Latest news with #DepartmentofDefence
RTÉ News
18 hours ago
- Politics
- RTÉ News
Man feels 'let down' after refused son's army allowance
A man whose son was killed while serving with the Irish Defence Forces has found that he is not entitled to keep an allowance which was granted to his wife. John McNeela's son Private Michael McNeela was killed in Lebanon in 1989 by an by an Israeli-backed militia while on peacekeeping duties. His mother Kathleen was given a dependents allowance following his death. She died last year and Mr McNeela asked the State to transfer that allowance to him, but his request was refused. Speaking on RTÉ's This Week, Mr McNeela called for the Army Pensions Act to be amended. He said the monthly allowance of €340 "would make a difference to him". Mr McNeela said that the Defence Forces "couldn't have done enough" for his family after his son's death, but that at the moment he feels "let down and disappointed" and called on Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris to act. "Not many cases like this comes up. I think there is more the Tánaiste could do," he said. He added that the military pension system is "not right and is obsolete". "I would ask the minister to do all he can as he's the only man that can change it," Mr McNeela said. Sinn Féin TD Ruairí Ó Murchú described the situation as "unfair and mean". "We require the Government to step up to the mark," he said, as the State should be looking after the families of soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice "I would much prefer that this was dealt with quietly, that there wasn't a need to do it in the public domain. But unfortunately, that is not the case. "We've all seen pension anomalies before. We're all open to some sort of interim solution, and there is a requirement to change the legislation". In a statement, the Department of Defence said it "treats any case involving a deceased soldier with the utmost of sensitivity". "In this specific case, under the current law, the Army Pensions Act, there is no provision to transfer a Dependants Allowance to another person, at any stage. "The Secretary General of the Department of Defence will this week raise this case with her colleagues in the Department of Social Protection to see what other supports may be available to Mr McNeela. "Like all families of deceased soldiers, we will do all we can to support them," it said.
IOL News
2 days ago
- Business
- IOL News
Trump and his 90-day panacea
It took a lot of humility from the President Donald Trump administration to squeeze in a meeting with the Chinese delegation in Geneva led by the Vice Premier, He Lifeng. THE secret meeting in Geneva between the US and China was indeed secret. It had to be. Either it's secrecy lay in the preparations leading up to the moment, including the contriving of the agenda, or it was in the venue. No matter. The fact of the matter is, the meeting was urgent and unavoidable. It took a lot of humility from the President Donald Trump administration to squeeze in a meeting with the Chinese delegation in Geneva led by the Vice Premier, He Lifeng. He was in Switzerland for a bilateral meeting. And the American delegation showed up for a brief one. The brevity of the encounter was reflective of secretive diplomatic artistry, and for its agenda and its outcomes, could not enjoy the description as negotiations. Armed with a memorandum to reduce the ad valorem tax on scheduled items to 10% except for the synthetic opioid fentanyl, which would remain at 20%, the US Treasury Secretary met his counterpart, exchanged pleasantries and signed the Memo. The memorandum seeks to engage the Chinese in many strategic areas where they could cooperate with the US or maintain channels of trade cooperation with minimum rancour. Realising the importance of a setting that would permit a series of meetings, each at different levels of political mandate, a period of three months was nominated. The desperation of the Trump administration is not only apparent but understandable as well. If the trip to West Asia represented a massive optics victory, it was dampened by the Palace in the Sky gift from Qatar. To his visible irritation, he constantly has to defend himself or the Department of Defence or both, depending on the discourtesy of the enquirer and the awkwardness of the moment. The Liberation Day strategy was supposed to have defined a US levelling up to a world that was ripping them off. The scientific mechanism to implement this economic objective was the recalibration calculus, whose science was familiar to neither science nor economics. The President's logic sought to prevail on the apparatus of state, and therefore of the world at large that the