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Irish Independent
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
President Michael D Higgins lays wreath to honour fallen Irish troops on National Day of Commemoration
Ceremonies took place yesterday across the country to honour all Irish casualties who died in wars or on service with the United Nations and other international organisations. The Dublin event at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham was also attended by Taoiseach Micheál Martin, Tánaiste Simon Harris, other government ministers and members of the Council of State. It was the 14th National Day of Commemoration attended by Mr Higgins as president and the last before he leaves office later this year. Representatives from veterans' organisations, the diplomatic corps and the defence forces were also in attendance. Mr Martin told the ceremony: 'It is fitting that we remember here today all those Irishmen and Irishwomen who died in past wars or on military service with United Nations or other international organisations in the service of peace.' The ceremony concluded with a wreath-laying by Mr Higgins, followed by a fly-past by the Air Corps.
Irish Examiner
07-07-2025
- Irish Examiner
Ireland's cocaine conundrum: 'We only know the ones we get — there could be stuff landing on beaches every night'
Amid all the recognition last week of a job well done — first with the 440kg cocaine haul in Cork and then the sentencing in the MV Matthew case — is the knowledge that an unending tidal wave of cocaine is coming across the Atlantic. 'The interception on Tuesday of the near-half tonne in Courtmacsherry was a great result for the JTF [Joint Task Force],' a security source said, 'and to have that topped-off with the sentencing on Friday of the MV Matthew, again a JTF operation, was icing on the cake'. The source added: 'The one Tuesday was a lot of coordination and logistics among the gardaí, on the surveillance and operational sides of the house, and also Customs and the Defence Forces — the Naval Service and the Air Corps.' The dramatic military intervention of the Army Rangers, fast-roping from a helicopter onto the deck of the MV Matthew in September 2023, is etched in people's memories. That too was a JTF operation [Gardaí, Revenue and Defence Forces] and the LE William Butler Yeats was involved in both. The sprawling international investigation into the MV Matthew — as revealed at the time in the Irish Examiner — identified Iranian and Hezbollah fixers and traffickers and the power of the Dubai-based Kinahan cartel. As Detective Superintendent Keith Halley of the Garda National Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB) said after the sentencing, these transnational organised crime networks have 'immense capabilities, unlimited resources and global reach'. Lessons from MV Matthew With the MV Matthew the traffickers had even gone to the expense and work of buying and registering their own bulk cargo vessel and directly hiring and running crews to operate it. Sources said that particular smuggling operation was 'overly complicated' and that the cartels have learned from it. More recently, the cartels are concentrating on corrupting/intimidating crews working on legitimate commercial vessels to do the work. Security sources were impressed with the operation at Broad Strand Beach last Tuesday. 'This gang ran a very smooth operation,' one source said. 'The guys in the rigid hull inflatable boat (RHIB) were dressed all in black, come in slow, in the dead of night, on a low throttle. 'There's a van waiting, the drugs are loaded and the van is gone. They made it look very simple.' Unlucky for this gang, gardaí had intelligence, assisted by the maritime tracking expertise of the Maritime Analysis and Operation Centre — Narcotics (MAOC-N), the EU drug interdiction agency. The drugs seized during Tuesday's operation in Courtmacsherry. Picture: Gardaí And watching the gang's 'maritime team' on their fast boat as they approached Broad Strand beach, not far from the coastal town of Courtmacsherry, and the 'ground team' waiting in the van, was the secretive Garda National Surveillance Unit. The Defence Forces had the LE William Butler Yeats deployed at sea and the Air Corps was requested, with the CASA 284 taking off from Baldonnell at 3.50am. Two RHIBs on the Butler Yeats engaged in a high speed chase of the gang's RHIB as it sped away along the coast, towards Waterford. But they were no match for the armed NS Maritime Interdiction Team and were caught. Meanwhile, the two-man landing team were brought to an abrupt halt by the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) and DOCB on the road to Courtmacsherry. But experienced officers know that for every good catch they have, multiples are getting through. All you need is a beach 'The reality is we only know the ones we get,' a security source said. 