Interesting articles

So you think that DPER which is slow balling any solutions to the manpower issues for the last decade is suddenly going to open their wallets for Agency Staff in order for more expenditure?

You don't have to go to management consultancy firms. You can hire direct via professional technical recruiters. That way you save at least 50%. We don't need a whole army of people to handle half a dozen major purchase orders.

The stuff you're talking about is small potatoes. I've got 35 years of experience in project management in highly regulated industries. Nuclear / Oil and Gas / Railway Infrastructure. An order for "hundreds of thousands" or "millions" is a small order, in my universe. These can be handled easily by the existing teams and the sub contractors. We just need to recruit some extra high calibre people for the big stuff. I can assure you that I know damned well what I'm talking about, and it ain't pallets of bricks.

Was reported some time ago. I don't keep up with every aspect of H&W business and I'm not infallible. Unlike certain people here.

I don't know what you're talking about. Sounds like a pile of auld shite to me. Trying to score cheap points as usual.

Good ole Colemans Island.

The Germans said they wouldn't OK Leopard to be deployed without Abrams and it seems to have panned out that way.

Honestly I'd worry about the effectiveness of Abrams in Ukrainian hands without the massive apparatus that supports it in US battlefield operations. I'm sure they're working on that, but you can't do in months what America and Australia and Saudi have taken years to work-up and integrate.

"The SA-80, chosen by Professionals" 😂😂

Dodged a bullet there. Literally like, early SAs would jam on first shot!

Interesting little archive piece all the same.

We dodged many Bullets in that regard.

I remember it well, and in fairness to all involved, testing was thorough, and the fact the same weapon selected in 1987 is still in use today, is a tribute to the tests and trials that were done then.

A neighbour was in Ordnance Corps back then as a recently qualified apprentice, (he recently retired), and was involved in the project.

FN assumed we would go with the FNC, we didn't, we didn't it was a lumbering heavy piece of shite. As accurate as the FAL, but almost as heavy.

SIG Sauer were offering the same rifle SG550 used by its entire conscript force, but retailed at £2000 each, in 1980s money.(You'd have bought a family car for About £8000 back then) It was fitted with a Bipod as standard, had similar sighting to the H&K33 (Rotating Diopter Drum-very easy to use) and used the same rotating bolt locking found on other assault rifles of the era. The Magazines could lock together on the rifle so you could have 60 rounds ready to fire. It did very well on trials, and was supplied by a fellow Neutral.

The H&K 33 was possibly the best on trial, but its roller locking wasn't very user friendly. Needed lots of maintenance in challenging conditions to retain reliability. If the rollers got stuck then you were left with a 5.56mm SMG. Did not like non-standard ammo, same as the G3. The fact they dropped the system completely in their modern output speaks volumes there. AGS still use the type I believe. Fine for their purpose, not fine for being bounced around the back of an APC in some muddy mosquito infested swamp overseas.

Galil ARM was a glorified AK, in 5.56mm. Had a Bipod, & built in bottle opener (so users wouldn't damage the ejection port by using it to open bottles) Failed the mud test, dramatically. Would eject casings into the next parish.

The Beretta AR70/90 was on trial too. Didn't make it to final evaluation, for whatever reason. Wasn't as imaginative as the final candidates, perhaps.

SA80 was a heavy piece of ****. (11Lb compared to the Lightweight Steyr at 7.9lb or the M16 at 8.8lb. The FAL it replaced was Only 9.4LB.) Everyone knew it, even the British. The RM continued using the M16 for some years until they were forced to take the SA80. There is nothing good can be said about this rifle. It was made by people with no experience in making rifles. The Optical sight affects situational awareness, as you had to close the disengaged eye to fire (not an issue with the Steyr). The cocking handle was on the wrong side, the magazine would fall off if you held the weapon too tight against your body or if you knocked off something. The Falkland Island defence force refused to adapt it until recently, instead using the Aug. It took 20 years before H&K redesigned it. Outside the UK, the only other users are those who got it as a donation of overseas aid from the UK.

