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Promotions October saw the passing out ceremony on the 36th Potential NCO Course at the Naval Base. The 44 students, pictured above, successfully completed 22 weeks of training necessary to qualify them to hold the rank of Leading Rate in the Naval Service. The course prepares them to take on the responsibilities of leadership, developing their ability to lead, manage and develop personnel under their command. The class was made up of 42 males and 2 females from the four branches of the Naval Service, seamens, engineering, supplies and communications. The class commenced training at the Naval College, Haulbowline on 20th of May 2013. Throughout their training, the students of the 36th Potential NCOs Course raised €2,000 for their chosen charity "Friends of Cobh Community Hospital" by competing the Defence Forces "An Cosantoir" 10K Road Race" and a Kenmare to Killarney 20K Hike". A/Sea Tommy Lonergan will receive the award for best overall student on the course. The Government has appointed Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Service, Commodore Mark Mellett to the position of Deputy Chief of Staff (Support) of the Defence Forces with effect from 5 November 2013. He was promoted to the rank of Rear Admiral on assuming his appointment which is abbreviated as RADM. Other senior officer promotions include Col Michael Beary and Col Murray Piggott, who were both promoted to Brigadier General (Brig Gen). Brig Gen Piggott will take over as Ireland's Military Representative to the EU and Brig Gen Beary will assume command of the 2 Bde. National League Player of the Month Pte Sinead Taylor, 6 Inf Bn and Galway WFC striker, has been named Bus Éireann Women's National League Player of the Month for September. Pte Taylor scored six league goals in six matches in the womens national league this year. Her last DF game, in which she was in the starting 11, saw a 2-1 win against the RAF in difficult conditions. As well as being a talented soccer player, the Tullamore native has represented Offaly in GAA football and camogie and has also been called into the Ireland Womens Sevens rugby squad. Airtricity League Player of the Year Congratulations to Pte Philip Gorman, AC, playing for Athlone Town, who won the Player of the Year, Division 1, Airtricity League 2013. Pte Gorman has played representative soccer for the DF since 2003. In that time he has played 19 International matches, including the World CISM Games in 2007. He has scored 8 times for Ireland (DF) including a hatrick against France in 2006 at Pike Rovers, Limerick. Tax treatment of retirement lump sums. Budget 2014 did not change the position of public service retirement lump sums (gratuities) in respect of exemption from income tax. Such lump sums remain tax-free up to €200,000. Correction In the last Connect the army row of the Rank Markings poster was wrong. The correct titles should read: Cadet, 2nd Lieutenant, Lieutenant...... Apologies for any confusion caused and many thanks to the people who spotted the errors. Air Corps GOH On Thursday 03 October, the Air Corps proudly represented the DF with an all Air Corps Guard of Honour at Áras an Uachtaráin. The Lieutenant's Guard of Honour was led by recently commissioned Lt Paul McDermott and marked the occasion of the new Ambassadors from Argentina, Finland and Latvia presenting their Letters of Credence to the President. The Guard of Honour consisted of 50 personnel including one Flight Sgt, three Sgts and a body of Cpls & Armn. The Air Corps personnel were inspected by the three ambassadors before the VIP's departed Áras an Uachtaráin with a motorcycle Escort of Honor drawn from 2 Cavalry Squadron, Cathal Brugha Barracks. Cambrian Patrol Silver Medalists 2013 The All Army Recce Competition is conducted anually as a means of assessing and progressing in reconnaissance skills throughout the DF. An added incentive was introduced this year when it was decided that the winning unit would send a team to the prestigious Cambrian Patrol 2013. This years winners, 27 Inf Bn, were assigned the task of preparing and entering a team to the Cambrian Patrol. The Cambrian Patrol is an exercise held annually by the British Army to test the patrolling skills of soldiers from all its units and those of foreign armies. Foreign teams this year included American, Canadian, Dutch, German, Indian and Pakistani and others. Composed of a grueling 48hr patrol across the terrain of the Welsh Mountains, teams were required to complete a number of varied tasks ranging from tactical river crossings to conventional section assaults. Teams that manage to cross the finish line are awarded a certificate of completion. Those that finish, but also manage to impress are awarded a bronze, silver or gold medal by the organisors. The 27 Inf Bn team underwent a four month intensive training plan, developed by Sp Coy, 27 Inf Bn and IWW. The training paid off as the team returned home with a silver medal, a significant acheivement given that onefifth of some of the best recce teams in the world did not complete the challenge. Lt Gray, IWW, said of the effort of the 27 Inf Bn, "The excellent performance is testament to the quality and dedication of its soldiers and is an excellent reflection on the DF as a whole. The DF will continue to train and test its reconnaissance soldiers at the highest level through the All Army Competition and to compare our best and brightest against our international colleagues." Expect to see a more in-depth article about the Cambrian Patrol very shortly in An Cosantóir. 