only way to equalise with a country that has a trade surplus with the US, $263 billion (R4.7 trillion) in the case of China, is to impose tariffs equal to such surplus. And while the shock to such illogicality registered in graduations, each more intense than the other, the Trump administration announced that they would negotiate with each of the countries on his chart who are lining up and begging the US for reprieve from the harshness of the tariffs or sanctions, if you will. When there were no long queues by world leaders pining for trade negotiations and relief, the embattled Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, announced that all the identified countries would be slapped with 10% tariffs across the board, an embarrassing failure of strategy if nought else. If the highest tariffs averaged 50%, China was slapped with a whopping 245%. It became apparent that the raison d'être of tariffs was a roundabout way to escalate the China containment strategy. China did not beg for mercy. It retaliated with its own tariffs by targeting those items that would hurt the US economy the most. President Xi Jinping was not bullied to pick up the phone and call President Trump. And therein lies the rub! When pressed on why the Chinese did not shiver in terror and humiliation and call for negotiations, the verbosity of the Donald became circumlocutory and evasive. But one way or the other, he was convinced, he would close the deal with China. And in Geneva, he did not close the type of deal he envisaged. He therefore gave it 90 days. Yet the President could not wait to get to the next stage of the containment strategy, and so soon thereafter, the US President unleashed a tirade, accusing the Chinese of violating an agreement they are still planning to have. It comes as no surprise that Scott Bessent went to Geneva with a 90-day validity of any discussion to be had. The Trump administration has a bewildering obsession with 90 days. If it was not the TikTok imbroglio, it was the USAID suspension of foreign activities or indeed all those policies that got ensnared in the fast-swirling vortex of 69 Executive Orders in 100 days. 90 days seem to define a government when its mind is not made, creating its own 90-day breathing space. The most intriguing question is what happens at the effluxion of the period, when inescapable reality imperatives meet policy indecision. In his inimitable style, the Don has a quixotic retort, no pun intended. 'We'll see what happens'! 90 days notwithstanding, the communique is suspiciously silent about sanctions, especially indirect secondary ones meant for trade with third countries, which the US deeply despises. The relationship between the tariffs negotiations and sanctions is deceptively subtle. Neither the Americans nor the Chinese made reference to them. But they are writ large, however, and tend to dominate the overburdened consciousness of a severely divided world. There is an added 25% ad valorem tax levied on countries purchasing oil from Venezuela. China happens to be the largest importer of Venezuelan oil. There is an added 100% ad valorem tax slapped on countries purchasing oil from Iran. And here too, China happens to be the largest importer of Iranian oil. And now the biggest punitive package ever contemplated in the history of tariffs or the US is contained in the Blumenthal-Graham-sponsored bill called the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025. It proposes to impose primary and secondary sanctions against Russia and anyone else buying goods from Russia. It will also impose 500% tariffs on any country that purchases oil and gas, and other refined products from Russia. Predictably, China happens to be the largest purchaser of Russian oil and gas. Within the context of the China containment strategy, which is a military manoeuvre dressed in trade garb, the trigger moment is likely to be in the South China Sea. China, for its part, is an uncooperative client. They have seen the unfolding of this bellicose script from afar. They have contemplated it with disdain, and in their remonstration, have retaliated with their own tariffs. What the effect of sanctions on tariffs shall be is a vexatious enquiry notorious for its tautology. Its implications, however, are horrifying to say the least. What would be the utility of tariff reduction to 10% if they have to go back to 1000% because of secondary sanctions imposed against countries doing business with Venezuela, Iran and possibly Russia? No need to ask. The Don already has the answer… We'll see what happens! * Ambassador Bheki Gila is a Barrister-at-Law. ** The views expressed here do not reflect those of the Sunday Independent, IOL, or Independent Media.
