Interesting articles

sparky42 · 28-09-2022 12:34pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119675570#Comment_119675570

Here we go:

Defence spending is to increase by 5.6 per cent over the coming year, a modest start to the Government’s plan to increase spending by 50 per cent by 2028.

The defence budget will be €1.17 billion in 2023, an extra €67 million on the last budget.

According to the Department of Defence, this will provide a financial platform to “initiate the required transformation” of the defence sector. The increase will insist in bringing Irish defence capabilities “closer to European norms, while also ensuring the ongoing Defence Forces’ capacity to deliver on all roles assigned by Government, both at home and overseas”.

Much of the extra funding will go towards an 35 per cent increase in the Defence Forces capital budget, bringing it to a record €176 million. This will fund some of the recommendations of the Commission on Defence Forces which reported in February that Ireland’s military is largely incapable of defending the country from outside attack.

Much of this will go towards defence initiatives that have already been announced. These include the purchase of two inshore patrol vessels from New Zealand and two maritime patrol aircraft to replace the Air Corps’ ageing Casa aircraft.

One new project, which was recommended by the commission, is the purchase of a primary radar system to detect airborne threats. It is understood about €15 million has been earmarked in the capital budget to begin exploratory research into the procurement of this system. The total cost of the radar system is expected to be well over €100 million over the course of the project.

Ireland is the only EU country not covered by a primary radar system, meaning aircraft are invisible if they do not have their navigation beacons turned on. Russian bombers have taken advantage of this in recent years by skirting western Irish airspace to test the reaction time of RAF jets.

There will also be extra funding for the creation of several new posts within the Defence Forces which were recommended by the commission, including a new head of transformation and a head of strategic human resources.

The Army is to get additional funding for the purchase of new types of armoured vehicles and the Air Corps will receiving funding for several small Piper training aircraft. There will also be funding for 13 building projects, including barrack refurbishments and the construction of gyms in military bases around the country.

An allocation of €542 million will go towards pay and allowances. This will include funding for the recruitment of 400 additional Defence Forces recruits. However, given the difficulty the military has faced in recruiting troops in recent years it is not clear whether this target can be met.

It is understood the increases in capital expenditure involved difficult conversations between the Department of Defence and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Officials said the increases were in line with those sought by the Defence Forces’ senior leadership and the intention is to increase defence spending by greater amounts over the coming years.

The funding increase received a lukewarm reception from the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers (Raco) which represents Defence Forces officers.

“Coming from such a low base any budgetary increase, no matter how small, is welcome,” said General Secretary Commandant Conor King. “However, the Defence Forces will never be an employer of choice unless it introduces urgent retention initiatives such as agreed implementation of the working time directive with necessary health and safety protections, and suitable pension provisions to cater for forced early retirement.”

Independent TD Cathal Berry, a former Army Ranger Wing commander, said the budget was lacking in ambition. “Ireland was defenceless yesterday and is defenceless today.” He said there is no hope of recruiting an additional 400 troops while existing numbers were still in “free fall”.

Larbre34 · 28-09-2022 4:39pm

I see in coverage of the Justice budget, AGS have included a new surveillance plane in Capital spend.

The budgeted amount is €7m, which would be a lot for a new Defender.

roadmaster · 28-09-2022 5:55pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119676954#Comment_119676954

Will they go with a PC12 for common reasons so it will be less training for the air corps witha bigger pool to pull crew from or could we see GASU going private like IRCG

thomil · 29-09-2022 9:36am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119675594#Comment_119675594

The PC-9 wasn‘t designed as a basic trainer. It was designed as an intermediate aircraft to introduce trainee pilots to basic tactics and weapons use, as well as getting them used to the higher speed and complexity that would characterise the jet trainers and fighter aircraft that would come later. The basic pipeline would be: Basic Trainer (Cessna 172, Single engine Piper, etc) -> PC-9 -> Jet Trainer (BAE Hawk, Alpha Jet, Aermacchi 339, etc) - Front line fighter, likely via some sort of operational conversion process using double-seater versions of the front line fighter in use.

This paradigm has shifted somewhat recently, with the introduction of a new generation of advanced trainers such as the PC-21 or Embraer 314 Super Tucano that can to a certain degree combine the roles of the advanced and jet trainer into one aircraft. The fact that the Air Corps is now looking into purchasing what appears to be a dedicated basic training aircraft would suggest to me that they‘re laying the groundwork for a more differentiated training pipeline, possibly to facilitate the introduction of some sort of combat aircraft later down the line.

roadmaster · 30-09-2022 8:05pm

Well this was some tactical move

https://www.irishtimes.com/ireland/2022/09/30/entire-class-of-naval-recruits-leaves-for-private-sector-as-retention-crisis-worsens/

sparky42 · 30-09-2022 8:31pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119686587#Comment_119686587

Not surprising sadly given what Stryker can pay.