43rd Infantry Group UNDOF The 43 Inf Gp deployed to the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in the Golan Heights, Syria, on 28 September. The Irish contingent constitutes the Force Reserve Company of UNDOF HQ. Its primary mission is to provide a Mechanised Quick Reaction Force (QRF), which can be deployed at immediate notice throughout the Area of Separation (AOS). The AOS is the demilitarised zone between the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) in the occupied Golan Heights and the Syrian Arab Armed Forces (SAAF). In the conduct of their patrols and security escorts, Irish troops encounter both IDF and SAAF personnel and rebel groups known collectively as Anti Government Armed Elements (AGAE). The ebb and flow of the on-going Syrian Civil War in the mission area requires that Irish troops maintain a highly informed situational awareness. Knowledge of the routes, villages and recent significant activities in the AOS is crucial to the conduct of the mission. Irish troops also provide assistance with logistical support. Irish technicians from Transport and Vehicle Maintenance, Ordnance, Engineers, Catering, CIS, Medical and the Military Police work closely with other contingents to provide the required CSS. The situation in the region will continue to present many interesting challenges for the Irish troops deployed there. UNIFIL Joint Military Fire-Fighter Exercise UNP 2-45, IrishFinn Batt HQ, recently played host to the first ever joint Military Fire-Fighter Exercise in a UN Mission. It involved military fire-fighters from Ireland, Austria, Finland, Malaysia and the famous Sapeurs Pompiers Paris, who are the full time Parisian Fire Rescue services. The training was geared towards aviation fire-fighting and the immediate rescue response to be deployed in the event of a helicopter crash. The Engr Fire Crew of the 108 Inf Bn, UNIFIL, are just the second ever that the DF have deployed as a fire-fighting and rescue team. This fire crew is deployed with a fully equipped fire tender with breathing apparatus sets and road traffic collision rescue equipment and is based in UNP 2-45 on a 24/7 basis. Boxing Championships. Javelin Upgrade The first part of the Javelin Block One Upgrade was completed on the 31 Oct with the firing of a missile using the new M98A2 Command Launch Unit (CLU). The upgrade, which is part of the existing contract, is divided between the CLU and a new missile unit. The CLU upgrades include more extensive malfunction notifications, which enable the gunner to resume firing quickly. The equipment improves optics that extend the range for detecting and acquiring targets. Also included is a new video port, allowing accurate feedback and analysis of each range practice. Existing CLU's have been reconditioned for the upgrade, so the total number in the DF will remain the same. The second part of the upgrade, the new missile, will be rolled out when the current stock of missiles have been depleted. The DF Boxing Championships 2013 were held in the National Boxing Stadium, Dublin, following 3 days of top class boxing. Fresh from the DF victory in the inaugural Celtic Box Cup, many of the 60 boxers were using the championships as preparation for the national U/22 and Intermediate Championships and in the medium term for National Elite Championships in February 2014. The 7 Inf Bn, Dublin, took away the coveted Inter Unit Title despite stiff competition from the 3rd Inf Bn, Kilkenny and 1st Inf Bn, Galway. The two coaches of the winning unit, Sgt Brian Kelly and Cpl Paddy Daly had this to say about their team, "There is a great amount of fighters in the 7 Inf Bn since the re-org , so we took advantage of the youth and trained them up for the DF boxing competition, which proved to be a success, with the team walking away with 4 gold , 4 silver and best novice boxer (Pte Donnelly S, pictured), plus the inter-unit boxing trophy which is awarded to the best unit of the tournament." New DF Record A fitter team set a new DF record for the fastest combat engine change at the Transport Concentration in Wicklow. The team, pictured right, had to drive a 4x4 into mobile workshop, refit the engine and drive it out. They broke the previous record of 15 minutes with a time of 13 mins 11 secs. A new fitness challenge suitable only for personnel that have achieved grade one in all component parts of their Annual Fitness Tests (2013) will be launched at the DFPES on 18 Dec. The five stage test, supported by the DFAA, focuses on testing a multiple of fitness elements including; speed, agility, endurance, core stability and local muscular endurance. Stage One is the Illinois Agility Run based on time. Stage Two is a cadence push-up test, based on a bleep test. Stage Three is a cadence sit-up test, based on a bleep test. Stage Four is a prone hold (plank), based on time. Stage Five is the standard bleep test. A trial run of the challenge will be conducted for BPEO's, selected PTI's, PTS's and interested parties on Wed 04 Dec at 1500hrs in the DFPES. Consideration has been given to age & gender in order to provide an appropriate challenge and scoring system for volunteer participants. Details are available on the DF intranet