Republic of Ireland defence thread

OldTex

OldTex

Well-Known Member
The reporting in the Irish Times includes the following:

"Defence sources said the option currently being considered is a “Level of Ambition 2.5”. The Minister would recommend adopting most, if not all, of the recommendations in Level of Ambition 2, while picking some of those laid out in the most ambitious proposal.

This would see the Defence Forces receiving hugely increased cyber capabilities and a primary radar system which would allow it to monitor effectively Irish skies for the first time.

It would also receive increased air lift capacity, improved armoured personnel carriers and an increase in numbers in the Naval Service to allow ships to spend more time at sea.

However, the purchase of a squadron of jet fighters, as recommended in Level of Ambition 3, is not being considered, it is understood. This would mean Britain's RAF would still be responsible for responding to any airborne incursion over Ireland.

The proposals would cost between €600 million and €1 billion extra a year, it was estimated.

The plan is to gradually ramp up defence spending over the next several years. Sources said it will be at least 2025 before this funding level is achieved."

It will be very interesting to watch how this progresses from being presented to cabinet next month through undoubtedly various committees and finally the Dial.
 
OldTex

OldTex

Well-Known Member
In further reporting in the Irish Times it was announced that:
"Taoiseach Micheál Martin and Minister for Defence Simon Coveney on Wednesday announced details of a action plan to implement recommendations made by the Commission on the Defence Forces, which reported in February that Ireland’s military is not equipped to perform its tasks.
The action plan, approved by the Cabinet on Tuesday, commits to implementing 79 per cent of the report’s 130 recommendations."

The Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces is available here.

Some of the supported recommendations will see commitment in principle to accelerating the programme of replacing Naval Service ships with the aim of having a nine ship Navy by the early 2030s. Each of these ships would be double crewed to ensure they can spend a minimum of 220 days at sea per year. New armoured personnel carriers with increased firepower and better armour would be acquired as would helicopters and a long-range aircraft.
But the plan is not without critics. The plan commits the Government to recruiting an extra 6,000 troops, including increasing Permanent Defence Forces numbers by 35 per cent. It hopes to do this in part by increasing allowances for the lowest paid members of the Defence Forces and simplifying the allowance system. Officers will not be included in the increases, a move which has drawn strong criticism from the Representative Association for Commissioned Officers (Raco).
The Minister for Defence, Simon Coveney,cautioned that he could not say if future governments would stick to the spending plan but that funding certainty was “essential” for defence planning as procurement for related equipment “takes years, not months to deliver”.
 
OldTex

OldTex

Well-Known Member
It has been reported by TheJournal.ie that Irish Government has amended an existing contract with Airbus for the supply of 2 C-295 aircraft configured as maritime surveillance aircraft. The amendment is for the supply of an additional C-295 in a cargo/transport configuration. This acquisition is one of the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces. The C-295 MSAs are to replace the existing C-235 MSAs operated by the Air Corps. The C-295 MSAs are expected to be delivered in 2023 with the additional aircraft expected in 2025.
 
OldTex

OldTex

Well-Known Member
Naval News is reporting that a pre-solicitation has been issue for the procurement of a multirole vessel (MRV) for the Irish Naval Service. As the article points out it is still very early in the process and more details regarding desired capabilities will be known in October. The INS had previously looked at HMNZS Canterbury as an example of the capabilities they might require. The article did suggest that the Arrowhead 140 and the JSS might be candidates but, without the desired capabilities being known, that is purely journalistic speculation.
The more significant issue for the INS, and the wider Irish Defence Forces, is the manpower recruitment and retention needed for the existing capabilities let alone new capabilities. Like many Western navies, the Naval Service has long-struggled to attract personnel, however, in recent years the shortage has become critical with all but two ships laid up without crews as of December 2023.
 
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