DF Commission Report

All of our fleet up to the P60 class were already co-funded by the EU with common fisheries policy grants.

We may benefit in future from piggybacking the economies of scale for equipment and munitions, but nobody is going to buy IFVs, ships, and planes for one of the wealthiest nations on the face of the Earth.

Obviously the acquisition of new vessels and aircraft is going to occur in parallel with reforms and increased recruitment.

Even if we ordered the large MRV on Monday morning, it would be 4 years before she's operational. Probably longer.

None of this stuff happens in a silo. Renewal and expansion of the DF means new buildings AND new weapons AND structural reform AND improved pay and conditions AND expanded recruitment AND a deeper intelligence infrastructure AND new technologies AND a revised role in this Republic AND - almost the easiest bit - more ships and planes and armour.

Its one big bastard of a task.

Pity they waited until the reserve was effectively dead. Less than 1500 in the Army reserve, 70 remaining in the Naval Reserve, per question asked in the dail today.

Here it is.

Why can't the Irish Prison Service train up officers from among their number to provide an armed presence at high security prisons?

Security protocols around being a prison officer are already arguably tighter than the Guards or DF, why not just enhance their own capacity and let them mind their own backyard, instead of relying on part-time security from other arms of the State, neither of whom have prison patrol as part of their core mission.

Yes, by all means have the Guards and Army trained and equipped to support serious incidents at prisons, but really neither should be involved day-to-day.

Yes, but that sounds like a budgetary problem for the IPS and Dept of Justice to me.

Don't think it was ever on the cards for the chop.

As opposed to your entitled opinion? (Still laughing at you!!!)

You didn't see Ciara and Orla churning through Force 10 gales and high seas either.

At the moment, sea days are very much a function of lack of crews rather than weather.

But assuming personnel numbers can be brought up to scratch, as IPVs, the Lake Class will ply their trade in the Irish Sea every bit as much as the fishing boats and coasters that they are designed to monitor.

As ever, its not really about money, its about capacity. Capacity to effectively spend a budget increased by several factors.

The government could announce a 3.5bn defence budget in October, but in practical terms it would make no appreciable difference for a long time, because the structures, expertise and number of bodies to enact it productively simply aren't there.

Thats not an excuse for it by the way, the legislative moves on reformed command and control is taking far too long, and thats a necessary first step in all the above.