Irish Times article

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It would do wonders but the additional cash would be worthless without any direction. What would we spend it on without deciding on a completely different direction for our defense posture.

Our government is of the believe that due to our fortuitous position between the UK and the US - we don't need to invest in being able to conventionally defend the state to any serious extent. Until that changes, I don't see how the DoD could justify purchasing and training additional service members to use new tanks, radars, air defence equipment, fighter aircraft, etc etc.

We are going to be limited to small scale UN deployments (with external logistical support), fishery protections (and the odd trip to the Med) and small scale helicopter support for the army (to keep the skillset if anything). I know I've over simplified what the Defence Forces do but it's probably in line with goverment thinking.

Adding a few euro onto the dole to garner a few votes will always be seen as a wiser investment than defence by any Irish goverment.

Sadly the above statement almost perfectly encapsulates the more progressive and "pro defence" members of the political establishment. The less progressive types have an atitude of just scrap the whole lot and spend it on increasing the dole or public sector wages etc etc

[irishrgr]

Or in our case: here's what you want to do, here's what we'd need to do it and here's the disaster we could actually cause given what we have to work with... If you've any queries save them until you've put through four or five meaningful budgets.

Exactly, the Times has oversold this "plan", it was a simple exercise. When the govt. asked the DF "what would it take", this is the sort of response the DoD should have replied with. We get this from time to time from the Governors office as regards the Texas-Mexico border, usually after an election and much beating of chests about "I'll put the Guard on the border and keep the criminal out". Request comes over to HQ, the CONPLAN is dusted off, updated and dutifully sent over to the Guv's office. It is then usually followed by anxious phone calls from the Guv's staff with words to the effect of "$5 million a day????, well hold on, that's expensive, could you give us options at a lower cost???". So it goes from a full mobilization to about 200 bods on the border for a few weeks with lots of photo ops and media runs and quietly goes away.

Given the situation in NI at the time, this was not an unreasonable question for the govt. to ask of it's DF. It's all part of the decision making process at their level. Sadly, it was a lost opportunity to begin a real investment in the DF, develop real defense strategies with the relevant long term investments. So we womble along and have the DF of today, essentially a gendarmerie style force but no real defense capability and none unlikely in the future.

[Flamingo]

Sounds like the sort of thing I would have expected them to do - and indeed have on file and update regularly. In the same way I expect a filling cabinet in Whitehall has plans in how to invade the South, The Netherlands, Belgum, France, Scotland, etc.

Academic exercises, if nothing else.

[DeV]

The Government doesn't need to do a request for a plan to be made

[ropebag]

I did a plan for RAF Shannon at staff college - it was a lot more than 8 pages - for the higher command course I know of one plan that involved the recapture of the Duchy of Normandy...

An 8 page report however isn't the random stuff you do at staff college, it's a euphemism for 'you are, I assume, fcuking joking...?' that someone prepares when there's an idiot politician on the prowl.

[Sparky42]

I did a plan for RAF Shannon at staff college - it was a lot more than 8 pages - for the higher command course I know of one plan that involved the recapture of the Duchy of Normandy...

An 8 page report however isn't the random stuff you do at staff college, it's a euphemism for 'you are, I assume, fcuking joking...?' that someone prepares when there's an idiot politician on the prowl.

Don't suppose you could share details on RAF Shannon?

[ropebag]

Don't suppose you could share details on RAF Shannon?

It was easier than I expected. And I don't just mean writing out the plan...

[pym]

How many neutron bombs had to be expended on Abbeyshrule before our resistance finally broke?

[na grohmiti]

How many neutron bombs had to be expended on Abbeyshrule before our resistance finally broke?

Another moment in our recent history best not spoken of.
ochón, ochón.

[HavocIRL]

How many neutron bombs had to be expended on Abbeyshrule before our resistance finally broke?

Hardened underground bunkers? Hidden aircraft hangers? Secret CIA base? As well as the detention center?

We'll have to nuke the site from orbit...........it's the only way to be sure

[Auldsod]

I had to google Abbeyshrule and conspiracy theories there. Haha.....

[na grohmiti]

I had to google Abbeyshrule and conspiracy theories there. Haha.....

You have to go to the darker parts of the interweb to find the truth. Google will not be your friend.

[HavocIRL]

I had to google Abbeyshrule and conspiracy theories there. Haha.....

There's a widespread cover up. The Irish government actually has several attack wings of F 16s based there armed exclusively with cluster munitions that only target civilians for the Israeli government

[CTU]

There's a widespread cover up. The Irish government actually has several attack wings of F 16s based there armed exclusively with cluster munitions that only target civilians for the Israeli government

Now don't be rediculous, why would you base F16s in a secret base in Ireland, now if you said it was the home of the new Death Star I would have believed you.

[Sparky42]

Now don't be rediculous, why would you base F16s in a secret base in Ireland, now if you said it was the home of the new Death Star I would have believed you.

Actually it's the firing tube of the new StarKiller base, what you thought LucasFilms were here for just a movie?