The M16A2 did pretty well in the trial, it looked like a proper rifle, and all the flaws and faults experienced in Vietnam had been sorted out by the A2. It didn't sit well politically though. Was well liked by the user trials. Maintained 90% accuracy to man sized targets out to 500m.

FAMAS did well too, the FFL had it well tested at that point, but it was very French. An Ambidexterous bullpup, built in bipod as standard, but did not have sturdy magazines. (Apparently French practice was to supply troops with preloaded magazines, which they would discard after use) This was rectified on later versions, which accepted the standard NATO/M16 style magazine..

The Steyr AUG, like the SA80, was a bullpup with an optical sight. However it was very user friendly, once you could get past so much of the mechanism being plastic. They Drove a laden Man 4x4 over it during tests and the only damage was the sling clip bent slightly. Otherwise it continued functioning accurately. The Bayonet was a gamechanger too, with its wire cutting tool. (In reality it never left stores because it was so bloody sharp). The optical sight was much easier to train inexperienced shooters on, and mounting night sights was a very simple process of replacing the receiver group. If you so desired, the rifle could be used as a Light machine gun, just by popping out the standard barrel, and replacing it with a heavy one, that included bipod legs, and fitting a larger 40 round magazine. (we never went down that road, in reality it was a false economy, and we hung on to the GPMG in the fire support role). Reportedly we traded a few million tonnes of Irish Intervention Butter to Austria as part of the deal. (Once upon a time, due to over production, we had a Butter Mountain, a Beef Mountain and a Wine lake. This was because the EEC(EU nowadays) paid farmers to produce these products, even when there was no market for them). I know nothing about that apart from the fact there was 2 old fashioned "Reefer" ships anchored in Cork harbour for years, storing surplus produced butter. They were both gone, never to be seen again after 1987.

The AUG has served us very well, and will do for many years to come, after its recent upgrade. Long live the Butter Gun.

PQs like this are the reason the DF is in the state it is. Plonker TDs demanding a barracks for every town, ignoring the strategic need. It doesn't even bring jobs, it just means everyone currently based in Galway or Dublin has to Commute or move to the arsehole of the country, just to please parish pump politics.

Athlone's future is safe. They are building an Aircraft Hangar on the square. If he opened his eyes he'd know that.

Mullingar only closed a decade ago. There's no rush!

Fears reserve Defence Forces could cease to exist within three years (irishexaminer.com)

The very fact there is more widespread coverage in the print media is a good thing. Its better than complete apathy and ignorance as to what goes on in the DF.

The Govt have committed to the CoDF recommendations and they have a job of work ahead to deliver LoA2, including structures for a sustainable RDF.

I think Micheál Martin is up for that challenge, with the CoS, the Sec Gen and hopefully an ambitious and talented new Head of Transformation.

Watch this space.

I know it would be a big step back but to stablise the reserve should they maybe look at standing back up the FCA and its former units in regional towns to get numbers back up and then try the more structured intergrated reserve

Only because of the consistent under-investment since the foundation of the state. How does a country with a fraction of the coastline, Belgium, manage to put 2 frigates to sea? Portugal too, has a similar atlantic profile, and manages to field both Submarines and frigates, even though its waters are in the Shadow of Spain and Nuclear super Power France. Why do they believe it is better not to let the neighbours look after their secrity?

Even Denmark, With NATO Navies to the North, South, east and west, still manages to put 2 ASW, 2 AA and 3 Multi role frigates to sea.

Could it be perhaps the only reason we will never be in a position to do so is the Minister and the Government lack the ambition to do so? We'll boast about men and women in Blue Berets to secure a seat on the UNSC, but neglect to mention they are poorly equipped, have weak mandates, and cannot deploy anywhere unless Russia and China says it's OK for us to do so.