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By Cpl Noel Coss with Capt Michael Murphy (Cav Sch)
Photographs by Cpl Noel Coss
C
onventional and special forces units around the globe
have been utilising the motorcycle for decades, including the Irish Defence Forces, where they have been in
use since the 1940s and are employed today by the Cavalry
Corps, the Military Police and the Army Ranger Wing.
At the Cavalry Corps' annual dispatch rider (DR) concentration in the DFTC, I talked to Capt Mick Murphy from the Cav
School about the relevance of motorcycles in today's military.
"Combat and operational experience gained in conflicts
around the globe has shown the importance of mobility," he
told me. "High mobility is vital for any military force be it during conventional war-fighting, or peace-support operations,
and one of the means to enhance mobility is a reliable crosscountry motorcycle. During World War II motorcycles were
in service with all the fighting armies, and in today's recent
conflicts the motorcycle has been very effective in increasing
An Cosantóir Dec 2012/Jan 2013 www.dfmagazine.ie
the fighting efficiency of military units, particularly in Iraq
and the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan, where the manoeuvrability of two-wheeled transport has proved invaluable."
So the big question for the Defence Forces is how we
could benefit tactically from the use motorcycles. Are they
practical? Can they provide commanders with an effective
asset? How can they best be utilised and would they be
cost effective?
Capt Murphy agreed that everything the Defence Forces
purchases can only be justified if it has a strong utility value
in all types of operations, particularly in the current economic
climate. However from his personal experience Capt Murphy
believes that there is a significant requirement to have a
motorcycle capability, particularly overseas, and because of
the relatively low cost versus the capability offered by motorcycles it is easily justifiable.