DF Commission Report

I’d say €200 million would be at the upper end of what we could expect tbh, unless there’s been far more cabinet backing for defence spending than what we’ve seen so far. That being said even that much given the small budget we have right now would be an improvement, hell considering past where we’ve seen only low double digit increases any triple figure is a bit of a step change.

Implementation body were not expected to provide any progress reports for 6 months, and that was after they were formed. They were advertising one of the positions well into July. I expect we'll hear something concrete after christmas, and may get a blink-and-you'll-miss-it mention in the upcoming budget.

Leonardo could be getting a call next week!

Don't think the MRV needs design engineering. It needs full build at this stage, the proposed design has been well developed and analysed in the last 15 years. Plenty of off the shelf designs already out there.

Ah the Fiats just are not as good

Impossible to predict. August dropped to 8.7%. They want to reach €1.5Bn at 2021 rates its one thing but it may actually be easier to maintain it at 2022 rates.

They already told us we wouldn't be seeing a large increase in 2022, but you'd expect at least some mention of intent.

you'll say no

i'll say yes

you'll say no again

I'll know yes, but you'll still say no.

ad infinitum.

Fact is this has been ongoing for 15 years now, the ENTIRE DF now know exactly what they want from the ship and where they want it, in great detail. The NS have visited NZ to see how Canterbury failed, and what NZ learnt from their experience, and they have been given presentations by other builders on how off the shelf designs can fit, both at home and at the builder's own facility. They present their off the shelf offering, they show us renderings of how it would be configured to our specific needs, both today, and in the lifetime of the vessel.

Houlders are there to provide the necessary supervision at all stages of development, design, build, test and delivery, as the last person who did the job is FOCNS now and some say some of his decisions then did not serve the NS well in the long term.

edit: Houlders contract is set to expire in December 2022, with the option to extend.

National Security: 1,000 new gardaí, and defence funding to include money for primary air radar https://jrnl.ie/5877212

Increase of only €67m to the Defence budget.

€176m for capital budget, €67m for general budget.

You'd be the first.

Congratulations.

It is all about the capacity to expand, or lack of.

The DoD frankly could not handle a ramp up of expansion on many fronts as it stands. And so improved structures and project management capability across both the uniformed and civilian arms need serious attention.

I'm only guessing, but you'd imagine the IAA and existing DF functions could put together a systems requirement pretty quickly. Getting a supplier quickly, is another matter entirely. Unless NATO are prepared to equip us fast, through intermediaries, in order to add to their own umbrella of protection.

The General Dynamics / MOWAG Eagle V must surely be the favourite for all sorts of good reasons.

Disheartening to see reports of the entire apprentice class leaving the NS - this will have clear operational implications … let us be realistic the target of 400 new recruits next year is pie in the sky - in a full employment situation the defence forces will not be an employer of choice - pay while improving is still off other options, working conditions in terms of the built environment in some cases are Dickensian … easy to diagnose the problems solutions are less easy to come by … the implementation of the Commission report is a few piece, but pay and allowances need to be a key focus. Also poaching of personnel needs to be disincentivised in terms of buy out clauses etc ….

what you will unfortunately need is the Russians to snip a few more cables or pipelines …

So we are looking at 3 radar sites at shared IAA sites and a control center at Casement

https://www.thejournal.ie/primary-radar-air-defence-ireland-5881009-Oct2022/