Latest news with #RossaMulcahy
Irish Examiner
25-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
Defence Forces Chief of Staff warns that specialised personnel are not paid enough
The Defence Forces chief of staff has said the State is not paying highly specialised military personnel enough money for them to stay in the army. Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy said that while he recognised much had been done to pay soldiers more money, 'a disparity between the pay rates of highly specialised military personnel and their civilian equivalents remains'. He was speaking at a special sitting of the Oireachtas committee on defence and national security to deal with recent revelations that Irish military flight operations at Casement Aerodrome in Baldonnel in Dublin are to move to part-time hours, and may even have to cease entirely due to severe staff shortages. The cuts could impact rescue, medical, and policing services. As a result, Tánaiste and minister for defence Simon Harris, got Cabinet approval to immediately extend a current service commitment scheme — which includes annual bonus payments of around €22,000 to Air Corps pilots who agree to stay longer — to air traffic control personnel. Lt Gen Mulcahy said: 'Despite extensive efforts, staffing challenges have persisted as a competitive commercial aviation market has targeted this highly specialised, highly trained stream within the Air Corps." While I wish to acknowledge the significant uplift in the remuneration package for the Defence Forces in general over the last number of years, a disparity between the pay rates of highly specialised military personnel and their civilian equivalents remains. 'This disparity makes it extremely difficult to retain the services of such personnel, including trained ATS (air traffic services) personnel. 'This is the reality of the environment the Defence Forces and indeed the wider public sector are operating in." Dublin Bay North TD Tom Brabazon asked what can be done to make sure the air traffic control issues do not emerge again, as they have on three occasions since 2010. Department of Defence Secretary General Jacqui McCrum said in reply that the Department of Defence is to carry out a peer review of how other militaries around the world operate their own air traffic control systems. In her opening address earlier, Ms McCrum said: 'The challenges facing the Air Corps in retaining air traffic controllers has changed significantly since 2021. 'We have seen an increase in commercial activity in terms of there being other opportunities for air traffic controllers in Ireland. 'It's a fact that there is a growing shortage of air traffic controllers globally.' Read More Government signs new sonar contract to enhance maritime security
RTÉ News
24-06-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
Defence Forces chief blames low pay for military air traffic controller shortage
The head of the Defence Forces has blamed the crisis in military air traffic controllers on low pay and competition from the commercial sector. Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy told an Oireachtas Committee that while there had been uplift in the remuneration package for personnel in recent years, a disparity remains between the pay rates of highly-specialised military personnel and their civilian equivalents. "This disparity makes it extremely difficult to retain the services of such personnel, including trained ATS personnel. These are not excuses. This is the reality of the environment the Defence Forces and indeed the wider public sector are operating in," he said. Mr Mulcahy said several positive measures were under way to address the issue, including the extension of the Pilot Service Commitment Scheme to qualified personnel, agreement to offer commission-from-the-ranks for all qualified controllers, the introduction of a panel of qualified civilian controllers into a First Line Reserve and the introduction of a Direct Entry scheme for qualified civilian controllers. It emerged last month that air traffic control at Baldonnel airport was moving to five days per week due to personnel shortages. Baldonnel Air Corps manages military helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft, as well as garda aircraft. Two weeks ago, Minister for Defence Simon Harris and the Government signed off on a bonus scheme to incentivise specialists to stay in the air corps. This involved the extension of the service commitment scheme to air traffic control personnel, including annual bonus payments. Secretary General of the Department of Defence Ms Jacqui McCrum said the issue of staff being poached by the commercial sector was being felt across several services. "We invest hugely in our Defence Forces and they are very highly skilled and we are faced with that issue in a number of other areas. It is something that we will be looking at," she said. She added the commitment scheme meant that the pay bands for air traffic controllers would go from €58,000-126,000 to €85,000-140,000 with terms and conditions attached. Senator Gerard Craughwell said the department was aware in 2017 that there was a problem with air traffic controllers and in 2021, a working group identified that a crisis was coming. He asked whether the then minister was advised of the impending crisis back in 2021. Ms McCrum said the report was not sent to the minister as there was no crisis at the time, and in 2021, ATC numbers went up. She added that the internal report was not published but she said many of its actions were subsumed into the Commission on Defence Forces report which was published in February 2022. The Secretary General said specific actions were taken on the cadet entry scheme and the commissioning from the ranks. On the commission report, she said that 43 of 130 recommendations have been completed, while the others were under way. A revised implementation plan will be published by the Minister for Defence soon and it is hoped all actions will be completed by 2028.
