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The recommendations will require an additional 2,000 personnel – both civil and military. PA

Pay increases and funding boost for radar sought as part of €8 billion defence proposals

A decision on the Commission on the Defence Forces will be brought to Cabinet today.

DEFENCE MINISTER SIMON Coveney has recommended increases in pay and a raft of proposed Defence Forces initiatives, including radar, as he brings a funding boost to Cabinet.

Coveney is bringing his decision on the Commission on the Defence Forces to Cabinet today.

The Fine Gael minister will recommend that the Government should increase defence spending from its present allocation of €1.1 billion a year to €1.5 billion a year by 2028.

The increase will be inflation-adjusted to 2022 prices, a move that was welcomed by security sources.

This would mean that approximately €8 billion would be spent on defence between now and the end of 2028. Coveney’s recommendation is a level two ambition, according to the commission’s report, and is an acceleration on a 2030 timeline set out in the document.

The move will require an additional 2,000 personnel – both civil and military – over and above the current establishment of 9,500. Work has already commenced on achieving this level of recruitment.

It’s understood that Coveney will ask his Cabinet colleagues to prioritise monies for military radar capabilities, including primary radar.

It’s also believed he will ask the Government to approve the payment of military service allowances to the rank of all ‘private, 3 star’ in the army and ‘able seaman’ in the Navy.

This would remove the requirement for those in the ‘private, 3 star’ and ‘able seaman’ ranks to mark time for the first three years as they would get increments each year.

Currently these ranks don’t get increases until their fourth year of service.

The Defence Forces will also be allowed to enhance the Sea Going Service Commitment Scheme, which aims to provide some certainty about adequate numbers of personnel being available for offshore patrols.

The Commission was appointed to come up with a review of the state of the Defence Forces. It was one of the commitments in the programme for government and was set up in December 2020.

It returned with an evidence based assessment of Ireland’s military in February which essentially said it was not fit for purpose.

Speaking on the way into Cabinet this morning, Coveney said that the recommendations were about more than increasing funding for the Defence Forces.

“It’s also about a very fundamental reform to the Defence Forces, it’s about a change of culture, it’s about getting an awful lot more women into the Defence Forces, [and] it’s about increasing the size of the Defence Forces very significantly,” he said.

The Journal reported earlier this month that the delay in bringing a memo to Cabinet for the implementation of the Commission on Defence Forces recommendations was being blamed on friction between two Government departments.

It was pushed back as the Department of Defence (DOD) and Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) engaged in discussions regarding funding.

Last week a Capability Report of Ireland’s defence sector identified frustrations with funding management, a lack of a defined Defence policy document and “extremely strained” tensions between Defence Forces personnel and civilian leadership.

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    Mute Kevin Ryan
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 3:23 PM

    And Kate chose Paul when, after a short nap, he clicked his fingers and she felt a powerful new attraction to him.

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    Mute IrishGravyTrain
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 3:26 PM

    Any pictures of this Kate? . Lets have a gawk at her.

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    Mute Cormac
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 5:32 PM

    We need Alan Partridge to follow his lead

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    Mute Eoin Fleming
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 3:35 PM

    “look into my eyes, not around the eyes into eyes, romance isn’t dead”

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    Mute jerome murphy
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 3:32 PM

    This is a stupid article? Why give this clown the publicity

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    Mute JJ O Riordan
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 3:18 PM

    And they say romance is dead.

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    Mute Diarmuid Lucey
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 3:31 PM

    Tinder must be outdated now……..here comes the craze of Excel spreadsheet dating.

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    Mute JJ O Riordan
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 3:35 PM

    Or bring all the candidates into a room while you give a PowerPoint presentation on all of their strengths and weaknesses.

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    Mute Anto Curran
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 3:23 PM

    Whatever formula works for him!

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    Mute Christmas Carol
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 4:18 PM

    Wait. So is he saying that Kate ….isn’t pretty? What a charmer.

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    Mute Chauncey Gardiner
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 4:16 PM

    Really wish I hadn’t read that!

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    Mute Niamhs
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 3:33 PM

    LTD Paul, LTD….

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    Mute Eamon Coakley
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 4:48 PM

    And so Kate, what first attracted you to the millionaire Paul McKenna?………

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    Mute Brian Ward
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 6:27 PM

    Maybe she chose him for his balance sheet so all in all I’m sure they will be well matched.

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    Mute Lurfic
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 3:25 PM

    Am I the only one who’s never heard of this person?

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    Mute Pat Comer
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 3:28 PM

    You’ll remember everything when he clicks his fingers.

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    Mute Cosmo Kramer
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 4:02 PM
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    Mute RJ.Fallon
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 6:31 PM

    Yes he would Paul,professional Associations do not allow registered practitioners to take part in public entertainment.

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    Mute RJ.Fallon
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 4:21 PM

    At least he is not claiming to be a professional therapist, he would lose his license straight away for doing public entertainment performances.

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    Mute Paul Horgan
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    Jan 3rd 2016, 5:54 PM

    No he wouldn’t

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