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  • Originally posted by ancientmariner View Post
    It is interesting to examine closely the budget structure of the neighbouring nation. It runs at about £46b and is about 1.8% of GDP. about 25% goes on personnel and 34% on various equipment and it's support . The expenditure on buildings and infrastructure reaches 19.5%. They allow nearly 4% for R&D and they have a separate trading agency that buys and trades Defence equipments. If we were meeting western budget standards we would be spending E5bn on Defence and housing our personnel.
    The perennial Defence Review 2019 has come and gone and there was an input by a Naval Lieutenant in the SIGINT/Fibre/ Cyber area. In general a watchful Defence Organisation needs to SEE all of it's defence area, it needs to detect and classify, and have assets to intercept targets or traffic of all known natures. Leaving out getting a unit ready for UN deployment or a single ship mission, do we have any ready capability to deal with now! Can we equip a hot mission. The answer lies in the fact that Defence Force budgets have been passed through a fiscal sieve and the loose change returned to the exchequer at the end of the year. We get academics to Review history and how well we did but much, much more is needed.

    Comment


    • I note a recent dail committee questioned the junior minister with responsibility for defence on the need for supplementary estimates at the years end to fund an increase in pension funds, in spite of the surplus returned from the pay subject being returned to the exchequer.
      Basically amongst the things in the DoD that isn't fit for purpose is the actual defence budget. They give back some, while begging for more.
      We can barely maintain capability to deal with foreseen activities. Unforeseen activities however would see occupants in Newbridge break out in a sweat and reach for the valium. The department is not fit for purpose.
      I glanced at articles highlighting the contributions to the DF Review from the NS and clearly there is nothing inaccurate in what is put forward. Mention even of how the NZ Navy have invested in a second hand offshore support ship to deal with the subsea threat, which they also identified.
      Meanwhile we build ships with the bare minimum of sub surface sensors.
      For now, everything hangs on implementation of the CoDF report.

      Comment


      • I can’t see how pensions are reckoned as part of defence spending. Does the same go for other departments?

        By that logic, Ireland could increase it’s defence spending to 2% of GDP by giving all pensioners a 150% increase, and not a penny for serving troops or equipment...
        'He died who loved to live,' they'll say,
        'Unselfishly so we might have today!'
        Like hell! He fought because he had to fight;
        He died that's all. It was his unlucky night.
        http://www.salamanderoasis.org/poems...nnis/luck.html

        Comment


        • Originally posted by Flamingo View Post
          I can’t see how pensions are reckoned as part of defence spending. Does the same go for other departments?

          By that logic, Ireland could increase it’s defence spending to 2% of GDP by giving all pensioners a 150% increase, and not a penny for serving troops or equipment...
          A budget is for the whole department including , pay and pensions. The notional budget of 890m Euro includes 259m euro for pensions and 106m Capital ceiling. we spend 0.3% of GDP on Defence and for that no sustainable capability--no ready assault brigade--no ready Battalion reserve- no air intervention squadron- no anti-submarine capability- no MCM capability. Just ad hoc and first up best dressed for missions. Terms like capital ceiling mean keep the spending below that figure.

          Comment


          • Originally posted by Flamingo View Post
            I can’t see how pensions are reckoned as part of defence spending. Does the same go for other departments?

            By that logic, Ireland could increase it’s defence spending to 2% of GDP by giving all pensioners a 150% increase, and not a penny for serving troops or equipment...
            At present our pay&pensions:non pay ratio is about 70:30, and it was only strong words in the first white paper that got it to that. If you increased the overall buget to 50:50, without any change in strength, all that would happen is you get to spend 1.6Bn instead of the current, 235m on non pay items, and what would the point of that be? (sarcasm).
            The real problem is this capital ceiling. I am unsure what purpose it serves other than to stop the DF from getting any notions.
            For now, everything hangs on implementation of the CoDF report.

            Comment


            • Originally posted by ancientmariner View Post
              The perennial Defence Review 2019 has come and gone and there was an input by a Naval Lieutenant in the SIGINT/Fibre/ Cyber area. In general a watchful Defence Organisation needs to SEE all of it's defence area, it needs to detect and classify, and have assets to intercept targets or traffic of all known natures. Leaving out getting a unit ready for UN deployment or a single ship mission, do we have any ready capability to deal with now! Can we equip a hot mission. The answer lies in the fact that Defence Force budgets have been passed through a fiscal sieve and the loose change returned to the exchequer at the end of the year. We get academics to Review history and how well we did but much, much more is needed.
              Just reading the published Defence review which confirms we know nothing about defence and a lot about neutrality. There is a commitment to continue with the MRV but the MCM element hinged around the replacement of the Peacocks has been put back on the shelf. This means when the MRV arrives we will be a 7 ship navy. The spend up to 2025 is estimated at E540m and I presume that is the new Pilatus aircraft, MPA's, and the MRV. In the mantime we revert to 6 ships.
              The review includes mentioning the Garda and mutual interaction but also mentions that the next 3 year review will be a strategic Defence Review. That type of review brings hairshirts and doing more with less everything including barracks, bands, brigades, lands, and fiscal restraints. In the meantime we have no hard edge, no air surveillance, no air defence , and an inventory that has been replaced by most modern defence forces.