Larbre34 · 01-10-2022 12:30am

The entire process of recruitment and contractual service is going to have to change.

I'm not saying it shouldn't be much better remunerated at the same time, but really it should be five year stints for everyone, no buts no whys. Then it should be 2 year renewables.

The DF absolutely must have some certainty as to its manpower. If that cannot be achieved voluntarily, we are seriously in the realms of national service and long-term active reserve.

Signore Fancy Pants · 01-10-2022 12:43am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119687661#Comment_119687661

For me it was 5, 4, then 12, then every 2 years.

Pay, conditions and job satisfaction are the core issues. Don't fix that, then everything else is pointless.

Having a system of a 5 year initial contract then 2 year renewable gives much less certainty to troops, and entirely unworkable.

Larbre34 · 01-10-2022 10:25am

I'm referring to those as mandatory minimums, no out before those terms expire.

When I did my postgrad in the public sector years ago, I owed them one year of service after, for every year they paid for. In my opinion that should be the condition of every profession and trade paid for by the State, with a mandate to complete the qualification.

What would you do to retain a class to get a return on the massive investment of training them?

roadmaster · 01-10-2022 1:10pm

No more work placements outside the naval base!

Signore Fancy Pants · 02-10-2022 8:06pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119688164#Comment_119688164

Its the same situation in the DF, financial undertakings, I did it myself. The DF fund XYZ, then you repay by serving time or buying yourself out. So, the private company paid DOD whatever was outstanding.

The problem for the DF is, the personnel have to want to be there, to eh, be there. Its not a 9-5 that you just mindlessly get up and go to every day. Personnel need to be motivated to stay.

Having a mandatory service contract is a bit more complex. The main thing you need is a deterrent to stop people going AWOL. We don't really use military prisons anymore. There's not much stopping people from going AWOL if mandatory time is brought in.

What would I do? Firstly, I'd understand their motivations for leaving. Then go from there.

Larbre34 · 02-10-2022 8:43pm

Salaries 20 to 30 k higher in Stryker than they would have started on in the NS, once qualified.

Thats it, that's the motivation.

I really believe - and I've said it here before - that a key component of a solution to the retention crisis in the DF, would be to allow older people to sign up, those that may already have long term technical or leadership experience, that may already have a good living behind them and be interested in a military career for a spell of 5 or 10 years and to keep the connection as an active reservist thereafter.

sparky42 · 09-10-2022 9:20pm

A bit from the Business Post

The state will provide security and surveillance for privately owned sub-sea internet cables in Ireland following the suspected attack on the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline into Germany.

Ossian Smyth, Minister of State with responsibility for communications, said the Department of Environment, the Department of Defence and several private companies who own the cables met in the aftermath of the Nord Stream 1 leak two weeks ago. At the meeting, the government agreed to provide increased surveillance of their cables.

Smyth said that while the sub-sea internet cables were important, the protection of energy connections with Britian were a higher priority.

“The gas interconnectors are obviously the priority; electricity interconnectors are second and communications cables are last,” Smyth said. “But they are all critical infrastructure, whether they are privately owned or publicly owned.”

The Business Post understands that surveillance will be carried out on Ireland’s underwater energy and communications infrastructure through greater air patrols, naval patrols, and even the use of submersible drone technology.

It comes as the European Commission announced plans to increase the protection of undersea internet cables last Wednesday. “It is in the interest of all Europeans to better protect this critical infrastructure,” Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Commission, said.

Unveiling a five-point plan to protect critical infrastructure, Von der Leyen said the EU would increase satellite surveillance, and would help member states conduct stress tests on energy and communications offshore infrastructure.

Smyth said Ireland would take part in the stress testing of its sub-sea infrastructure.

“We will of course take part. Because we are an island, this concerns us more than most – it concerns us more than Austria, for example. All of our international connections are sub-sea, whereas there are other countries that have mostly overland connections,” he said.

“The kind of things you expect in a stress test would be scenario planning for if you lost a certain quantity of connectivity or sub-sea cables. It’s about testing in theory how resilient our networks are.”

As well as plans to stress test the physical security of infrastructure, the Business Post understands that a cyber attack-specific emergency exercise for Ireland’s key energy infrastructure will take place at the National Emergency Coordination Centre in November to prepare for any potential cyber attacks this winter.

https://www.businesspost.ie/politics/government-agrees-to-step-up-security-on-privately-owned-sub-sea-internet-cables/

Larbre34 · 10-10-2022 2:18pm

Bullsh*t, we scarcely have the resources for 9-5 surveillance taskings and we DEFINITELY don't have the resources to cover the great distance of these cables or adequate sub-surface surveillance gear.

