Interesting articles

agree this FT article chimes with what is known here for some time, but as also has been said here, this is becoming an issue internationally, particularly at the EU level. The freeloading and fool’s paradise politics, as exemplified by our new President and her utterances, grate particularly where other countries are making hard choices and feel potentially they have significant security risks emerging to their East. This is known and understood at the highest levels in government and the negative strategic impact this will have on our ‘operating model’ as a country and the potentially isolating impact it will have on us at a policy level. What I would feel it is probably a good time to be entering the DF as a career given there will be sustained and increasing investment for some time to come. However, our capability will take some time to develop given the low starting base. Finally, it seems there may be the emergence of a deal of some sort in Ukraine in the next few months. this likely means Russia will continue to fester away to our East with the current regime meddling, creating trouble and threatening the sovereignty of us and our EU colleagues. The argument for a strong DF remains valid.

Thank you o wise one.

Maybe they will, but taking a week to publish it seems a bit off, I mean outside of actual FT readers and those like us who would have seen it, how much attention has it actually got in Ireland? If it was such a sized article on our Finances or FDI balance or something, I'd bet it would already be getting some public notice/Government reaction. Instead, all quiet.

Pieces like that in the FT make no difference to any side of Irish politics. The Government will present it as "See, this is why we're making the right moves in our pathetic, sclerotic investment in the DF".

The opposition will claim it's proof that the big globalist EU is pushing us to end neutrality at the behest of capitalist NATO warmongers.

For a bunch of parties that often label themselves "Social Democratic", the Irish opposition have a powerful conspiratorial streak that you don't see in other countries. They'll loudly talk about misinformation, disinformation or conspiracies and the need to "educate" the "wrong" viewpoints out of the public regarding topics like immigration, LGBT etc. but then they'll turn around and with a straight face say that increased investment in Defence, or updating the triple lock are just part of a US imperialist plot to send our children to their deaths.

Very interesting in the wake of the UK's failure to agree joining SAFE funding programme that Canada has signed up.

The strategic pivot undertaken by Canada has been very effectively managed and must rankle the Yanks.

Indeed, the Aquitaine-class FREMM frigate FS Auvergne, no less.

While not bound for Dublin, she would certainly be the type of ship France might lend us for the big EU presidency set-pieces.

As Jonny would say, a fine bit of kit, and a snip at €860 million in today's money! 😱

Photo credit: Niall O'Connor and The Journal.ie

They kept adding weight and then decided they also wanted to include scope for future weight growth that they believe was beyond the scope of the hull. (Allegedly at least).

The French AD variant is 6000 tons
The Italian Anti Sub Variant is 6700.
The Constellation is apparently already at 7500 and they keep adding more weight.
Constant weight and scope creep means that eventually? The performance was going to take a hit as was seakeeping.

How much more life can they flog out of the Burke's hull design?
I wonder just how much the S.Koreans and their ship building and repair pitch swayed the decision?
The yanks currently have a hard on for getting launch tubes available.
Well and good but, those VLS cells need to have something to restock them with and whilst there are plenty of Tomahawks.
There is a dearth of SM missiles and in particular SM6 and other AD and BMD missiles.

https://nationalsecurityjournal.org/the-u-s-navys-great-missile-shortage/

Last time I checked, the US had about 8500 launch tubes in service.
Which is a lot but, factor in the need for reloads and magazine depth it looks like they are running the risk of having a hollow fleet in terms of missile reloads after any heavy missile exchange.

If they were looking at their opponents they wouldn’t be in the state they are in now.

They have litany of over complex poorly made projects thinking they were ahead of the opposition in terms of technology. When much of that failed or ran massively over budget and got cut down or cancelled they been left caught out.

Apart from two ships already in build, Constellation and Congress, the programme has been cancelled.

..

DPER hate the rest of the civil service in all shapes and cant abide investment in anything bar the thing its replacing is actually dead. See the very slow roll out of any IT upgrades or staff head counts in any departments or bodies staffed with civil servants. Most places are still down on head count and dont get replacements when someone leaves. Its very much penny wise pound foolish stuff.

Which you hide in OPEX, so you're CAPEX looks great… and no one is none the wiser, other than the people who are doing the work of 2 or 3 people

I agree it's not one size fits all. But you've some work being with contractors and outsourced for decades it's not simply saving on pensions. Its avoiding their obligations as employers

the Junior Miniater has already said in committee that they expect to spend all their allocation this year, including the 20 odd million they moved from pensions to capital spend for down payment on the CUAS.