keeping dna of the individual soldier. Comparative DNA of a blood relative is sufficient to provide positive identification. Unfortunately in Ireland, this has been necessary more than once.

Chile took the NZLAVs.