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Colonel Colm Ó Luasa. Alamy Stock Photo

Government appoints former senior Army Ranger Wing officer to Deputy Chief of Staff post

He will succeed Major General Adrian Ó Murchú, who retired in February.

THE GOVERNMENT HAS appointed Colonel Colm Ó Luasa as a Deputy Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, a wide-ranging role which includes responsibility for human resources. 

Ó Luasa, a former senior officer in the Army Ranger Wing and the Cavalry Corps, has been working as the Director of Transformation Management which is implementing the programme to modernise the Defence Forces structures.

Along with managing the massive project in purchasing everything from new uniforms and radar, to aircraft and naval ships, the Defence Forces is also undergoing a major redesign of its senior management structures. 

He will succeed Major General Adrian Ó Murchú who retired in February.

Ó Luasa’s new role is a hugely complex one covering human Resources, Logistics, Transport, Medical services, Engineering, Ordnance, Military Police, and Legal Services.

The Tánaiste Simon Harris said that Ó Luasa’s experience in the change management role will be a key help in developing the new Defence Forces structures. 

“I would like to congratulate Colonel Ó Luasa on his appointment and I look forward to working closely with him in the future in the delivering the transformation of the Defence Forces to ensure that it is a fit-for-purpose organisation to defend the State and meet the challenges we face now and into the future.

“He brings considerable experience to the role, not least in his role as Director of the Transformation Management Office, which will be of great benefit in continuing the transformation journey,” he said. 

His military experience is extensive – in the Defence Forces he is widely known as a committed Cavalry officer with experience as a Special Forces leader. 

He has 39 years’ service and has performed in a number of roles with the United Nations, EU and NATO.

DCOS-2 Ó Luasa will replace now retired Major General Adrian Ó Murchú. Irish Defence Forces Irish Defence Forces

He has been deployed to Lebanon, East Timor, Liberia and Syria with the United Nations; to Kosovo with KFOR and as Liaison Officer to the EU Training Mission in Somalia.

As a Colonel, he has served as Director of Combat Support Branch & ISTAR (intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance). He also established the Officer of Reserve Affairs before taking up his current role as Director of the Transformation Management Office.

He served in a number of key staff appointments including in Strategic Planning Branch, the Training and Education Directorate, and as Military Assistant to the Chief of Staff.

Ó Luasa is originally from Cork and is married with four children. 

There are a number of positions opening up across the Defence Forces General Staff in the coming months. The military is set to fill the Assistant Chief of Staff post in the coming weeks and an upcoming opening at General rank in Defence Forces Operations in the next 12 months.

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