Colonel Dorcha Lee (Retd) — State security agencies keep threats to national security and defence under constant review. The main threats are broadly known, but their prioritisation is often not made public. This is partially due to the near constant changes in the factors that influence threat prioritisation. Moreover, in some cases, it may not…

‘Groundhog’ or ‘Sitting Duck’? Why the Defence Forces need strong countermeasures against uncrewed and autonomous aerial vehicles — Part 2 By Andy Scollick, PhD Part 1 looked at how peacekeepers are already being caught in the crossfire between parties, and how that danger is likely to increase due to proliferation…

KABUL CHAOS BRINGS BACK MEMORIES OF US WITHDRAWAL FROM SOMALIA Dorcha Lee* The big surprise of the Afghanistan debacle was not the decision to withdraw itself, but the manner in which it was conducted. This was a problematic operation from the moment a fixed departure date was announced and advertised…

By Andy Scollick, PhD In five, 10, 15 years’ time we can expect Irish peacekeepers to find themselves in situations where they are pinned down not only by artillery crossfire, but also by combat drones and loitering munitions. …

Col Dorcha Lee (Ret’d) — The Russian Defence Minister, Sergei Shoigu, has announced the decision to end the military build-up and withdraw forces from the Ukraine Eastern Border area and from Crimea. However, tanks and heavy artillery of Russia’s 41st Army will be left behind until the joint Russian-Belarusian Zapid 2021 exercises take place in…

‘Media and Modern War Crime; and effects of past misdeeds’ By Col Des Travers (ret’d) About the Author: having served for 42 years career with the Irish Army, Des Travers’ last appointment was as Colonel, Commandant of the Military College. In his time, he served with UNFICYP (1964, 1969–70), UNIFIL (1980–82, 1984–85 and 1987–88), in Croatia (EU Monitor in 1993)…

‘Weapons Testing and Marketing and Depleted Uranium’ By Col Des Travers (ret’d) About the author: having served for 42 years career with the Irish Army, Des Travers’ last appointment was as Colonel, Commandant of the Military College. …

by Robert Gilbey “Reforming the Reserve Defence Forces to include an Irregular Reserve Force as part of an Irish Resistance Operating Concept” Resistance is defined as “a nation’s organized, whole-of-society effort, encompassing the full range of activities from nonviolent to violent, led by a legally established government (potentially exiled/ displaced or shadow) to re-establish independence and autonomy within its sovereign territory that has been wholly or partially occupied by a foreign power.”…

By Robert Gilbey A desirable single force package should essentially have the appropriate balance of protection and projection, supported by a structure of Permanent and Reserve Defence Forces, DoD Civilians and Contractors. In an ideal world, Ireland would have the capability to police and protect all its territorial domains, while…