manning levels, the future.

[ancientmariner]

PO Writer position initially .

It used to be prevalent that anybody within the PDF could be promoted to higher rank provided it Blocked an existing appointment in CS4. If you promote a seaman PO to SPO then that position is blocked to all other departments until it is vacated by retirement or promotion. We had as high as Captain NS blocking Colonel elsewhere in the PDF. If a CPO went overseas for 6 months his rank could be filled at home temporarily, sometimes when they returned the rank would remain in duality because there was a vacancy elsewhere in the PDF.

[ODIN]

Just a quick thought. The current Covid-19 crisis is seeing Naval assets deploying to quayside in cities around the country, but who is watching the ocean while this is ongoing? Again, this highlights the gross lack of investment in the Defence Forces of successive governments and like with our airspace, leaves us horribly exposed.

[ancientmariner]

Just a quick thought. The current Covid-19 crisis is seeing Naval assets deploying to quayside in cities around the country, but who is watching the ocean while this is ongoing? Again, this highlights the gross lack of investment in the Defence Forces of successive governments and like with our airspace, leaves us horribly exposed.

Pre ICG days we relied on the Brits to do the hard edge stuff with Sea Kings for ASR and Shackleton and subsequently Nimrod for MAPs. Our Aer Corps do MAPs with the CASA and ASR is now done by contract. The reason for the latter is the paucity in depth of our AIR assets and the manpower to sustain it over a 24/7/365 basis. The three Naval ships now deployed, including a resurrected P31, will probably act as testing stations for Covid-19. Logistically the front edge of testing, ie swabbing and forwarding to test centres, has swamped those centres/centre, with the result that swab samples are piling up. The centre is managing 900 p.d. but national testing is to exceed that number. Perhaps they need extra test centres or stop sampling for an opportunity to clear the back-log.
Our front edge budget that buys defence items is rarely more than 150/200m Euro about 0.1% of GDP.

[Laners]

There are some other State assets such as the research vessels of the Marine Institute, I'm sure there is some legislation which would allow these vessels to be used in the fisheries protection/ monitoring role if needed .

[na grohmiti]

Two ships, booked for commercial research operations, with one due to retire.
The fishing industry is in collapse at present with this virus. Let's give them a break.
Normal anti smuggling monitoring will continue. If anything this crisis makes the wrong ones easier to spot.

[Laners]

I did say "if needed" and if they were needed the commercial research could easily be put on the back burner .

[TangoSierra]

EMSA and the wider ESA provide all member states with a range of space based observation systems to detect and monitor EU EEZs. This includes: EO/IR/MS/EMS, SAR, VDS, VMS, LRIT, T-AIS, S-AIS as well as AI/ML for ship pattern/behavior analysis.

If anything, it’s a further indictment that the DoD/DF has no formal part of its organizational structure dedicated to two out of the five formally declared NATO domains of operations.

[hptmurphy]

European fishery Agency had a vessel along side in Cork Last week, probably back filling on FP as we speak

[ancientmariner]

EMSA and the wider ESA provide all member states with a range of space based observation systems to detect and monitor EU EEZs. This includes: EO/IR/MS/EMS, SAR, VDS, VMS, LRIT, T-AIS, S-AIS as well as AI/ML for ship pattern/behavior analysis.

If anything, it’s a further indictment that the DoD/DF has no formal part of its organizational structure dedicated to two out of the five formally declared NATO domains of operations.

There is an AIS based system operational in Naval base, AFAIK it meets basic need of knowing all vessels that are AIS active. Our shortfall is scanning higher elevations and of course AS and subsurface monitoring other than ROV's for specific tasks.

[na grohmiti]

With the decline in passenger travel, tanker rates lower than ever with ships being tied up and the possibility of a global recession in the wake of this virus, could we see many skilled watch keepers return to a secure state job in the short term? Could this be the right time to recruit DEs?

[TangoSierra]

The shortfall, as eluded to in the thread title, is the lack of suitably trained and technically competent personnel who would be able to exploit the vast amount of freely available data sources and integrate them into existing DF systems.

The DF is nowhere near the level of data fusion and exploitation it needs to be at. Guess why - not enough people

Compare below (+800 people, PhDs etc) with the the number of people the DF has dedicated to GEOINT/GIS (above zero - just)

http://www.nzdf.mil.nz/about-us/geoint/default.htm

GEOINT New Zealand (GNZ) is part of Defence Intelligence within the New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). Its mission is to provide effective GEOINT leadership, products, services and solutions to meet New Zealand's all-of-government and international requirements to ensure the nation's safety, security and success.

GNZ works with a range of national and international partners, such as: Land Information New Zealand (LINZ), New Zealand Police, New Zealand Fire Service, the US National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), the Australian Geospatial-Intelligence Organisation (AGO) and Australian Hydrographic Office (AHO), as well as the UK Defence Geographic Centre (DGC) and the UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO).

[DeV]

We are in a national health emergency the likes of which we have never seen! Priorities!

[ancientmariner]

The shortfall, as eluded to in the thread title, is the lack of suitably trained and technically competent personnel who would be able to exploit the vast amount of freely available data sources and integrate them into existing DF systems.

The DF is nowhere near the level of data fusion and exploitation it needs to be at. Guess why - not enough people

Compare below (+800 people, PhDs etc) with the the number of people the DF has dedicated to GEOINT/GIS (above zero - just)

http://www.nzdf.mil.nz/about-us/geoint/default.htm

Certainly it has become a norm for Mil Intelligence and Garda Security to talk to each other and to liaise with other European agencies including Interpol. Often interdiction of drugs and Arms were initiated by Int sources outside our immediate territory. There is a cohort of digital media wizards within the country, just set up a sub-unit and recruit the techs required. Our problem has always been inaction and doing Chicken Licken.

[TangoSierra]

We are in a national health emergency the likes of which we have never seen! Priorities!

Exactly, priorities. A dedicated Governement/Defence GeoInt organization could track/trace and visualize Corvid-19 spread.

[TangoSierra]

Certainly it has become a norm for Mil Intelligence and Garda Security to talk to each other and to liaise with other European agencies including Interpol. Often interdiction of drugs and Arms were initiated by Int sources outside our immediate territory. There is a cohort of digital media wizards within the country, just set up a sub-unit and recruit the techs required. Our problem has always been inaction and doing Chicken Licken.

How are you going recruit and retain tech wizards with peanut wages?