Irish Post
15-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Post
Government agrees multi-million-euro contract with French firm for sonar system
THE IRISH GOVERNMENT has announced the signing of a multi-million-euro contract with a French firm for the provision of towed sonar capability. Thales DMS France — which specialises in defence, aeronautics and security technology — will produce the sonar, which will be used for subsea monitoring and surveillance. It will be used on Irish naval vessels to monitor activities in the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and, in particular, in the vicinity of subsea communication cables or gas pipelines. Commenting on the award of the contract, Tánaiste Simon Harris said the technology would help counter maritime threats. "This significant investment in sonar capability will provide the Naval Service with a state-of-the-art sonar system, which will enable them to build a picture of our subsea, thus contributing to the important task of protecting our critical underwater infrastructure," he said. "This is one of many strands of work being progressed to address the threats in our maritime domain. "It will serve as an important first step in creating a 'pattern of life' in the subsea domain, with future projects further enhancing this capability. "This investment will contribute to the Programme for Government commitment to focus on the protection of critical undersea." 'Welcome advancement' It is anticipated that the new capability will be available to the Naval Service in 2027. While the Irish Defence Forces regularly monitor activity on Irish seas, the new technology will enhance awareness below the surface. An enhanced maritime picture will also be important for detecting illegal activities such as illegal fishing, drug trafficking, terrorism and espionage. Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy, Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, welcomed the announcement. "This advancement in capabilities of the Naval Service, through the procurement of towed array sonar, will enable our ships at sea to monitor the subsurface space within our maritime area," he said. "This capability will greatly enhance the Defence Forces' situational awareness across domains and is a welcome advancement in the continued development and transformation of the Óglaigh na hÉireann." Thanes, which is headquartered in Paris, recently announced plans to open a third manufacturing facility in Northern Ireland. See More: Simon Harris, Thales
Irish Examiner
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Examiner
Ireland lodges formal protest after Israeli gunfire near peacekeepers in Lebanon
Ireland has lodged a formal letter of objection with Israel after shots were fired near Irish peacekeepers in southern Lebanon. The incident occurred during a joint patrol by the Irish Defence Forces, the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (Unifil), and the Lebanese Armed Forces near the Blue Line on Thursday. None of the Irish personnel – recently deployed with Unifil as part of the 126th Infantry Battalion – were injured. Óglaigh na hÉireann confirmed on Thursday that all personnel were safe and continued to monitor the situation in southern Lebanon. At the direction of Minister for Defence Simon Harris, a formal demarche was delivered to the Israeli government through the United Nations. Ireland described the incident, which took place in the village of Yaroun, as "completely unacceptable" in terms of the safety of peacekeepers and the execution of their mandated duties. 'These concerns are held at the highest levels' of the Irish Government and the Defence Forces, it adds. Tánaiste Simon Harris was briefed on the incident by newly appointed Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Rossa Mulcahy. Just before noon on Thursday, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) opened fire in the area where the joint unit was conducting peacekeeping operations. No injuries were reported. Mr Harris said: '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. 'I want to pay tribute to our personnel deployed with Unifil, who are operating in an increasingly volatile and tense environment.' Read More Hamas responds to US-led Gaza deal with offer to release 10 hostages
Irish Independent
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Government lodges formal démarche over Israeli soldiers firing at Irish peacekeepers in Lebanon
The so-called démarche states Ireland considers the incident in the village of Yaroun as 'completely unacceptable in terms of the safety of peacekeepers and the execution of their mandated duties.' The formal démarche has been served on the Israeli Government via the UN. 'These concerns are held at the highest levels' of the Irish Government and the Defence Forces, it reads. No soldiers were injured and the incident was condemned by Government. The incident took place days after Israeli soldiers fired shots towards a group of diplomats, which included Irish officials. '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,' Tánaiste Simon Harris said earlier this week. 'I want to pay tribute to our personnel deployed with UNIFIL, who are operating in an increasingly volatile and tense environment.' He was briefed yesterday on the incident by the new Chief of Staff Brigadier General Rossa Mulcahy. The incident happened on International UN Peacekeepers' Day. The 126th Infantry Battalion deployed to Lebanon this month as part of the Unifil mission. It is made up of 298 Irish soldiers and 10 from Malta, with over a third of personnel on their first overseas mission.