              Comment


              • Originally posted by ancientmariner View Post
                Just reading the published Defence review which confirms we know nothing about defence and a lot about neutrality. There is a commitment to continue with the MRV but the MCM element hinged around the replacement of the Peacocks has been put back on the shelf. This means when the MRV arrives we will be a 7 ship navy. The spend up to 2025 is estimated at E540m and I presume that is the new Pilatus aircraft, MPA's, and the MRV. In the mantime we revert to 6 ships.
                The review includes mentioning the Garda and mutual interaction but also mentions that the next 3 year review will be a strategic Defence Review. That type of review brings hairshirts and doing more with less everything including barracks, bands, brigades, lands, and fiscal restraints. In the meantime we have no hard edge, no air surveillance, no air defence , and an inventory that has been replaced by most modern defence forces.
                We should not be expecting anything this century as the DoD are focused on "22nd Century Military".

                Comment


                • Originally posted by EUFighter View Post
                  We should not be expecting anything this century as the DoD are focused on "22nd Century Military".
                  Would that be 22nd Century BC?
                  It was the year of fire...the year of destruction...the year we took back what was ours.
                  It was the year of rebirth...the year of great sadness...the year of pain...and the year of joy.
                  It was a new age...It was the end of history.
                  It was the year everything changed.

                  Comment


                  • Originally posted by ancientmariner View Post
                    Just reading the published Defence review which confirms we know nothing about defence and a lot about neutrality. There is a commitment to continue with the MRV but the MCM element hinged around the replacement of the Peacocks has been put back on the shelf. This means when the MRV arrives we will be a 7 ship navy. The spend up to 2025 is estimated at E540m and I presume that is the new Pilatus aircraft, MPA's, and the MRV. In the mantime we revert to 6 ships.
                    The review includes mentioning the Garda and mutual interaction but also mentions that the next 3 year review will be a strategic Defence Review. That type of review brings hairshirts and doing more with less everything including barracks, bands, brigades, lands, and fiscal restraints. In the meantime we have no hard edge, no air surveillance, no air defence , and an inventory that has been replaced by most modern defence forces.
                    That's the plan. Let the DF numbers fall in time for the SDR which will happily suggest further barrack closures to reduce hardship on those travelling to far flung places to do duties (Galway, Dundalk, Kilkenny) opening up more properties to sell so the beancou terms can boast at their next interview how they managed to balance their budget.
                    Defence and Security are very low on the DoD priorities.
                    For now, everything hangs on implementation of the CoDF report.

                    Comment


                    • Has it hit the stage yet where there are more Civil Servants in the DoD than there are serving? It must be getting close.
                      'He died who loved to live,' they'll say,
                      'Unselfishly so we might have today!'
                      Like hell! He fought because he had to fight;
                      He died that's all. It was his unlucky night.
                      http://www.salamanderoasis.org/poems...nnis/luck.html

                      Comment


                      • Originally posted by Flamingo View Post
                        Has it hit the stage yet where there are more Civil Servants in the DoD than there are serving? It must be getting close.
                        With smaller numbers we need more bang at Battalion and Brigade level. At Brigade level at least 3 x 155mm tracked gun, Multi hyper sonic anti-air missile system. Then at battalion level 6 light guns L118 with APS sighting, Rapier missiles , in addition to usual support weapons, and of course towing vehicles for the light guns.

                        Comment


                        • Originally posted by ancientmariner View Post
                          With smaller numbers we need more bang at Battalion and Brigade level. At Brigade level at least 3 x 155mm tracked gun, Multi hyper sonic anti-air missile system. Then at battalion level 6 light guns L118 with APS sighting, Rapier missiles , in addition to usual support weapons, and of course towing vehicles for the light guns.
                          It sounds like you're talking about a brigade that could do some heavy metal warfighting. Unfortuntely not something the DoD will be in any way interested in!

                          Comment


                          • Originally posted by Auldsod View Post
                            It sounds like you're talking about a brigade that could do some heavy metal warfighting.
                            Down with this sort of thing!!!


                            Sgd

                            D.O.D

                            Comment


                            • We were very proud of holding the high moral ground being the first in the world to ban smoking in pubs and getting rid of plastic bags.
                              Wouldn't we be a shining light in the world to be the first to ban our armed forces.

                              Don't laugh the nancy boys are in charge.
                              Last edited by sofa; 19 December 2019, 00:03.

                              Comment


                              • Originally posted by sofa View Post
                                We were very proud of holding the high moral ground being the first in the world to ban smoking in pubs and getting rid of plastic bags.

                                Don't laugh the nancy boys are in charge.
                                Good policy moves though to be fair! The Nancy boys are right sometimes!

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