We should just stop lying to ourselves and everyone else and admit that NATO SSNs and ASW surface units are going to do this work.

roadmaster · 10-10-2022 4:52pm

Dont worry there will be a big press release next year when the two 295s go opertional and how they will sort the surveillance issue. Just dont ask what happens when one is in for service and the other is doing transport duties

sparky42 · 10-10-2022 5:55pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119726764#Comment_119726764

Or their lack of detection equipment for anything underwater...

Larbre34 · 10-10-2022 9:43pm

The 295s have some level of Bathymetric LIDAR, which can detect submarines and mines, depending on their configuration.

We'll never be told exactly what the power and resolution of the system is, but unless we had both aircraft flying 24/7 and Naval ASW assets to back them up then its kinda pointless.

Larbre34 · 18-10-2022 3:51pm

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/uk-63293582.amp

A serious enough situation for British and Western defence intelligence, you would think.

They should let it be known, that unless they desist completely and leave China if they are there in person, MI-6 are going to assassinate them.

roadmaster · 04-11-2022 10:05pm

Skip past the headline but in the story it appears Gormanston as a recruit training base is up and running

https://www.derrynow.com/news/crime---courts/954968/conditional-discharge-for-irish-army-bound-man-after-mad-night.html

Larbre34 · 05-11-2022 4:46pm

Is what is described as '2-Star training' also basic training?

ohnonotgmail · 05-11-2022 5:07pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119837289#Comment_119837289

Yes. At the end of basic you are a 2 star private.

roadmaster · 09-11-2022 9:27am

Jesus Eoin thats a bit Harsh

https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/11/08/ireland-military-neutrality-russia-ocean-communication-energy-infrastructure-sabotage/

jonnybigwallet · 09-11-2022 10:02am

He's right in what he says....

Larbre34 · 09-11-2022 5:35pm

He's a right winger trying to make a name for himself. He's affiliated to Fine Gael's European Parliament grouping, but even Fine Gael often put the boot in on him for his lack of subjectivity and moderation as a commentator.

He is also writing for a US audience in this case, as a big fish in a small pond. He is largely right in what he says, but the tone is insulting to the ordinary members of the defence forces.

jonnybigwallet · 10-11-2022 8:24pm

The Scorpion is a good machine. But I thought they had been retired? Or are they just gathering dust in an auld shed in the Curragh?

Larbre34 · 10-11-2022 11:11pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119857846#Comment_119857846

He refers to the Air Corps as a Motley collection, a term meaning disparate and disorganised. That strikes me as an insult to the men and women who work hard every day with what they have, to make sure they are anything but.

The remainder of the article presumes to suggest that, irrespective of current order of battle, Ireland's century old defence policies are basically frivolous and indulgent. The same policies which, even with a tinder box of civil disorder in the North, kept us the hell out the Cold War proxy battles.

Don't you think the f***in Marxists wouldn't have invited the Soviets in here if they had had the chance during the worst of it? Cuba, right in the British isles. Our neutrality was the only thing which made us an honest broker, kept people in the Republic safe.

Yes, Sweden and Finland are in convulsions with a complete change in stance, but they are land bordered with Russia. Its different for them in every way.

Other than that, Drea's diatribe dismisses and disparages every political and geopolitical reality which brought Ireland to where it is. He ignores their historical existence.

Its a sh1t article, terribly written, imbalanced and poorly researched and populated.

Our military equipment is poor? Why thank you Dr Drea, why don't you tell us something we don't f***in know.

Larbre34 · 11-11-2022 12:35am

What are you, his mother?

I don't argue with the bare facts, it is though, as I said, a sh1t article.

Manic Moran · 11-11-2022 5:47pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119693513#Comment_119693513

We have plenty of military jails in the US, but jail time is not the major deterrent from going AWOL (even though you will be arrested if AWOL and pulled over for speeding when on the family vacation or whatever. You will then be shipped to a base for outprocessing in most cases, court-martial in certain ones).

What is the deterrent (other than social ostracisation) for quitting mid-contract is the loss of benefits and denial of opportunity. The US military isn't badly paid by any stretch of the imagination, but things like the VA mortgage have a benefit far greater than a large increase in pay on the civilian side. You want to buy a house? Zero dollar deposit required with a VA loan. On the civilian side, you usually need to fork over 20% on day 1 and pay a higher rate. Similarly, good luck getting a job with, say, the civil service. You reneged on the government once, you won't get a second chance.

roadmaster · 11-11-2022 6:49pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119862448#Comment_119862448

If the the state offeref a VA style Mortage here it would help recruitment and retention

Psychlops · 11-11-2022 11:52pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119859859#Comment_119859859

Not to mention RAF/RN Seakings very welcome in Ireland, landing frequently in Irish Hospitals & Airports & had very strong links with the RNLI/MRT's over here..

