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visit us at www.military.ie The 32nd Regular Air Corps Cadet Class T he 32nd Regular Air Corps Cadet Class received their Military Pilot Wings and Presidential Commissions during two ceremonies held in Casement Aerodrome on the 29th of July. The class began their training 34 months ago and have since undergone a rigorous training program designed to test them both physically and mentally. During the flying phase of the course the 9 students of the 32nd RACCC have, between them, completed: 1381 flights, 1605 flying hours and have landed the PC-9M aircraft a total of 8,446 times. They sat through 6,750 hours of Ground school Lectures and passed 135 Ground school Exams. They have already commenced the next chap- ter in their Air Corps careers, beginning life in their new Squadrons where they will continue to deliver the Air Corps' mission; Defending Protect- ing and Supporting the State. Composing the Island: "Dispensing Musical Understanding to the People" T he Defence Forces was celebrated in a special performance in the National Concert Hall on the 10th September in which the band of the Defence Forces School of Music performed. The performance was part of a 3 week festival in September from the 7th to the 25th, celebrating the last 100 years of music in Ireland. In 1922 the Chief of Staff of the Free State's new army, General Richard Mulcahy, said: "I want to have bands that will dispense mu- sic and musical understanding in the highest terms to the people." Mulcahy and his musical adviser John Larchet (director of music at the Abbey Theatre and an influential teacher at both the Royal Irish Academy of Music and University College Dublin) entrusted the development of the bands to the distinguished German musi- cian Colonel Wilhelm Fritz Brase and their first public perfor- mance was at the Theatre Royal in October 1923. The army bands, their conductors and musicians, played a vital role in music in Ireland in the early years of the state and the Defence Forces, along with RTÉ, have been the country's biggest employer of professional musicians ever since. REVIEW OF NCO PROMOTION COMPETITION 2014 J1 branch conducted an NCO Promotion competition run under the terms of Concilia- tion Coun- cil Report (CCR) 448-A during Q3 and Q4 2014. Sixteen boards were convened to hold interviews across the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service from ranks of Corporal (or equivalent) to the rank of Sergeant (or equivalent) and higher. A total of 893 interviews were conducted across five (5) differ- ent locations. All 'Order of Merit' (OOM) lists were subsequently published and remained 'live' for a period of eighteen (18) months. The first promo- tions took place on 11 Dec 2014. The 2014 competi- tion concluded on 11 June 2016 at which time all OOM lists expired. The following sections outline the key issues that were highlighted and will be considered when negotiating the CCR for the next Promotion Competition:- Preparation of Promotion Sub-Files, Eligibility of Candidates, File Assessment Phase, Interview Phase, Publication of Results, Filling of Vacancies from OOM Lists, Appeals and Redress of Wrongs (RoW). World Military Lifesaving Championships A s the world's sporting attention turned to Rio de Janeiro, the 48th WMLC 16 - World Military Lifesaving Championships were taking place in Halmstad Sweden. The games are run by the International Military Sports Council (CISM), one of the world's largest multidisciplinary organisations, containing 134 member countries. Capt Oisín McGrath, a helicopter instructor in No.3 Ops Wing, was there to represent the Irish De- fence Forces. It was the first time Ireland has been represented in this com- petition. Capt McGrath won both gold and bronze medals and had a hard battle for a 4th place finish in his 3 main events; Surf Ski, Board Paddle and Ocean-Man. He was crowned Military World Champion at a presentation ceremony at the Swedish Air Defence Regiment in Halmstad. Capt McGrath has represented Ireland on a number of occasions at inter- national competitions in the sport of lifesaving and already has a number of European and World Championship titles The sport of lifesaving began in 1906 in Australia and pitches the worlds top sea swimmers, kayakers and board paddlers against each other across mul- tiple disciplines using a range of lifesaving skills. Races take place over 4 days, 2 being in the pool and 2 being at the beach. For more information on this thrill- ing sport visit Irish Water Safety.

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