An Cosantóir

Defence Forces Newsletter www.military.ie Chief's Review I n these challenging times I would like to briefly reflect on the ongoing reform of the De- fence Forces. The past two decades have seen a very significant reor- ganisation throughout the Defence Forces. The monies that were freed up from reduced numbers of per- sonnel and the sale of surplus lands enabled the Defence Forces to re- equip with modern equipment, en- abling the Army to take on the most demanding overseas operations, the Naval Service to significantly increase its patrol outputs, and the Air Corps to take on new roles and responsibilities. We are now facing significant transformation again. A major re- organisation of the Defence Forces has been announced by Government arising from the reduction in the strength of the Permanent Defence Forces to 9,500 personnel. This will include a reduction in the number of Army Brigades from the current three to two. This will be challeng- ing; but your enduring commitment, professionalism, and selfless service will help ensure that we continue to build on the great work of our predecessors. Transformation in the Defence Forces will not be achieved by strategy alone; rather it will be brought about by the combined actions of all of our personnel, with each of us contributing to further improve Óglaigh na hÉireann. We must not allow the challenges we face to become insurmountable barriers to organisational success. The generation of military capabili- ties, that enable the deployment and sustainment of high quality military MARCH 2012 Vol 16 Issue 5 forces on demanding operations both at home and abroad, continues to provide our focus in this time of change. We are supported in this by the culture of our organisation which is based on our values, encom- passes our esprit de corps, and re- flects our flexibility and adaptability. In the past few months difficult decisions have had to be made by Government and are being imple- mented by the Defence Forces with notable professionalism. The closure of the barracks in Cavan, Castlebar, Clonmel and Mullingar is being planned and executed by our per- sonnel even though this will cause difficulties for some of those person- nel and their families. The purpose of the barrack consolidation is to maximise the effectiveness of the Defence Forces by lessening the bur- den imposed by manning and main- taining installations. I am acutely aware of the difficulties some of the changes may cause and I will make every possible effort to mitigate any impact of these changes on you and your families. Within the reduced finances avail- able, the Minister for Defence, the Secretary General, and I are continu- ing to seek targeted recruitment and promotion, capability development, equipment procurement and contin- ued overseas deployment. We must continue to adapt, reform, reorgan- ise and at the same time continue to provide the highest level of service to the Irish people. It is you, the men and women of Óglaigh na hÉireann, that will make this happen. The Defence Forces will continue to provide an extraordinarily wide range of security related services on land, sea and air, at home and abroad. There is NO other institu- tion of the State that can provide such multi-purpose, multi-discipline capabilities within a limited resource allocation. We remain rightly proud of the value for money and compre- hensive nature of what we all do for Ireland and its people. Contents NCO Promotion Board System Overseas Sit Reps Sports Fixtures Courses Spot the Difference PSS message New Clothing Issue READ MORE

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