Larbre34 · 12-11-2022 6:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119863803#Comment_119863803

What has search and rescue got to do with neutrality??

During the Cold War we had instances where NATO and Soviet ships and aircraft landed and berthed in Ireland in connection with searches for stricken vessels and planes, obviously the most frequent being British Sea Kings and Nimrods, who assisted us hundreds of times when we didn't have the air assets to conduct an open ocean search.

Indeed LÉ Róisín was nearly sunk by damage sustained in phenomenal seas en route to the Canadian hunter-killer sub Chicoutimi, fire damaged and adrift far out off Mayo in 2004.

roadmaster · 14-11-2022 4:55pm

The Poor auld 139s are out the door working

https://www.rte.ie/news/regional/2022/1113/1335878-achill-island/

Psychlops · 14-11-2022 10:29pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119873486#Comment_119873486

Huh?

roadmaster · 14-11-2022 11:06pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119875000#Comment_119875000

The air corps airlifted customs to the site. The 139s are never out of the air. AC112 must also be draining the life out of the air frames

sparky42 · 14-11-2022 11:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119875188#Comment_119875188

Given how limited they are, I’m ok with this tbh.

roadmaster · 15-11-2022 9:25am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119875822#Comment_119875822

Would a mix not work. Have standard ones we have now for domestic operations and have 3 full military spec for any potential overseas mission.

Larbre34 · 15-11-2022 7:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119875822#Comment_119875822

You know they'll just replace them with more civvy spec and paint them dark grey instead of green.

sparky42 · 16-11-2022 4:03pm

Not us exactly but defence related as H&W is going to see some investment and work:

https://ukdefencejournal.org.uk/belfast-shipyard-chosen-to-build-new-naval-supply-vessels/

Larbre34 · 16-11-2022 4:18pm

Of course it is, the DUP being thrown a bone before the bus comes.

They'll be able to argue that HW couldn't possibly get work in a United Ireland because Ireland doesn't have a big military industrial complex to supply it.

Which will ignore the fact that Harlands hasn't had a tap of shipbuilding work, of any kind, since 2002.

roadmaster · 21-11-2022 10:43am

If the Mali Mission goes to Fu@k will the DOD have Hertz on speed dial to hire a few cars?

https://www.thesun.ie/news/9759386/ireland-plans-follow-uks-lead-wont-pull-soldiers-mali/

roadmaster · 21-11-2022 8:30pm

It looks like the air corps are going to be long term penpals with the USAF

https://www.dvidshub.net/news/433662/20th-air-force-prepares-mh-139-with-visit-ireland

Larbre34 · 21-11-2022 11:21pm

I still find it quite bizarre that the tie-up is with the 20th Air Force, whose Helicopter Group is entirely tasked with support and safety operations for the United States whole land based ICBM force.

A very odd fit.

sparky42 · 21-11-2022 11:43pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119904486#Comment_119904486

It's certainly an interesting connection isn't it? You wonder what backroom contacts happened to get it started...

Larbre34 · 22-11-2022 12:20am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119904609#Comment_119904609

I don't know, but I'll bet the house Abbeyshrule had something to do with it....

roadmaster · 22-11-2022 9:03am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119904486#Comment_119904486

Id say its very straight forward, We are the only English speaking country using it as such. In the interview one of the amercians even referenced HEMS for rapid deployment. They may not be doing HEMS but they have to move quick. Also the door gunnary and NVG is something they will be doing. I would also the salesman said sure the irish use these all the time and will help you out.

We could see US crew here for training to work up hourssuch as HEMS and Troop deployment trainning.

It would be a win win over all

jonnybigwallet · 22-11-2022 1:02pm

I bet our lads wouldn't mind having a blast in one o them Apaches in return

Psychlops · 22-11-2022 10:44pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119904486#Comment_119904486

You dont need a genius to figure out why, here is a hint, they are the ones getting the AW139...

Psychlops · 22-11-2022 10:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119904609#Comment_119904609

Not really, they are the ones getting the AW139 in the US Military.

Larbre34 · 22-11-2022 11:10pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119906361#Comment_119906361

The 20th AF doesn't fly the Apache.

Larbre34 · 22-11-2022 11:27pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119909091#Comment_119909091

The whole USAF is eventually getting the 139 under the Huey replacement programme, its just peculiar that the Force component the Irish are becoming pen pals with, is the land based ballistic missile operations command.

Besides, the Yanks aren't getting the AW139, they are getting the MH-139A Grey Wolf, built under licence by Boeing in America. A very different aircraft to the green painted civilian versions we took delivery of, 16 years ago...

If anything, the AC should be evaluating this American Grey Wolf variant as a replacement for our AW139s.

Interesting articles

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