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DF Commission Report

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Comments

  • Registered Users Posts: 6,021 ✭✭✭Claw Hammer


    The approach will be to do the minimum that Ireland will be allowed to get away with by our NATO and EU neighbours. It is not escaping attention in the capitals of europe that whilst other countries are increasing their defence spending and upgrading their defence capabilities, Ireland is sitting back, one of the wealthiest countries in Europe thanks to its tax fiddles for multi-nationals, spending next to nothing on defence. The Americans are no longer prepared to pay for as much of NATO as before so Paddy's days of freeloading are over.



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,948 ✭✭✭Dohvolle


    Hopefully.

    In the 80s & 90s we had a Taoiseach who was telling the country to tighten its belts, while owning an actual private island himself, and wearing shirts that today would set you back nothing less than €200 each.

    Followed by

    A taoiseach who wrote to developers demanding a considerable donation for government support of a planning application

    followed by

    A Taoiseach who let a man be minister for Transport someone who had not paid tax on the "donations" received from developers. Who later admitted that he had been informed members of his party were actively seeking bribes from developers, but did nothing to stop it.

    followed by

    A taoiseach who never had a bank account, who claims the large sum of cash he had lying about was money he won on the horses...who definitely never took a bribe and sees himself as the next President of Ireland.

    But hey, lets send 500 ill equipped troops overseas with the UN so we can boast to the world about our "Soft Power" and "punching above our weight, internationally".

    While we are at it, lets give Overseas Foreign Aid to numerous tinpot dictatorships, so they won't need to cut their spending on military equipment, to look after their own people. You'd be shocked how many of our OFA recipients have a larger defence budget than us, as well as significantly larger military forces.



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,021 ✭✭✭Claw Hammer


    It was done before. In 1960, 1500 troops with poor weapons, clothing, vehicles and radio equipment led by elderly inexperienced officers were sent to the Congo in order to bolster Irelands application for the EFTA as well as get foreign investment from the U.S. What was done before will be done again, if they can get away with it.



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,309 ✭✭✭roadmaster


    Another Postive step forward today for the Defence Forces and more so for the Navy and Air Corps




  • Registered Users Posts: 2,948 ✭✭✭Dohvolle


    Let the bun fight begin.

    So the question is does this mean CHOD will be a higher rank to the Current CoS, and will all Branch Chiefs be Lt Gen or Equivalent?

    Might wash out the Army dominance of DFHQ, finally.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 3,309 ✭✭✭roadmaster


    They mention a new department of defence forces do they mean Army?



  • Registered Users Posts: 23,224 ✭✭✭✭Larbre34


    I always understood that to be the intent of the recommendation.

    A CHoD at 3 or 4 Star level, Vice CHoD at 2 or 3 Star and then three heads of service at parity, at 2 or 3 Star level.

    Glad to see they aren't hanging about, this is a cornerstone development.



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,309 ✭✭✭roadmaster


    The westmeath Civil War has started in the latest round in who wants an army barracks




  • Registered Users Posts: 3,696 ✭✭✭sparky42


    Let them fight...

    Given what the dod already has I don't see the sense in trying to reopen a closed barracks tbh.



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,309 ✭✭✭roadmaster


    An its actually still DOD property despite all the pre construction work the LDA has done!

    Its gas that eamon ryan wants the army out of his area and the local Green Mayor wants them in hers



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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,948 ✭✭✭Dohvolle


    Build it on that fuggin Curragh golf course. Pile of ****.



  • Registered Users Posts: 23,224 ✭✭✭✭Larbre34


    I didn't like to say, but that'd be the ideal spot!



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,309 ✭✭✭roadmaster


    So with the new equal services will that mean less army bosses? Where in the new structure will the renamed ARW fit in will they answer to the new Chief of Defence directly?



  • Registered Users Posts: 176 ✭✭Grassy Knoll


    Interestingly I see an Garda Siochana are grappling with retention issues … if they can’t keep staff ….



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,696 ✭✭✭sparky42


    Seems pretty much the same, both Retention and Recruitment...



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,948 ✭✭✭Dohvolle


    Same story throughout the country. Lockdowns have focused peoples priorities. If you are going to work hard, you need to be getting big money for doing so.

