Interesting articles

it was.

Here's how I see it.

Every year 40-50 students graduate from NMCI and go to work in the maritime sector, usually overseas. They follow the money. Some will eventually find their way home, but usually not until they are late in their career, approaching, or just past 50, and looking for a nice desk job. These are not the target Audience.

However, there are also those recently qualified, having completed a cadetship with one of the larger lines, find now that this company only has people at their level from "agency" offering a rate far below what they would expect or were promised when they were looking forward to qualifying. Their option is (a) go further away to find where the proper industry rate is being paid (such as the Oil industry or Offshore energy) which inevitably leads to either 6 months on/off on tankers or 1 month on/off in the offshore sector, either working in North Sea or off Australian waters. (thats where the money is). Some even went and joined other Navies. I know a classmate of mine had almost joined the RFA before a better job offer came from Ireland.

This is an industry that while is somewhat in touch with the modern world, you don't have lots of time to browse the "situations vacant" sections.

Employing an agency to focus on this skillset can target Irish mariners working overseas with the necessary skills. A reach far beyond what publicjobs.ie or military.ie could reach.

I met a DE on a naval vessel recently, had gained his qualifications on the ferries going from the many island states of the European sub-continent, to Mainland Europe.

Problem is, very few of the companies in this game are Irish crewed any more.

There is One Irish flagged merchant fleet employing Irish officers, it used to be exclusively Irish, but lately It flagged out some of its vessels elsewhere, and the crew nationality changed with it.

So we have a small pool of people who may have wanted to join the NS once upon a time, didn't for whatever reason, and like I did, went down the merchant route. Now they are just looking for the right time to come back, and this plan, the details of which are pretty vague, to be fair, may just be able to target the exact people the NS need right now.

No, because its not after graduation where the gaps are. Its when they are qualified watchkeepers. (only happens after a few years at sea, and NS are not equipped to carry ships full of semi qualified watchkeepers, not to mention the potential unsuitability for military service some may have).

You're quite right.

And surveys are finding that work-life balance and flexibility have increased in importance among priorities for job seekers, compared to salary.

Perhaps something to consider for the DF as they develop work force plans to underpin the LoA2 objectives.

Re construction: My brother is a tradesman and was just telling me the same thing the other day about the shortage of labour on a major building site he is on.

*******

Great news. Our lads out and about with Jonny German!

I see in the DF 2022 report it references army as Land, Navy as Maritime and air corps as Air. I noticed over the last while in offical defence forces publications this is how the 3 services are being referenced. Will we see the new names not air force etc but along the same lines as the Belguim forces?

The belgians restrutctured in the 2000s i think with a Chief of Defence and renames the various arms of the military

Army - Land Component

Navy - Marine Component

Air Force - Air Component

And then also Cyber,SOF and medical components

All are suppouse to be of equal footing. The air corps are more and more refering to themselfs as the air Component of Óglaigh na hÉireann and now in the 2022 report each element is referenced as above

In regards to equal sizes in the forces since the army is going to be gone from ATCP there main role will be now overseas work so no reason the other two services cant be built up to match there size particuarly the navy

FFS, of all our self inflicted issues, the utter shambles of restrictions we've placed on defence is a special kind of stupid.

In other news, interesting to see the Dutch showing a bit more interest in defence here:

https://www.thejournal.ie/adriaan-palm-dutch-ambassador-richard-piso-nato-brexit-neutrality-ireland-5956773-Jan2023/

Can’t really blame them.

The state can give the MRV contract to the dutch if they throw in 12 F16s with it

Oh, another one who thinks because there isn't a squadron of F35s on the ramp ar Bal, the whole thing has failed.

You need to READ the action plan perhaps, and see what the expectations are after 6 months, because that is only where we are.

The 1st thing the defence forces have to do probably is have a project team in place that will see the changes through before they start buying major equipment. As mentioned before with ATCP going could this free up personal from the army to operate a radar system etc

They can always get a team of agency personnel in to bolster up the numbers on the procurement and contract management team. Wouldn't cost the earth!