'And given how simple this gang made it look, there could be stuff landing on beaches every night. 'The fact is you don't need a pier anymore. There used to be talk of all the remote piers across the country and how can you watch them. Now, all the gangs need is a beach.' There are an estimated 25 ports in the Republic. According to the Ireland Walking Guide, there are 300 beaches dotted along the coast. The threat posed by gangs using fast boats is affecting much of Europe. Last February, MAOC-N organised an operational workshop because of the 'growing use' of fast boats in maritime cocaine smuggling. It noted the 'expanding operational range' of these boats, adding they were 'increasingly difficult to track and intercept'. As mentioned, South American cartels are using legitimate commercial vessels to smuggle their consignments to Ireland. When the vessels near whatever Irish port they are scheduled to go to, the maritime team takes off and speeds towards it. 'The vessel doesn't even need to stop,' a source said. 'The RHIB comes up behind the vessel, the consignment is lowered down by the crew and the ship continues to port where it offloads its legitimate cargo.' That happened in the Courtmacsherry haul, with the bulk carrier, coming from Argentina, scheduled to dock at Ringaskiddy Port in Cork. Cell structures in drug trafficking Cell structures are not necessarily new in trafficking and the MV Matthew showed that — with bosses in Dubai calling the shots over encrypted phones. The structure often breaks down as follows: A 'control team' orchestrating everything by encrypted phones, in contact with the captain or crew of a mother ship, and tracking its movements, and the various teams at the receiving end; A 'boat team' on the vessel, which exits a South American port, either with the drugs already on board or collected en route and rendezvous with a team at the receiving country; A 'maritime team' is based on a departure point on the coast of the country and when told by the control team, leaves on a RHIB to a designated area at sea and collects the drugs and brings them to a landing point — separate to their departure point. This team then travels either back to their original staring point or another one and leaves; A 'ground team' collects the drugs from the maritime team and loads into a waiting van and typically in Ireland's case drives by motorway to the North and gets a ferry to Scotland, unless some or all the haul is for Ireland. In some cases, the control team might have a second ground team ready, just in case. In addition, authorities are aware of specialist 'all Ireland' gangs, typically based along the border, that provide the ground team service. 'This is a sophisticated system,' a security source said. 'It doesn't always work, as we know, but they don't need it to work all the time and they factor in that shipments will be lost, but that have billions to throw at this.' Ireland bombarded by cocaine shipments At we can see at the map, Ireland is being bombarded by huge cocaine shipments coming across the Atlantic. Estimates based on Garda and Revenue figures indicate that around 930kgs of cocaine has been seized so far this year, compared to about 760kgs of cocaine in 2024. 2023 was a record year, with approximately 3.45 tonnes of cocaine seized. Even excluding the MV Matthew's 2.25 tonnes, an additional 1.2 tonnes was seized during the rest of the year. There has been a massive rise in seizures of just five or 10 years ago. Between 2016 and 2021 the annual total seized ranged from a low of 52kgs in 2017 to a high of 138kgs in 2020. Trying to estimate just how much gets in, without being seized, is very difficult. 'You are never certain how much we are seizing and how much is getting in, but the 10-15% estimate is probably true,' said one security source. The consignments of cocaine bound for Europe that are being seized indicates the sheer scale of cocaine smuggling. MAOC-N made two record hauls of cocaine last year — each of them a colossal 10.5 tonnes. Both consignments were seized by the French Navy, one in the Caribbean and the other Gulf of Guinea, off west Africa, a major supply route to Europe. Drugs hauls around Ireland since April 2023. ie070725 In all, MAOC-N and partner countries seized a total of around 70 tonnes of cocaine in 2024. So far this year, the figure stands at 34.5 tonnes, including one nine-tonne haul, again by the French Navy in the Caribbean, and a 6.4-tonne seizure by the French in the Gulf of Guinea. The EU Drugs Agency (EUDA) said in June that record quantities of cocaine have been seized in Europe in 2023, for the seventh year in a row — 419 tonnes, compared to 323 tonnes in 2022. And just this month the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime reported record high cocaine production levels, nearly doubling since 2020. 