Irish Examiner
3 days ago
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Ireland to lodge letter of objection to Israel over shots fired close to patrol
Ireland is to lodge a formal letter of objection with Israel after shots were fired in the vicinity of peacekeepers in southern Lebanon. The incident came during a joint Irish United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil) and Lebanese Armed Forces patrol close to the Blue Line on Thursday. None of the Irish personnel — who were recently deployed to Unifil as part of the 126th Infantry Battalion — were injured in the incident. Óglaigh na hÉireann said on Thursday that all personnel were reported to be safe and well, and that they continued to monitor the situation in southern Lebanon. Irish and Maltese peacekeeping troops on patrol in Lebanon earlier this year (Niall Carson/PA) Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris said he had been briefed by the incoming chief of staff Brigadier General Rossa Mulcahy. He said just before midday, the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF) had fired shots into the patrol area. He also confirmed that a formal letter of objection from Ireland would be lodged with Israel via the UN on Friday. 'Brigadier General Mulcahy provided me with a detailed briefing on the serious events that took place yesterday involving Irish Defence Force personnel in southern Lebanon,' Mr Harris said. My officials in the Department of Defence will today formally lodge a protest letter over what happened yesterday and this will be communicated directly with Israel 'It's clear to me that the actions of the IDF were reckless, intimidatory, totally unacceptable and a clear breach of the international rules surrounding peacekeeping. 'Brigadier General Mulcahy has assured me that all of our troops impacted are safe and well. They have been debriefed following the incident and patrols are continuing as normal today. 'I want to pay tribute to our personnel deployed with Unifil, who are operating in an increasingly volatile and tense environment. 'My officials in the Department of Defence will today formally lodge a protest letter over what happened yesterday and this will be communicated directly with Israel.' Read More Taoiseach and President warn Ireland is target of Israeli propaganda over Gaza stance
Irish Examiner
6 days ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Ireland to rely on foreign navies for undersea threat detection until 2027, says Tánaiste
Ireland will have to continue until at least July 2027 to rely on 'friendly' foreign navies to detect underwater threats off our coast from Russian spy ships and submarines. Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris has said he expects contract negotiations for the supply of advanced sonar technology to conclude in the coming months. However, the first sonar system is not expected to be delivered until July 2027. Irish navy ships were equipped with the technology up until the mid-1980s. However, when it was in need of upgrading or replacing, the Department of Defence at the time decided this was too expensive. Sonar is the only way the Navy can get a picture of underwater threats, especially to critically important subsea cables which carry millions of financial and other data transactions between Europe and North America. About 75% of all transatlantic cables pass through Ireland's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). In total, our EEZ covers 220 million acres (880,000 km²) — around ten times the size of our landmass. The Russians have repeatedly sent so-called spy ships, such as Yantar, to the cable areas. It is believed that such ships deploy submersibles that have been mapping the cables' coordinates and could potentially plant explosives that might be triggered in the event of a major war — severely hampering allied communications and economies. However, none have been discovered to date. The British, French, NATO, and occasionally the US Navy have been monitoring Russian activity in our EEZ. Two years ago, the Irish Examiner exclusively revealed that a Russian submarine surfaced just outside the entrance to Cork Harbour. Because the Irish Navy had no sonar, it was unable to monitor the submarine's movements underwater. A British helicopter soon arrived and deployed sonar into the sea to track it. Shortly afterwards, a Royal Navy warship helped drive it away. The submarine surfaced just outside Ireland's 12-nautical-mile sovereign waters limit. It is now believed that the submarine's commander knew the Naval Service had no undersea tracking capability and was waiting for a British response as part of war gaming, while also testing the level of military cooperation between Ireland and the UK. Meanwhile, Mr Harris has responded to a Dáil question from Fianna Fáil Cork South-Central TD Seamus McGrath by revealing that the current strength of the Navy is 745 personnel — far short of the minimum 1,094 required to run the force. He said 97 personnel were inducted into the Navy last year. These included 80 enlisted members, 13 officers, and two former members who had previously left the service but decided to re-enlist. The Navy has been working hard to recruit experienced specialists from the private sector. However, it only managed to attract one chef and one engine room fitter—skilled roles the service is critically short of. Mr Harris said three Atlantic-capable P60-class vessels are currently available for operations, but they conduct patrols on a rotation basis — usually just one at a time. In addition, a smaller ship, LÉ Aoibhinn, purchased from New Zealand, is currently on duty. However, it is not robust enough for Atlantic patrols and primarily operates close to the coastline in the Irish Sea. He did not comment when asked about when her sister ship, LÉ Gobnait, might become operational.
Eyewitness News
7 days ago
- Business
- Eyewitness News
SIU investigating defence dept over COVID-era tender
JOHANNESBURG - The Department of Defence is being investigated for a COVID-era tender related to the supply of elastic loops for surgical masks. President Cyril Ramaphosa has signed a proclamation for the Special Investigating Unit (SIU) to probe a tender issued in 2021 by the Central Procurement Service Centre. The centre is a procurement unit within the defence department. SIU spokesperson Kaizer Kganyago said they were investigating whether there were any cases of maladministration on the part of the department or service providers. "The SIU probe will examine whether the procurement and contracting were made in a manner that is not fair, competitive, transparent, equitable, or cost-effective or in violation of applicable legislation, guidelines, or instructions from the National Treasury. This includes the department's or the state's unauthorised, irregular, or wasteful expenditure. Furthermore, the SIU will seek to establish if there was any misappropriation of unidentified payments received by the department."
