Commission on the Public Consultation Response Template

1. Capabilities – In this regard, you may wish to consider future integrated capability development and the planning and delivery requirements to support a joint force approach in terms of new equipment, professional military education and training, maintenance and development of infrastructure, developments in military doctrine, and transformative concepts, including specialist capabilities, that prepare and support the Defence Forces for future operations.

I believe that the Military Collage should become a proper training campus for military education. Members of the Defence Forces shouldn’t have to go to any collage across to get a qualification in Military studies. I believe that by upgrading the infrastructure in the Military Collage DFTC, Members of the Defence forces wouldn’t have to attend these collages, cutting down on travel and other expenses.

I believe in the terms of Infrastructure, The Married Quarters in the Defence Forces Training Centre and Married Quarters around other Military establishments be refurbished and distributed among the members of the defence forces. This would take soldiers off the housing lists, allowing for these council lists be shortened but as well as allowing troops have a shorter and quicker amount to travel to there units allowing for a more effective workforce. I believe that troops should remain in these married quarters until they retire then they should return the house in full condition to the department to be redistributed to other soldiers. I believe they shouldn’t be asked to leave this house until they have found a suitable one to live in by at least 2 years maximum after leaving the Defence forces.

2. Structures – In this regard, you may wish to consider the most effective high-level Command and Control (C2) structures within the Defence Forces to ensure an agile and balanced approach that can function across all domains at home and overseas.

Additionally, you may wish to address appropriate future force structures for the Army (including its brigade structure), the Air Corps, and the Naval Service, individually as component services and collectively as part of an integrated joint force approach.

Furthermore, you may wish to address the changing nature of reservists, which presents an opportunity for the Reserve Defence Force to further integrate and support the Permanent Defence Force through the provision of enhanced collective and specialist capability across all domains.

I believe that the structure of the Defence Forces needs to change for numbers of troops to increase. Currently there is no barracks between , Donegal and Aiken Barracks Louth. I believe that a barracks should be established in the Cavan Monaghan region. Athlone is currently approximately 80km from the Cavan Monaghan region and I believe by establishing a barracks in this region it would boost defence forces numbers as It would cut travel to other barracks. I also believe by re-establishing the 3rd Western Brigade it would increase troops across the west of Ireland.

It’s in my opinion in terms of the naval service that a base should be established In Dublin. As Dublin being the capital having over 1 million people it would be a great recruitment chance if a naval base was set up in Dublin. This could also protect our waters between Dublin and the isle of man.

I believe the strength of the reserve should be increase massively. I believe that long established members of the RDF should be offered contracts in the PDF regardless of age. It's in my opinion that this would be another way the strength of the PDF could increase. I believe that RDF Members should get the same opportunities as members of the PDF for overseas trips. This would allow trips to be filled as well as strength of troops at home to be increased considerably again allowing for a better effective workforce at home as well as overseas.

3. Staffing – In this regard you may wish to consider the HR policies that support the requirement for an agile and adaptive modern military force. You may wish to consider issues such as recruitment and retention, organisational culture and values, gender and diversity, career progression, and industrial relations machinery.

I believe that the age limitations should be changed for the defence forces. In my opinion the age should be dropped to 17 or 16 for RDF to train and learn discipline also reducing the crime rate In Ireland among young people. I think the age should be dropped to 17 for PDF both for recruits and Cadetships. I think the upper age should be increased from 26 to 35 as the life expectancy in Ireland has risen. I also think the retirement age of the Defence forces should be risen inline with the National Pension age of 66. Once you reach the traditional Army retirement age of 60 for those remaining 6 years you should be given an office job to relieve younger members of the force back out to operational tasks. These modifications would allow for an increase of members in the defence forces both PDF and RDF.

4. Any other comments you may wish to make in relation to the Defence Forces having regard to the Commission’s Terms of Reference

Since the Covid 19 Pandemic has affected a lot of members of the public as well as members of the defence forces, it would have affected the health of very near future applicants of the defence forces as well as current members of the defence forces, I ask that you take that into consideration the fitness test of the defence forces. I ask that It be made slightly easier for people

who have had covid. This would also again boost numbers of the defence forces as more might become interested into the defence forces after having such illness.