'Europe is being bombarded with cocaine and has been since the start of 2023 and Ireland is on the west coast of Europe,' a security source said. The EUDA and Europol, the EU police agency, have been warning in recent years that because of increased security at the two biggest ports for cocaine importation in Europe — Antwerp and Rotterdam — cartels are redirecting part of the trade to smaller ports in Europe, such as ones in France, Sweden and Denmark. Experts here believe Ireland is definitely part of that trend: 'Absolutely, 100% yes,' said a source. 'Every port in Europe is vulnerable. Cartels look for weaknesses wherever they can find them.' Ireland a weak spot in Europe Compounding this factor is the perceived poor levels of maritime security in Ireland. 'Cartels see and hear that Ireland is a point of least resistance, with the well-publicised lack of naval assets and air cover and the crisis in staffing,' a source said. The Naval Service struggles to get more than one long range patrol ship out at any one time, while a dire shortage of controllers at Baldonnell is restricting and delaying Air Corps patrols and their ability to respond to requests at speed. One security source said the drug operations don't always need a physical aircraft in the sky — namely the Air Corps CASA C295 — and that drones would do the job. 'These gangs are so clever that a RHIB might leave point A and, you think, it's to deliver to point B, say a beach, but the RHIB collects the drugs from the vessel and drops the load at point C, somewhere else, to be picked up by another vessel that you don't know about. If you don't have air surveillance we don't know this.' Some other sources differ to a degree, saying the CASA may actually be cheaper than similar military-grade drones with a similar sensor suite. There can also be issues with endurance of drones and their sensor payload. Another source with knowledge of the Air Corps said that the Defence Forces was 'years behind' where they should be in MALE (medium altitude long endurance) drone space. 'They are like little small planes and have endurance for nine to 12 hours and can give persistence in an operating area in surveillance, say over a mothership," the source said. You could then bring a CASA in, which could react quicker and have better sensors, at least in radar. The source said that the central problem limiting the Air Corps — which has received extensive publicity recently — is the lack of controllers, operating, thought to be at less than 50% capacity. 'Without controllers you can't dispatch a CASA, so if there is a call from the gardaí or Customs for air cover outside nine-to-five Monday to Friday, there is going to be a delay as you have to call in a controller on a rest day and scramble a crew. 'Now they did it on Tuesday (CASA departed at 3.50am, although not clear when request came in) but, generally, there's a significant issue there.' This source blamed 'inaction and mostly lack of ambition' at both DFHQ and Department of Defence level in pushing the need to invest in a military-grade maritime drone. A second source agreed: 'We need drones now, but there seems to be very little movement.' The programme for government makes the following commitment: 'Fund innovative law enforcement technologies including unmanned drones to patrol our coast and ports and detect the trafficking of illegal drugs. 'This will supplement the work of our air and naval services in this sphere.' A Maritime Interdiction Team (MIT) receiving a briefing at sea. Picture: Gardaí Asked about steps to implement this pledge, the Department of Justice did not say if was not working on this area and said queries around the operational requirements of gardaí were a matter for Garda HQ. It said the procurement and use of drones by the Defence Forces in an Aid to the Civil Power [ATCP] capacity, including drug interdiction at sea, was a matter Department of Defence and Defence Forces. In a statement, the Department of Defence said: 'The Air Corps currently does not operate unmanned aerial drones for the patrolling of Irish territorial airspace or waters. 'However it is proposed that this capability will be developed in future in line with a specific recommendation in this regard made by the Commission on the Defence Forces. 