An Cosantóir

www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE | 15 In late 2017 submissions were made to the ACOS and DJ7 highlighting the high age profile of AR lieutenants and the growing shortage of young officers across the organisation. Subsequent to these submissions J7 approved the setting up of a working group of AR officers from DFHQ, both brigades and the DFTC, to look at updating the potential officer (PO) syllabus, which dated back to 2007 and no longer reflected the requirements of the SFC. AR recruit, two to three-star, and potential NCO syl- labi had all been rewritten since 2015 and it was essential that the PO syllabus was aligned with these. Before the PO syllabus could be rewritten it was necessary to decide what kind of new officer was required by the SFC. After discussions with many relevant stakeholders and the Cadet School, the term 'professional checker' emerged to describe what a unit commander required from a newly commis- sioned officer, and closely mirrors the approach of the Cadet School in training cadets. To be of most benefit to his/her unit, a newly commis- sioned AR officer must be able to complete/supervise a number of essential tasks, such as unit administration, range practices, and security duties. With the objectives identified the working group began their work on developing a suitable syllabus. The newly produced draft syllabus will qualify newly com- missioned officers in a number of key areas such as range management, regimental security duties, and unit adminis- tration through IKON. This will give the new officer a number of tangible skills that will significantly benefit his/her new unit and CO. Syllabus hours increase from 329.50 in the 2007 version to 522 in the new version, completed over 10 weekends and four weeks full-time training over two calendar years in the Cadet School. Subject to DJ7 approval, it is hoped this new syllabus will soon replace its predecessor. However, merely producing a new PO syllabus on its own would not begin the process of rebuilding the AR officer ranks, a PO course would also be needed. A training-needs analysis (TNA) was produced for DJ7 that showed, based on known retirements on age grounds and reasonable esti- mates of future promotions, that 65 of the 110 AR lieuten- ant appointments would be vacant by Q4 2020. It was the conclusion of the TNA that the only solution to this shortfall in AR officers is the scheduling of a PO course in 2019/20. To allow for the maximum number of suitable candidates, and to minimize the impact on reducing the number of younger NCOs (potentially solving a shortfall in young of- ficers by creating a shortfall in young NCOs), it is suggested that reservists of any rank who hold a university degree will be permitted to apply for RDF PO courses. This develop- ment would create a significantly larger pool of potential candidates and ensure a stream of suitable young officers in sufficient numbers to ensure long-term viability of the SFC and the RDF. In anticipation of the approval for a PO course commenc- ing in 2019 and the consequent selection of candidates in Q4 of 2018, it is vitally important that all Army Reserve sub- unit commanders actively encourage the identification and nomination of suitable candidates as a matter of urgency.

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