Our military is haemorrhaging qualified personnel at an alarming rate resulting in the Defence Forces being barely fit for purpose. The chief of staff is responsible for the military effectiveness of the Defence Forces; an impossible task when he is constantly undermined by Department of Defence officials who hold decision powers over him. It is as if the Government wants to maintain a Defence Forces but does not care how effective it is. The 2015 defence White Paper was a missed opportunity to utilise Defence Forces strengths. Michael C Murphy Lieut Col (retired) is former deputy director of military intelligence with the Irish Defence Forces

Source: The Irish Times April 01, 2019 23:48 UTC