'The timeframe for this will be outlined in the updated Detailed Implementation Plan for the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, which is due to be published shortly." It said the two C295 maritime aircraft, specially equipped with state-of-the-art surveillance and communication equipment, were delivered to the Air Corps in 2023. "These new aircraft provide a significantly enhanced maritime surveillance capability and, like all Defence Forces capabilities, can be deployed in an ATCP role in support of An Garda Síochána and in support of the Joint Task Force on Drug Interdiction," it said. The 2.25 tonnes of cocaine that was seized from the MV Matthew, a Panamanian-registered bulk carrier, had an estimated value of more than €157. The cargo ship was boarded in a dramatic operation by the Army Rangers, a specialist wing of the Irish Defence Forces, in September 2023. File picture: Larry Cummins It said that, at present, the Naval Service operate a selection of "non-military specification drones" for tasks such as search and rescue, intelligence gathering and fishery protection. Sources have said that the necessary military-grade drones — one with the necessary technology, endurance, operational and regulatory capabilities — do not come cheap and that countries typically buy them in pairs. US prices would suggest two would cost around €100m. (The next CASA has a price-tag of €59m). European manufacturers, such as Airbus, also manufacture similar grade drones. 'It all depends on what exactly you want to do and what you want to spend,' one source said. 'But a drone would not be just for counter-drug operations, it could also be used for fisheries and monitoring offshore and coastal critical infrastructure.' If you are serious about security, you need to spend the money. If you don't, you pay the price. Other sources point out that cartels are constantly improvising and investing in research and engineering — including in semi-submersibles. In December 2019, Spanish authorities intercepted the first ever transatlantic semi-submersible or 'narcosub' in Europe. In March 2021, the first ever semi-submersible being constructed in Europe was uncovered in Spain. In March this year, the Portugese navy intercepted a narcosub in the Azores after travelling from Brazil with a colossal 6.5 tonnes of cocaine — and five crew — on board. Last week Colombian Navy seized a narco-sub with a satellite antenna on the bow, possibly allowing it to be operated remotely by cartels without the need for a crew. Some sources here suspect cartels will also begin using drones to transport cocaine consignments. 'The west African cocaine route is a major supplier to Europe, so use of drones across the Mediterranean is very possible," said a security source. "You could also start seeing the likes of a cargo ship out in the Atlantic launching a drone — without the need for RHIBs." Another source said: 'Cartels are spending billions on technology. They have more cocaine than they know what to do with and people in Ireland and across Europe are desperate to shove it up their noses and not think about how it got there. 'Meanwhile, our navy and air corps is depleted and the government just makes statements and promises. This problem is getting bigger and bigger and we need action — now.'
Irish Daily Mirror
05-07-2025
- Irish Daily Mirror
Defence Forces hunted cocaine ship MV Matthew for five days
The Defence Forces operation to seize the MV Matthew came within feet of disaster – and only the skill of an Air Corps pilot saved the day. Sources say the Air Corps helicopter that flew an Army Ranger Wing team to seize the cocaine-laden freighter off the south coast came so close to the ship that its blades were within feet of large cranes on it. An officer who commanded the air mission told us the chopper would have crashed if any of its blades struck the giant yellow cranes. 'If we clip the blade we're gone,' he said. 'In the best case, we might get to ditch it onto the vessel, or ditch it into the sea. But it's not good.' Now, as eight men begin jail terms over the September 2023 plan to smuggle the drugs here on the freighter, we can reveal new details about the Defence Forces plan, called Operation Piano, in which the ARW, Naval Service and Air Corps combined to seize the ship – and the cocaine on board. We can reveal that: · The ARW team fast-roped 55 feet from the chopper onto the deck in heavy seas in seconds · One of the crew turned the ship hard left just as the ARW operators were roping down · The special forces unit seized control of the freighter in just five minutes · A Naval Service commander was planning to open fire on the ship after it refused lawful orders to stop, and · An Air Corps gunner in the chopper used a GPMG machine gun to provide cover to the ARW team as they stormed the ship. The three arms of the Defence Forces teamed up with Revenue Customs and Gardai to form a joint task force to take down the MV Matthew, a Panamanian registered freighter that had sailed across the Atlantic Ocean with 2,200 kilos of cocaine - worth €157 million. But Gardai and Customs had received international intelligence on the plot – and worked with the Defence Forces to foil it on September 26. Operation Piano started five days earlier, on Friday, September 22 when the captain of the Naval Service ship LÉ William B Yeats was summoned to a short notice meeting at its HQ at Haulbowline in