Defence forces spending €100m despite cutbacks

[Goldie fish]

Re: http://www.irishmilitaryonline.com/b...&threadid=2232

Despite continued substantial investment in the defence forces, there is still no air interception capability available to defend Irish airspace.

Substantial??????? Most smaller EU states spend more on defence in any one year,than what we have spent in our entire re equipment programme..

[andy]

so how many times exactly have we bought THE MOWAGS and THE PC 9's ??
The government are really flogging this!

At least Smith has finally admitted that we cant defend out airspace and basically our aircorps is a joke.

[Goldie fish]

Dont forget the 2 New Naval Ships...they have been bought every year since they were launched.....

[Groundhog]

None of the above equipment comes out of this year's budget of course. I know we like to joke that departmental budgets are done in crayon on the back of a fag packet but they aren't really.

BTW I was watching a prog called Conquest (History Channel) on Christmas day and the presenter was simulating a dogfight between two aircraft using the Saia Marchetti. That would be the one we declared obsolete last year but the USAF still uses it as a trainer.

[Groundhog]

At least Smith has finally admitted that we cant defend out airspace and basically our aircorps is a joke.

Well he admitted as much earlier this year when he declared his intention to give the RAF a call in the event of an emergency. This idea is still so bizarre to me that I have difficulty getting my head about it.

[nonexistantfoo]

When this state was set up, De Valera said we'd always maintain a defence force capable of repelling invaders, so that Britain wouldnt have to worry about its western flank. So calling in the RAF as our very first line of defence.... is to put it mildly a joke.

The fact is however that new military equipment wont win votes, well not as many as vague promises about schools and hospitals :(

[Groundhog]

So calling in the RAF as our very first line of defence.... is to put it mildly a joke.

A joke would be putting it very mildly. We are supposedly a sovereign nation which fought against the very country we are now asking to defend us. Put on top of that our smug assertion that we are neutral and it adds up to the most feeble, useless and pathetic nation in Europe.

[ias]

Groundhog I have to agree though calling Ireland "the most feeble, useless and pathetic nation in Europe" is, in my opinion, too strong, Ireland has many positive attributes.

However, I believe that greater emphasis should be placed on the DF and funding should be provided to enable them to perform both their day to day tasks (home and abroad) and their so called "contingency" tasks (as the White Paper refers to defence of the island), i.e. additional armour and artillery, a small airforce and a small navy, both with dedicated military/defence assets (e.g. the Mekos frigates/corvettes being bought by Malayasia, thay are apparently fitted for but not fitted with, all their war fighting equipment)

IAS

[Lordinajamjar]

xxxxx

[Little Legionnare]

That is a joke. You might as well become another Iceland and stop pretending...

[ICUN]

spend 6 million odd on a steel spike, 15 mill on a venue for charlie mc creevy's horse racing friends and then send Irish soldiers to somewhere like Liberia with glorified civilian jeeps painted green.

if it wasn't so serious it would be a joke

[Nice But Dim]

Okay so theres a serious problem, what can we do about it? (IM NOT TALKING MUTINY) What powers do the representative associations have? And if the irish people actually seen what kind of danger their soilders where been put in i think there would be some kind of positive response but currently myself like possible many others on this board are shocked when we see the defence forces in the news because it isn't that often, what im saying is the general public have no idea of the state of the defence forces so as long as that continues why invest there tax contrabution?

[Adrian]

I am sure the Javelin system is well needed, but an anti-tank missile, could the money not have been better spent on providing the Light armoured vehicles that have now being put on the long finger?...or maybe is there an other use for them?

[ias]

I just saw this http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/040107/new017_1.html .I thought this was announced last year?

IAS

[bulldemboots!]

They still need to supply the basics such as armour vests for security etc...