An Cosantóir the official magazine of the Irish Defence Forces and Reserve Defence Forces.
Issue link: https://digital.jmpublishing.ie/i/468511
www.military.ie the defence forces magazine | 5 Manager Capt Declan Barrett info@military.ie +353 (0)45 44 5306 Editor Sgt Wayne Fitzgerald magazine@military.ie +353 (0)45 44 5307 Photo/Journalist: VACANT Connect Sgt Karl Byrne connect@military.ie Photographer Cpl Neville Coughlan photo@military.ie 045 44 5307 Subscriptions Cpl Kelly Gallagher +353 (0)45 44 5312 subs@military.ie Magazine Archivist Mr Sean Shinnors DF/PR Information: Cpl Lee Coyle admin@military.ie +353 (0)45 44 5308 DF Webmaster Sgt Mick Burke +353 (0)45 44 5309 webmaster@military.ie Designer/Advertising JM Publishing & Media, Arklow, Co. Wicklow,Ireland Tel: +353 1 443 3476 Tel: +353871344135 Web: www.jmpublishing.ie Email: info@jmpublishing.ie Printer Turner's Printing Co., Ltd Earl Street, Longford, Ireland Tel: +353 (0)43 3350500 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 The 76mm OTO Melara main armament firing on LÉ Samuel Beckett by A/S David Jones. For more Defence Forces photographs, checkout: www. flickr.com/photos/dfmagazine editorial Sgt Wayne Fitzgerald - Editor H ello and welcome to our March issue. Firstly I would like to take this opportunity to say congratulations to newly promoted Sgt Paul Millar, who has completed his last Connect Newsletter prior to moving to the NCO TW of the Military College - so not that far away. Paul, thank you from all the staff for your dedication and professionalism to the Information Office, PR Branch. In this issue we are back to our comfortable 36-pages where we hope to gather a full picture from around the forces. On Parade is looking very colourful so thank you for all your photos. Our first In Focus page features two DF characters one of whom sadly is no longer with us, Joe O'Mahony of the ONE in Limerick and Sean Mullen a Congo Veteran from Athlone who is currently in Hospital. Then we have the Decommissioning Ceremony of the LÉ Aoife, held in Waterford recently. We have retained our Veteran's News page, which contains two updates from ONE, and Cpl Ronnie Daly's retirement presentation in McKee Bks recently. In our first main article Tackling Ebola, by Sgt Karl Byrne we meet the DF Medical team prior to their departure to the UK and then on to Sierra Leone. Next we have Prepared at all Times by Capt Stephen Molumphy, on our ISTAR Task Force, taking part in the Nordic Battle Group 2015, in Sweden. In Brú na Bhfiann - Home of the Brave, where I visited the ground breaking homeless initiative funded and managed by ONE, in Dublin's inner city. Our Front Cover story features Testing Times for LÉ Samuel Beckett by Lt Cdr Caoimhin Mac Unfraidh, about a surface gunnery trial for the gun and fire-control system on P61. In our Strategic Review feature Next Generation Stealth: The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter by Robert Tarrant, we learn about the highly rated fighter jet that is now $150 billion over- budget and 7-years behind schedule. Next in Command and Control, Sgt Karl Byrne and Cpl Neville Coughlan travelled to Finner Camp in Donegal to visit troops before deploying on a 72-hour exercise involving two Mowag courses, a command and a dismount course. Our History spread features an interesting personal reflection of Major General Emmet Dalton by Liam Murray. In Sport, Pte Niall Kilcrann along with two other members of 46 Inf Gp, UNDOF, participated in the Tiberias Winter Marathon, the lowest altitude marathon in the world. Plus all our regular features and reviews. Winner! Winner! Pictured is Capt Declan Barrett, Manager of An Cosantóir congratulating the winner of our 2014 DF An Cosantóir Photographic Competition, Sgt Dos McAllister, HQ DFTC, where he also presented him with his prize of a GoPro Cam- era worth €490, which was kindly sponsored by Barker Photo- graphic Ltd, Cork (www. barkerpho- tographic. ie). Photo by: Cpl Lee Coyle, PR Branch COMPeTiTiOn For a chance to win a Míleata Military Spec Watch, answer the following question: The M1 & M2 have Anti-magnetic protec- tion up to _ _ _ _ A/M? Send your answer along with your name, ad- dress & contact number to An Cosantóir's address or by email to subs@military.ie by the 20th March 2015. The winner will be the first correct entry drawn. mileata.com