Co Cork. He and his crew had just spent two weeks at sea – but were ordered back out again. He told us: 'I was briefed in broad terms about an impending counter narcotics operation that was expected to happen off the south coast of Ireland within a matter of days and I was given instructions to return the ship immediately to sea.' The Irish Mirror's Crime Writers Michael O'Toole and Paul Healy are writing a new weekly newsletter called Crime Ireland. Click here to sign up and get it delivered to your inbox every week Within 90 minutes, the 44 crew on the €71 million ship were ready and it headed out to the Irish Sea. They had received intelligence that the Matthew and a trawler called the Castlemore were planning to meet up in Irish waters. It was suspected that the Matthew was the mother ship and the plan was for it to link up with the smaller Castlemore and transfer a massive drugs consignment over to it – which would then land it on the south coast. On Saturday, the ship picked up gardai and customs officers and then headed to patrol the area of sea where investigators believed the hand over would take place. The following evening, Sunday, the LÉ WB Yeats monitored both vessels off the coast of Wexford. Officers saw the Castlemore loiter in the suspected drop off area for around an hour. The captain told us he believed that the Matthew had dropped the drugs into the sea and the Castlemore was searching for them. Then, at around 11pm, the captain received reports a trawler had run aground off the coast – and he realised it was the Castlemore. He then took part in an operation to rescue two men from the stricken trawler. A Coast Guard helicopter winched the men from the trawler and they were then brought to the WB Yeats, which transported them to Rosslare port. The Yeats spent much of Monday monitoring the grounded Castlemore as searches took place for drugs in the waters close to it. But at 1am on Tuesday, September 26, it was ordered to chase down the Matthew, which was now off the coast of Waterford. The Yeats caught up with the Matthew at 5am – and immediately started to interrogate the crew over the radio. The Matthew's captain, Iranian Soheil Jelveh, 51, had been airlifted the day before in a medical emergency, and the Yeats' captain had to deal with his second in command. The officer ordered the crew member to head to Cork – but the Matthew claimed it was having engine problems and needed 48 hours for repairs. After several hours, the second in command eventually agreed to the Irish demands and set sail for Cork. 'It looked like things were going our way,' the Irish captain said. But an hour later, it became clear that the MV Matthew was bluffing – and it had instead set a course for Sierra Leone in west Africa. The Irish officer said: 'It was apparent to me then that I was in hot pursuit of that ship. I was authorised to use force, if necessary, to get that vessel to comply with my instruction. Ultimately, I arrived at the decision that force needed to be used.' It was now around midday on Tuesday and the officer ordered his crew to fire warning shots in the air from Steyr 5.56mm assault rifles. The crew ignored those shots, so the captain ordered his personnel to fire more shots – but this time from the heavier calibre 7.62mm machinegun. The captain told us the MV Matthew crew begged for their lives – but still ignored his commands to head to Cork. He said: 'Some of the messages came back were words like 'don't, don't shoot. There's people here who are innocent. We have families at home, wives, children. We don't want to die. And please deescalate.' 'My response was always that they were responsible for the outcome of this action, that they had within their power to deescalate. I would have immediately backed off had I seen the results that we needed to. I imagine it got quite frantic on board. And just in the interactions between myself and the guy at the end of the radio, he was doing everything in his power to put me off the course of action that I was on.' But the Irish captain knew he had to be firm - and that he had the law on his side. He had three other weapons on board: a 12.7mm heavy machine gun, a 20mm cannon and a 76mm main gun. He said: 'I have the options of using the heavy machine gun and 20 millimetre and 76 millimetre weapons. They were the options that were available to me.' He adds he was planning on firing the warning shots gradually closer to the Matthew – and was ready to actually hit the vessel with what is called disabling fire, that would mean targeting the engine. He said: 'You begin stepping your shots closer to the vessel, and if you're into the realm of disabling shots, then you are trying your best to hit critical machinery that would disable the vessel and stop the vessel in its tracks, obviously mitigating against personal injury.' But the Irish captain then got