about the exact breakdown of scores for the individual challenges and the overall ratings as well as a comprehensive training program designed specifically for the challenge. The maximum transition time between the individual tests does not exceed two minutes, with the entire challenge taking around 30 minutes to complete. An overall score of between 451 and 500 points (90% average) earns you the title of, "MULTIFIT," for which you get a specially commissioned DFAA t-shirt. If you are interested, register with your BPEO no later than Fri 06 Dec. A maximum number of participants may be imposed to allow for an appropriate standard of testing on the day. ECO Driving Rules The reduction in the DF fuel budget places a greater emphasis on ECO driving in order to generate savings. Here are some simple rules for ECO Driving: -Use the primary controls in a manner that is consistent with minimal environmental impact. -Take different traffic conditions into account and plan trips in an ecoefficient manner. -Maintain (where possible) a constant safe speed and avoid unnecessary harsh braking or acceleration. -Use engine braking and gears in ways that use fuel economically. Largest Ever Graduation of DF Personnel IT Carlow saw the biggest ever graduation of DF personnel in a conferring ceremony held on 31 October. 184 personnel of different ranks successfully completed elements of the Leadership, Management and Defence Studies (LMDS) Programme for enlisted personnel, which had been approved by the Higher Education Training and Awards Council (HETAC) in September 2012. Some 137 soldiers were awarded the Higher Certificate in LMDS, while 19, who completed the All-Arms and corpsspecific Standard NCO's course, received the Certificate in LMDS. The highest awards of the day were given to the 28 NCOs who completed the Senior NCO's Course; they returned home with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) in LMDS. The President of IT Carlow, Dr Patricia Mulcahy, presented each candidate with their award, noting that this award placed Defence Forces career training and education within the Irish National Framework of Qualifications. The Chief of Staff, Lt Gen Conor O' Boyle, commented on the day that, "The greatest asset we have in the Defence Forces is our people, I am very happy to see here today the graduation .... In a very tangible way it validates our principle of life-long learning and I am particularly grateful to IT Carlow for their significant contribution to our ongoing partnership and the huge benefits it brings to the Defence Forces and the State." As part of the continued development of the Curragh Museum, a new 'Gun Room' was officially opened by the Chief of Staff, Lt. Gen. Conor O'Boyle, on 22 November. Consisting of two distinct parts, Part One consists of DF service weapons from the Irish Volunteer era, right up to present day, while Part Two contains a myriad of weapons that have been gathered by the DF through the years such as recovered on operations, utilised on trial or test or kindly provided by patrons. It is the first time many of these weapons have been put on public display. The collection contains a variety of iconic weapons and is likely to become an exhibit on the essential viewing list of anyone with an interest in firearms. Notable exhibits include some very rare pistols, ARW weapons and many of the weapons trialled in the late '80s to replace the FN FAL in service. The collection was brought to life by Lt Alan Kearney and the staff at Ordnance Base Technical Stores, who put considerable effort into sourcing, maintaining and storing some of these priceless weapons through the years. The gunroom can be accessed via the Curragh Museum, for opening times click on the website, www.curragh.info/museum, or ring 045 445342. 1st Combat Tracking Instructors Course The first ever Combat Tracking (3 weeks) and Combat Tracking Instructors (1 week) Courses were conducted by the Cavalry School, DFTC in October. The students first completed the Combat Tracking Course and had to be Basic Reconnaissance & Surveillance qualified before they were eligible to complete the instructors module. This reflects the proposed employment of the trackers in their home units. The syllabus and lessons were adapted from the European Defence Agency sponsored Combat Tracking Instructor Course hosted by the Ordnance School in 2012 and delivered by PENCARI. At the end of instruction, students followed and pursued both individuals and groups over 20km through a variety of environments using ground sign left by an enemy. The students completed three exercises up to 36 hours in all weather conditions. The students were faced with challenging tracking conditions and environments, all while trying to reduce the time/distance gap to the enemy. The Garda Dog Unit also gave a very interesting brief on the use of dogs for scent tracking. This part was aimed at counter tracking and deception procedures and more importantly, interoperability between human visual trackers and the dog scent tracking teams. The Cavalry School will conduct the next instructor course in 2014, with the combat tracking course being conducted at unit level. For a list of available instructors or more information, contact the Cav School at 5965 or imail Capt Joseph Tynan (joseph.tynan@defenceforces.ie). Defend Protect Support

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