An Cosantóir

| 3 www.military.ie THE DEFENCE FORCES MAGAZINE H ello, and welcome to our fifth issue of 2023, our 83rd volume of the An Cosantóir magazine. We hope you enjoy reading this edition and continue to enjoy reading all the other An Cosantóir magazines we have published. I am sure you have noticed that more and more pages have changed, especially our On Parade section. Due to the redesign we can now capture more events within the DF. This editions On Parade contains images from Army, Naval Service, Air Corps, overseas and the RDF. We have recently brought back the Sports and Clubs section where we showcase the achievements of many talented athletes and also highlight upcoming events. DF Soccer, Golf, Athletics and Kickboxing are featured in this magazine. Comdt Rory McCann also gave an excellent two-page feature on the 4th Military Rugby World Cup. If you have any ideas for the magazine, or would like to be featured in the On Parade section of An Cosantóir, please send us any submissions to magazine@military.ie We are currently looking to expand our team internally and have permanent positions and also the chance for a detachment. If you have interest in web design, photography or journalism this is the team for you. For more information e-mail webmaster@military.ie Our first feature C295 Technical Services Training is brought to us by Cpl Kieran Roche. Kieran talks about the purchasing of four new Airbus C295 Maritime Patrol Aircrafts that will replace the original CASA that was bought in 1994. The new aircraft cost €230 million. Fran 'Farmer" Reilly brings our Veterans piece as he discusses a recent Hands across the Waters tour in Italy. Fran is a member of the Irish Defence Forces Veterans Association (IDFVA) who do outstanding work for our veterans. "Experiences of a medical student in the Reserve Defence Forces" is brought to us by Pte (AR) Dr David Killilea. David talks about his time on work experience in St Bricins Military hospital, which also shows us the benefit of joint training within the DF. David has extensive skills and knowledge he can now share with the organisation. Defence Forces Dive Group (DFDG) shows that this club caters for all levels of divers from entry level to more advanced diving techniques. The DFDG is not just an adventure club, but are often tasked by J7 for operational purposes and exercises. The Artillery Corps and the 27 Inf Bn share their celebrations of 100 and 50 years respectively with us, two historical events this year for the DF. Cpl Shane Curran takes us through what is involved in the Medical Standard Course. Comdt Tadhg O'Donoghue discusses the French Language programme that has been encouraged within the DF since 2017. Lt Stephen Doyle follows on from a previous article by Comdt Gavin Egerton in our Jan/Feb edition this year on Mission Command. Lt Doyle discusses Optimising Cavalry Tactics through Intuitive Decision Making. Our centre spread is a photo feature of a very successful 44th An Cosantóir 10K run and 5K walk. Even the rain could not bring the morale down, a great day was had by all. All race results can be found at military.ie/run and all photographs can be accessed at flickr.com/photos/dfmagazine Two new civilian appointments have been added to the General Staff, becoming the Defence Forces Board and these are the Head of Strategic HR Mr Declan Carville and the Head of Transformation Mr Brian Molloy. We have interviewed both new members to gain an insight into who they are and what their new appointments mean for the DF. Our From the Archives section features an article published in the Jul/Aug 2017 edition of An Cosantóir on Exercise Neart. "Learn as if you will live forever, live like you will die tomorrow." — Mahatma Gandhi Manager Comdt Helen Hosback info@military.ie +353 (0)45 44 5306 Editor Sgt John Rossiter connect@military.ie +353 (0)45 44 5307 Photo/Journalist Vacant journalist@military.ie Photographer A/M Sam Gibney photo@military.ie Admin NCO Cpl Martin Bennett requisitions@military.ie +353 (0)45 44 5312 DF/PR Information Cpl Eric Ryan magazine@military.ie +353 (0)45 44 5308 DF Webmaster Sgt Louise McDonald webmaster@military.ie +353 (0)45 44 5307 Civilian Journalist Tony O'Brien Designer JM Publishing & Media Arklow, Co. Wicklow, Ireland Tel: +353 (0)87 1344135 Email: info@jmpublishing.ie The fact that an article appears in this magazine does not indicate official approval of the views expressed by the author. © Published by OiC Public Relations Branch for the Defence Forces at DFHQ, Block 5, Ceannt Bks, DFTC, Curragh Camp, Co Kildare, Ireland. Tel: +353 (0)45 445312 Front Cover By 105 Sqn Editorial Sgt Louise McDonald – Editor (stand in)

• Cover