an order to cease the warning shots as the Air Corps were flying an Army Ranger Wing unit to the Matthew – to assault it from the skies. The special forces unit was flown to the MV Matthew on board an Air Corps AW139 helicopter. The senior flyer who commanded the mission said the Air Corps provided a two planes – a PC-12 and a Casa – for overwatch, while approximately nine ARW operators were loaded into the AW139 helicopter and flown to Waterford airport. At 12.40pm, then Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Micheal Martin gave approval for the mission and the helicopter carrying the assault team lifted off at 1pm. The officer said: 'We got radar contact around 25 miles off the South West coast. We were updated then that warning shots were being fired by our naval colleagues who were trying to get (The MV Matthew) to stop. We have planned all along there was going to be a compliant boarding so we weren't anticipating the offensive nature.' But they then realised the Matthew was not following orders – and got ready to deliver the ARW team in a non-compliant landing. That meant positioning the helicopter so an ARW sniper and an Air Corps gunner using a GMPG machinegun were able to provide cover as the special forces team fast roped onto the ship from 55 feet. The officer said: 'We came in low. The swell was around four metres, the wind was around 20 knots and (MV Matthew) was going around 10-15 knots. We've got 35-40 knots coming across the deck as we're getting ready to put ropes on. The swell was pitching and rolling the vessel, which made it more challenging. 'The deck was very challenging. There were antennae, we'd high cranes left and right. It made it probably the highest and fast rope we've ever done onto a vessel. 'And at times we've just barely a small bit of rope on. So it's an extremely challenging and dangerous insertion.' He said the team would normally use a winch to deploy personnel onto a ship – but the ARW unit needed to get on quickly. And that meant using fast ropes which - combined with the closeness of the cranes and antennae as well as the weather – made the insertion extremely risky. And it became even more dangerous when a crew member on the Matthew turned the Matthew towards the helicopter while the fast rope was actually happening. The Air Corps officer said: 'Fast roping on land is extremely dangerous. But going out to ship in quite challenging maritime conditions with 35/40 knots across the deck, she's rolling and pitching with these two big masts that are very, very close and then they decide to turn into us. 'So we're constantly moving, trying to maintain our position on the deck. Once the guy goes on to the rope it's extremely dangerous, if he comes off at 50/55 feet, it's something not even worth thinking about.' He confirmed the AW139's blades were only a matter of feet from the cranes when the ARW team was fast roping onto the MV Matthew. Only the skill of the pilot prevented a catastrophe. The officer said: 'If we clip the blade we're gone. In the best case, we might get to ditch it onto the vessel, or ditch it into the sea. But it's not good.' The ARW team took a matter of seconds to rope onto the ship, a senior special forces commander told us. He revealed they had control of the ship within five minutes. The first operators to land on the ship raced to the bridge - the most important area of the vessel. He said: 'The priority will be to control the vessel. That means it can't be steered in a different direction. It can't be rammed into another vessel, or it can't be scuttled. 'We had full control within about five minutes of the first personnel being on the deck. ' He said he knew once the soldiers landed safely it was all over for the ship's crew. He said: 'We had full confidence that once we got the guys on to the deck, there wasn't going to be anything on the ship that they couldn't deal with. We've got really well trained people. Once we managed to get them onto the deck, it would be over.' Once the bridge was under the ARW control, operators realised some of the crew were trying to burn the cocaine in a lifeboat. The team ran over and used fire extinguishers to put out the blaze – and save the cocaine as evidence. And one of the ARW soldiers then took control of the massive freighter – and sailed it to Cork harbour, where gardai were waiting to board it. The senior ARW officer said: 'We have a lot of personnel who are dedicated to working in the maritime environment and they've got really specialist qualifications in that area. We had personnel on board that day who were able to take the ship under control and bring it into Cork.'
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
Irish Independent
23-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Independent
Letters: Who will protect Ireland when we cannot, and will not, protect ourselves?
