Irish Military Online is in no way affiliated with the Irish Defence Forces. It is in no way sponsored or endorsed by the Irish Defence Forces or the Irish Government. Opinions expressed by the authors and contributors of this site are not necessarily those of the Defence Forces. If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
Or worse, would the cost of AR recruitment v result v output from AR v number with complete OR v not complete OR,
we cost fk-all
2018 Vote 35 and 36 - the defence votes total 1007 million Euro. Reserve pay =2.5 million we cost about a quarter of a percent of the budget and we cant even use all that
2018 Vote 35 and 36 - the defence votes total 1007 million Euro. Reserve pay =2.5 million we cost about a quarter of a percent of the budget and we cant even use all that
€2.5m plus ammo, food, clothing, cadre, fuel etc.
Still **** all but there are more costs than just pay
By way of context, I know of one subhead that will have an underspend of circa €4m this year as they do not have the personnel to manage the projects that were planned.
THE British Army is battling a manpower crisis because of a sharp fall in troop numbers. Some 15,120 soldiers have reportedly quit in the past 12 months with many blaming poor living conditions. I…
Commandant Lar Joy (AR) delivering the lecture "Stepping together – a history of the reserve defence forces 1929-2019" at 2000hrs on Friday 6th of December in Griffith College.
A look back might help us find a way forward...
‘Physicality of what they were trying to do overwhelmed many,’ says top training officer
Army reservists struggle to conduct exercises with their counterparts in the permanent Defence Forces due to a lack of physical training, according to a senior army officer.
Brig Gen Dave Dignam, who commands the Defence Forces Training Centre in the Curragh, said the problem surfaced during a recent 24-hour exercise involving reserve and permanent troops.
“The sheer physicality of what they were trying to do overwhelmed many of them because it’s very difficult to train reservists on two or four hours a week to actually manage and operate in that sort of environment,” he said.
“Notwithstanding their efforts and their commitment and the determination and so on, they struggled. They struggled when we put body armour on them, when we put battle vests on them when we gave them weapons.”
Brig Gen Dignam said the troops were “game as you like”, but that 18 hours into the exercise it was apparent they could not keep up.
That's a pretty damning comment on the state of the reserve. When there was no such thing as fitness tests I could understand, but the gulf shouldn't be noticeably wide any more.
For now, everything hangs on implementation of the CoDF report.
It think this is disgraceful. What about the PDF who cant pass a fitness test? We are about to start recruitment and it only bad news and from Generals it's not good enough. This should be challenged and he should be forced to correct the record. Today the RDF figures would not be the same. Again a disgraceful statement which will only do more damage, maybe that was the intent. Who knows.
Now I'm gone from the reserve since 2011 but could it be the case that the reason the troops struggled with body armour etc is that the reserve are not given the same access to them as the PDF?
Could the failure in training then fall back on his lap, him being the one responsible for it?
For now, everything hangs on implementation of the CoDF report.
Unfortunately, the Generals' comments seem to be fair and balanced. He was a pains to highlight the reservists commitment and efforts to complete tasks and dedication to their roles. And positively commended those carrying out comms and sigs duties.
The reality is the Reserve doesn't get access to enough physical training to adequately prepare for tactical exercises that are prolonged within the current training structures.....which haven't changed in decades despite integration, re-organisation and comparible clothing and equipment. It's still an evening or day a week for the most part.
There's also a massive difference in the type of fitness needed to pass IT's in shorts and t-shirt and what's needed for continuous endurance events constantly carrying weight. Even the fittest person has to train up to exercising with weight carried, whatever their discipline.
And don't forget PDF units will regularly have combat PT sessions building up weights carried long before major exercises, ops are due to make sure troops are fit for them. And even then some troops struggle. How do you factor that level of PT training into the current Reserve training timetables without reducing all other training requirements?
An army is power. Its entire purpose is to coerce others. This power can not be used carelessly or recklessly. This power can do great harm. We have seen more suffering than any man should ever see, and if there is going to be an end to it, it must be an end that justifies the cost.Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
The Brig Gen is not one to mince his words and tell it like it is
He is right to do so
If it puts off people who aren’t suitable good
Problem is for the people who are good enough the Reserve is not fit for purpose as it stands.
Compared to any other first world reserve component it still bears comparisons to Dads Army
An army is power. Its entire purpose is to coerce others. This power can not be used carelessly or recklessly. This power can do great harm. We have seen more suffering than any man should ever see, and if there is going to be an end to it, it must be an end that justifies the cost.Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain
We process personal data about users of our site, through the use of cookies and other technologies, to deliver our services, personalize advertising, and to analyze site activity. We may share certain information about our users with our advertising and analytics partners. For additional details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
By clicking "I AGREE" below, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our personal data processing and cookie practices as described therein. You also acknowledge that this forum may be hosted outside your country and you consent to the collection, storage, and processing of your data in the country where this forum is hosted.
Comment