    I know of one haulage company who cannot get drivers paying 65K per year. I know another who recently lost their most experienced driver to the construction industry, and €70k a year.

    I'm hearing this from employers, not drivers.

    Nobody is going to sign up to AGS to be paid "OK" to be abused by the public day and night, both in person and on social media. And to have GSOC waiting for you to **** up so they can pounce too, and join the pile-on. That's before management have treated you like dirt.



  • Registered Users Posts: 6,670 ✭✭✭Alkers


    I saw an ad doing the rounds for a sparks paying 100k plus company van and phone. The trades have gone mad!



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,696 ✭✭✭sparky42


    Given demand and supply, I'm not surprised, and yet nobody thinks why that might have an impact on issues like housing supply...



  • Registered Users Posts: 154 ✭✭mupper2


    To be honest knowing some sparks I don't even them that amount, the job can be shite and physically crippling in a short space of time.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 23,224 ✭✭✭✭Larbre34


    Just wait until there's a Marshall Plan in place for Ukraine....

    I'm telling ye lads, cash in your desks and get a trade!



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,309 ✭✭✭roadmaster


    Given the government have signed of on the new command chain will the current Chief of Staff transfer to the new role of Chief of Defence or will they look for new blood?



  • Registered Users Posts: 2,948 ✭✭✭Dohvolle


    They should advertise all posts, but it also goes without saying the incumbent is possibly best qualified for the position. Not to say that there are others who feel they would do a better job. Has it been clarified whether it will rotate between the 3 arms of defence?



  • Registered Users Posts: 23,224 ✭✭✭✭Larbre34


    I don't think any such arrangement will exist, because the CHoD will be of a higher rank than any of the forces' heads. And the position will likely equate with any of the senior professional roles in the public sector, like Garda Commissioner, Chief Medical Officer, Chief State Solicitor etc, 7 year permanent contract with a 3 year extension if mutually agreed.

    Personally I think any EU citizen Officer with the requisite experience of strategic and change management in a senior uniformed service should be able to apply.

    Chief of Staff and Chief of Defence are going to very different challenges, even for the incumbent of the former.



  • Registered Users Posts: 1,004 ✭✭✭jonnybigwallet


    I'll have to dust off me CV and throw me auld hat into the ring!



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,309 ✭✭✭roadmaster


    I listened to the committe on defence meeting yesterday this morning on my way down the country and it did not fill me with confidence seams to be lots of plans and no action.



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,696 ✭✭✭sparky42


    That is the concern alright, and as all the plans still get talked about the situation for the DF gets worse.



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,309 ✭✭✭roadmaster


    I was trying to be postivie with SAR Top Cover you not so but turns out you are right. They are still doing full ATCP and they want out but no one can make a call. Cathal berry reckons in regards to the 3 service chiefs the government can appoint acting chiefs asap.

    The primary radar seams a joke. They have more over seas trips to make to inform still.

    Worst of all matt carthy of all people asked for evidence of what they have done so far and they could barely put an answer to him



  • Registered Users Posts: 3,696 ✭✭✭sparky42


    I’m have wondering has the decision been to slow ball things until the focus on security fades and then go back to “normal”. There certainly doesn’t seem to be any grasping of how many issues we have and what is needed to fix any of them, I mean throwing up having to wait for the terms of the investigation into the abuses as a reason not to progress anything is BS.



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  • Registered Users Posts: 2,948 ✭✭✭Dohvolle


    The Immediate actions are not complete, almost a year after the Govt committed to LOA2 (by 2028). The Implementation plan for the main body of the CoDF recommendations are not complete. No material changes made that would assist in the recruitment and retention of staff in the Defence forces.

    We got a few new highly paid civil servants though...

    Cathal Berry made a good point (unchallenged) regarding the ARW Allowance dispute, and the fact that after all these years(14 I think?), the back pay still has not been paid. This shows the lack of commitment by successive governments, even now. Why would the members of the defence forces have any confidence in any of the promises being delivered from CoDF, when they have yet to deliver on the (court ordered) decision to award ARW members back pay?

    So lets all join the forums to review Irish Security Policy at the end of this month, so we can watch govt kick the can further down the road.

    It's not as if there is a war on in the European Continent or anything.



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