Instead, as part of the Government's response to world affairs, we use our neutral status not to invest in security and defence. We choose this path in the hope that it will buffer us from engaging in any overt acts abroad to defend other sovereign states or democracies, but also in the expectation that others will come to our pitiful defence. For years, the Irish Defence Forces have been underfunded, understaffed and underequipped by successive ministers and governments. An example of this is our national waters. These should be patrolled 24/7 against the insidious and often blatant Russian navy and its spy ships. Yet we can barely man one ship, never mind two, out of a fleet of six. Then we have the Air Corps losing technicians, air-traffic controllers and pilots to the private sector. No investment in jet fighters. Why? We have an army that has lost a large number of well-trained soldiers who are being paid a pittance and work with equipment that would not fulfil any mandate if it came to the defence of our lands. Not one tank or missile launcher. We have a police service that should, to all intent and purposes, be concentrating on policing without the added portfolios of security and intelligence. There should be a separate, independent and fully funded secret service with the technology and staffing that knows what is happening in advance of any possible threats to our State. Who will protect us if we can't protect ourselves and why has there been so much resistance to our security and defence in a world that is tearing itself apart? Sadly, we have too many non-combatants, with little or no frontline experience in security and defence, who are making decisions that could hugely impact us as we face a period of global uncertainty. Christy Galligan, Letterkenny, Co Donegal No point in dialogue with regime whose stated aim is to wipe Israel off the map Micheál Martin and Simon Harris suggest diplomacy and dialogue is needed with Iran. This mindset shows their total lack of understanding of the situation. Iran's stated aim is to wipe Israel off the world map, which means annihilating its entire population. Iran cannot and must not be appeased. Joe Dixon, Ballyjamesduff, Co Cavan Office of the President belongs in another era, its cost is needed in this one As the country faces another costly presidential election, one wonders if the Republic of Ireland needs a president and whether it can afford to sustain what is largely a ceremonial office. For me, the answer to both questions is an emphatic no. The non-executive and outdated office is weighed down by protocols and formalities, which are irrelevant in a modern republic grappling with very serious housing, health, criminal and international issues. The president holds office for an inordinately long seven years, and can be elected for a second term. Unlike a general or local election, it is almost impossible for an ordinary Irish citizen to contest this election, as a nomination requires the support of at least 20 members of the Oireachtas or at least four local authorities. In addition to expense-free living in the opulent Áras, the president is entitled to an annual salary of €332,017, nearly seven times the average working salary of €47,967. Presidential staff and ceremonial functions, at home and abroad, cost the taxpayer at least €5 million per annum. Some very fine people, including the current incumbent, have held the office of president. But, in my opinion, the position is now unsustainable and the money spent in electing and maintaining a president of Ireland is urgently needed elsewhere. Billy Ryle, Tralee, Co Kerry 250 million ways to make a miserable existence that small bit more bearable The recent €250m EuroMillions win reminds me of an old adage: Money can't buy you happiness, but it makes being unhappy a bit more bearable. Quite. Tom Gilsenan, Beaumont, Dublin In a post-truth world, media literacy should be mandatory in all schools I am often asked these days by all sorts of people: Where do you get your news from? Who are your trusted sources? In this age of disinformation, alternative facts, post-truthism and the evisceration of mainstream media by the internet, the economics of the newspaper industry have been virtually destroyed. I have to say there are valiant efforts out there by some of the newspapers, but I often find myself asking: Is real investigative reporting on top of the totem pole any more? I also wonder about the editorial standards vis-a-vis fact-checking of stories. There is so much information out there from so many different sources, one wonders how one decides what's true. Perhaps a deeper philosophical question would be: in the world we now live in, is there such a thing any more as objective truth? When one looks at the Trump administration, there appears to be many people who clearly do not believe truth is worth finding out, let alone speaking. Propaganda, misinformation and fake news have the potential to polarise public opinion along with promoting violent extremism and hate speech, resulting in the undermining of democracies. I believe it is vital for schools to provide students with a solid education on media and information literacy as part of the curriculum. John O'Brien, Clonmel, Co Tipperary Tax bill for council's land hoarding is sweet karma for those who created it The Connaught Tribune recently reported the dismay of Mayo councillors at the €385,000 they must pay Revenue for their unused residential zoned land. If a council with an annual budget of €213m cannot make use of its lands, what hope is there for mere mortal private developers without the fairy godmother of the Exchequer to fund them? The Land Development Agency is seeking powers to buy private land, but this is a distraction from the real land hoarding by the many arms of the State itself. Politicians created the ridiculous Residential Zoned Land Tax – that they find their own councils on the receiving end is a most pleasing karma indeed. Alex Wilsdon, Dublin Road, Kilkenny
