Athlone seen as possible site for new Army headquarters
Athlone's Custume Barracks is being considered as a possible location for a new national headquarters of the Irish Army.
The report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, which was established 14 months ago to examine its future staffing, capability and structural requirements, was launched earlier today in The Curragh.
As reported in today's Westmeath Independent, one of the report's recommendations is for the creation of a headquarters to manage Army operations nationally.
Crucially, from an Athlone perspective, the Commission felt that the Army headquarters should be in a central location.
"The Commission believes that Army Headquarters should be centrally located, with subcommands providing an adequate national disposition. A post of Army Sergeant Major should be created and located in Army Headquarters," the report stated.
The Defence Forces is believed to have been aware of this recommendation from the Commission for some time, and to have carried out preliminary planning for the establishment of the headquarters.
"Planning is now underway to address these findings and Athlone, due to its location in the geographical centre of the country, is being actively considered as the location for the new national Army headquarters," according to a Defence Forces source.
The report from the Commission on the Defence Forces concluded that the current Army structures were too heavily weighted towards the East, and the Dublin region.
"The Commission has noted the widespread concerns of serving personnel that the post-2012 structures of the Defence Forces no longer support adequate rank progression opportunities in the regions, with the current Army structure being skewed towards the eastern region," it stated.
It's thought that creation of a national Army headquarters at Custume Barracks would bring a significant increase in the number of personnel based there, and would also strengthen Athlone's chances of ultimately achieving city status.
There has been uncertainty around the long-term future of Custume Barracks throughout the last decade. As part of 2012's restructuring the 4th Western Brigade, which had its headquarters in Athlone and was one of three Army brigades nationally, was disestablished.
The Commission on the Defence Forces did not recommend re-establishing an additional Army brigade, but it was critical of aspects of the 2012 restructuring and the way in which it was implemented.
In respect of the existing Army structure, the Commission said the two-brigade system "primarily comprises two regional administrative structures that are not deployable and do not align to international standards in terms of their strength or capabilities.
"Furthermore, among other issues, the current battalions do not align to NATO standards, are under‐staffed and under‐resourced," it said.
The Commission recommended an increase in personnel across the Defence Forces, from its current position of 9,500 staff to approximately 11,500.
On working conditions, it called for a number of changes including better healthcare for soldiers, improving accommodation, and re-adjusting pay scales so that the lowest-paid don't wait as long for pay increases to kick in.
The report also included recommendations on limiting working time for soldiers, reducing commuting, and making greater use of remote and online learning.
Reacting to the Commission's findings, Defence Minister Simon Coveney told RTÉ it was "probably the most significant report" into the Defence Forces in the last 50 years.
Mr Coveney said it was "a very credible, hard-hitting honest report that the Government now needs to find a way of responding to."
The Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, Lieutenant General Seán Clancy, said implementing the findings of the report would be a marathon, not a sprint.
"The Defence Forces will need time and space to develop a plan of action to implement the recommendations that are accepted by government," he said.
* For more details and reaction, see next week's Westmeath Independent