DF Commission Report

Bal is due to get a new tower anyway, may as well put it within that structure. Most IAA ATC for the Atlantic approaches are located in an anonymous building surrounded by large antennae in rural County Clare near Dromoland Castle. Could put it there too, but that might mean the Air Corps having to live somewhere other than Leinster. It can be anywhere, once it has a reliable link to the radar heads.

Jonny god bless ya your always good for a laugh

As every, the Journals comment section on anything related to defence… God almighty, makes some posters here seem close to rational.

That site near Dromoland you mention might need to be moved soonish,

That site near Dromoland(called Ballygirreen)is a radio station home to the Irish end of the Shanwick North Atlantic traffic management system, handling air traffic along movable routes over the horizon beyond the reach of radar based on position reporting and assignment of altitude, speed and time restrictions at various standard points.

There is no routine radar based Air Traffic control there, that happens at a rather industrial looking building on the outskirts of Shannon Town.

It does however house a fully equipped back up ATC station in the event the Shannon Town location becomes unusable, so radar feeds do exist there that could be integrated into a military recognised national air picture. As far as potential locations go, it ticks a lot of boxes.

Army have no business managing or operating such equipment.

And even the level of detail in the Journal article is sketchy and questionable, at best.

While I have faith in the author, I'm not so sure about his sources.

We might get some answers tomorrow on the mystery piper aircraft

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/press-centre/press-releases/20221003-foreign-affairs-committee-to-discuss-the-report-of-the-commission-on-defence-forces-with-the-minister-for-foreign-affairs-and-defence-simon-coveney/

Heres my prediction.

Minister arrives late, held up at other unknown urgent cabinet business meeting/PQs. Ctte in private session while we all wait.

Brings cranky A/Sec from dod to answer the difficult questions. Congratulates committee member on the birth of their latest child/grandchild/kitten/puppy. Notes absence of Senator Craughwell. High fives to civil servant. Notices Cathal Berry hiding behind committee chair with lots of pages marked "Questions for Simon only". Gulps audibly.

Reads prepared script. Long winded. Repeats information already in public domain. Panics as Cathal Berry begins to eat final pages from Simon's prepared answers from a mess tin with a spork.

Gets into a row with others Because they didn't go to Clongowes.

Gets into discussion with up to then unknown senator about why Some 90 year old never got his good conduct medal after he left the army in 1979.

Gets into pointless discussion with SF TD about what the govt are doing for the DF as per CODF, even though all of this is already on public record. Decides to derail the question my mentioning the Special Criminal court, and the former SF councillor turned state witness...

mentions this will be probably his last time before CTTE as minister, leading to cheers from the public gallery.

Runs out of time.

So did anything happen?

I have a feeling Enfield could be an issue. The guards would not have the man power to cover it with the route they are taking by removing Armed detecivies long term to be replaced by ASU. So we could see further poaching of the army by AGS for additional ASU units that would take up the gap left by the defence forces armed support

There are no Piper aircraft. There never were any Piper aircraft. Whatever media outlet mentioned Piper aircraft were talking through their hat.

No, I imagine it will be a far more transitional arrangement than that.

DoD will discuss with DoJ the long term security of these facilities. The Government will agree that the Army presence at these sites is a Troubles era legacy and it is far more appropriate that they should be secured by the civil powers.

AGS and the Prison Service will then work with DoJ to agree a security plan for each and ask DPER for the resources to dedicate newly sourced and trained armed Officers to ultimately replace the Army presence and return those personnel to core duties.

It would take some time, but I've no doubt an improvement in technological security solutions at each site would help that transition.

Someone better tell the Ukrainian folks out there … seriously would they not be better spending the money on the Curragh rather than spreading the jam thinly across facilities. Cynically I suppose an upgraded Gormanston would make it easier to close one of the Dublin barracks …

Himself who wanted to develop it into a Port is going to be pissed...