Hopefully the baddies won't notice you giving out the current dispositions of the fleet either.
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LÉ Samuel Beckett
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Interview with the Admiral about the LE Sam here, Some interesting comments about "Welliingtons in the sea" and God and man made environmental conditions.
Overall, he's a fairly political animal.
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A very good interview from an Irish military leader with a strategic plan. We don't see that every day. Still, for all his fine words about the Navy and the shipyard working together to build the OPV of the future, which P61 nearly is, somehow, this class of ship was permitted to leave the drawing board with no flight deck. Seems a shame. I hope he has an answer for that when the conference opens! Professionals are sure to query it. Why would we do that?
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Originally posted by Marius View PostA very good interview from an Irish military leader with a strategic plan. We don't see that every day. Still, for all his fine words about the Navy and the shipyard working together to build the OPV of the future, which P61 nearly is, somehow, this class of ship was permitted to leave the drawing board with no flight deck. Seems a shame. I hope he has an answer for that when the conference opens! Professionals are sure to query it. Why would we do that?
Because there was no requirement for one in the tender
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because although its on the back burner, we are also exploring the EPV requirement which, i believe, would have a flight deck."He is an enemy officer taken in battle and entitled to fair treatment."
"No, sir. He's a sergeant, and they don't deserve no respect at all, sir. I should know. They're cunning and artful, if they're any good. I wouldn't mind if he was an officer, sir. But sergeants are clever."
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The point about politics is that you will not rise about Commandant or it's naval equivalent in this DF unless you are a political animal of some kind; you have to be a good networker (schmoozer) and willing to talk the talk with genuine political assholes to further your case. Like everything else in Ireland, it's about who you know, what you can do for them and what harm can you do or not do. As an example, if the LE Sam had been built in Ireland, there would have been FG flies all over it but thankfully, sense prevailed and it was built by good, well-regarded shipbuilders. I'd lay odds that if and when Mellett retires, he'll be approached by the political parties to run for office. He has a clean sheet, no disasters on his watch and appears to be well-regarded by actual mariners (not that the State actually gives a flying **** about the Marine).
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Originally posted by Battletour View PostGTTC. I must strongly disagree with you. You are talking absolute rot and what you say about promotion above commandant is completely untrue. I am a bit surprised that you would have printed this.
i'd think about the CO of the Philipino unit ordered by its UN CoC to surrender as the perfect example of this - it was a lawful order, but it was both dumb and politically dubious, so he disobeyed it, much to the approval of his Philipino CoC. thats being politically sensitive.
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You know what, I had so many officers in my time tell me about how difficult it was to get promotion once you got above the automatic promotion levels and how they had to jockey and duck and dive in the internal politics of the Air Corps and the DF in general. As one guy told me, who now flies for the airline I work for, when you get to Captain, you then have to start really thinking about your future and whether you want to stay in the DF, because from then on, it becomes a political contest and you have to tick certain boxes, such as further education, overseas service, unit and subunit command, Staff courses and so on, not to mind the greatest unwritten one of all, reputation. If you get a bad name on the slightest thing, such as a public court case of a subordinate or a messy public fight with a fellow Officer or even an implication that you have let the side down, then you will find your career going sideways and you'll always be the last (in your cadet class) to be promoted, last to get courses, last to be considered for plum postings and so on. Actual external politics also comes into play because DF officers do get canvassed by political parties, despite them knowing perfectly well that officers are not supposed to display political leanings. Also, in a small Corps like the Don or in the NS, it's much closer to the bone than in the greater mass of the Army. One thing that is solid gold guaranteed to upset the apple cart and start writs flying is if an Officer is percieved to have jumped the queue, unless he is regarded as an exceptional case. The DF is a microcosm of Irish life because, especially in the case of Officers, everybody knows everybody else and everybody, especially the careerists, watch each other like hawks in case anyone is seen to have gained an advantage. It's the kind of predatorial foodchain that David Attenborough would do a programme on. It's not only Officers, either. SNCO posts are quite the political game,too.
regards
GttC
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Originally posted by Battletour View PostGTTC. I must strongly disagree with you. You are talking absolute rot and what you say about promotion above commandant is completely untrue. I am a bit surprised that you would have printed this.For now, everything hangs on implementation of the CoDF report.
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No to put a downer on the revolution lads, but you won't find many people in reasonable management grades elsewhere in the public or private sphere who don't know how to play the political (with a small p) game.
As for the types that get promoted to senior rank in the DF , particularly in the Army, I genuinely would prefer those that are educated, have overseas service , have commanded at home and overseas, have staff courses done.... and be a little bit ambitious , to be promoted. That's not politics....... That's common sense. The same goes for the Naval officer commanding a ship, it is not the political thing to do, it's a necessity for promotion IMO. At any rank , you get the opportunities ( like overseas, courses and operational deployments ) in general by applying for them and if not you whack in the old redress of wrongs and if you are due it, you will get it.
The Air Corps is a different beast to me, if you want to aspire to senior rank you're driving planes or helicopters (or hanging out of them) days are over. Senior NCOs and officers are expected to be managers not air crew . A lot of AC types I knew only want to fly ( can't fault them ) and do not want the responsibility of management and therefore bugger off to Ryanair or Aer Lingus where they get paid for their passion and have less responsibility then if they stayed in Baldonnel as a Comdt or LTC ....... I don't think it's about ducking out of a non existent political game , it's about retrospective justification from the cockpit of a transatlantic airliner ..... And good luck to them by the way, I'm just bitter dragging my knuckles on the ground.....
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