What do the Army do?

Q

QED

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What do the approx 10,000 employees of the Department of Defence actually do all day?

I know that some do very good work abroad but the 2007 annual report says that the number abroad at any one time peaked at 830.

What does everyone else do to pass the day? I see young men standing around the barracks in jungle camouflage and they all look bored. It all seems like boys playing games but it's costing us a lot of money!!
 
Some practical things would include security at certain prisons or where there is a need for an army escort for taking eg subversives, to and from court

Presume it would also include areas such as the air force and navy which would cover off things like air-sea rescue, fishery patrols, search parties for sunken boats, supporting the customs and excise staff, not to mention flying politicians around the country !!!

Bear in mind as well that whilst there may be 830 abroad, there could be as many training to go abroad on the next tour of duty shipping out.

There is perhaps an arguement for cuts in areas such as the army band and equistrian school, not really sure what practical purposes they serve
 
George Orwell once said, "Your children can sleep safely in their beds at night because my child is one of those rough men who stand ready to do violence on their behalf."

I don't know about the Irish army, but the bandsmen in the British Army are also medics. Again, in the BA the cavalry look very well on their horses, but their working vehicles are armoured cars, tanks etc.
 
BillK said:
George Orwell once said, "Your children can sleep safely in their beds at night because my child is one of those rough men who stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
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I would expect that if Ireland was ever attacked by another country or terrorists we would look to the U.S. or U.K. straight away for help. I don't think our army is funded or trained to actually defend our country - and I don't think they need to be. We have enough bigger friends to look after us.
 
Taken from military.ie


The roles assigned by Government are:
  • To defend the State against armed aggression; this being a contingency, preparations for its implementation will depend on an ongoing Government assessment of threats.
  • To aid the Civil Power (meaning in practice to assist, when requested, the Garda Síochána, who have primary responsibility for law and order, including the protection of the internal security of the State).
  • To participate in multinational peace support, crisis management and humanitarian relief operations in support of the United Nations and under UN mandate, including regional security missions authorised by the UN.
  • To provide a fishery protection service in accordance with the State’s obligations as a member of the European Union.
  • To carry out such other duties as may be assigned to them from time to time e.g. search and rescue, air ambulance service, ministerial air transport service, assistance on the occasion of natural or other disasters, assistance in connection with the maintenance of essential services, assistance in combating oil pollution at sea.
 
Smashbox said:
Taken from military.ie


The roles assigned by Government are .........................:
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I also read some of the list from the web-site and Annual Reports. It all sounds very grand and important. BUT, what do the army staff / soldiers actually do in the barracks all day?


i.e. the soldiers in Longford barracks who were moved to Athlone last year. Now they drive down to Athlone in the morning and back again in the evening but what type of work do they do all day and how is it providing us with value for money.


I am having a bit of a rant about the army - but I'm also genuinely curious as to the '9 to 5' element of the job.
 
I have a friend who works in the Athlone barracks... I will text and find out!

I know he is attached to the bomb disposal unit, and they are constantly getting call outs.
 
I proudly served my country as a member of the F.C.A. for many years and it was because of the likes of me that the rest of ye were able to sleep soundly in your beds at night knowing that, if foreign forces tried to invade our fair land, they would be driven back to where they came from by my comrades and I.
 
baldyman27 said:
I'm not sure I'd want my honour defended by a drunken teenager with a rusty .303!
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I'll have you know that I was more than a 3 star private!!

I always carried a B.A.P. or a Gustav!!!!

And anyway, Smashbox always had a bit of a soft spot for a good looking man in uniform!!!!!

 
Its a good question. On a daily basis they


  • provide security for cash vans in transit
  • provide bomb disposal service which is quite busy in certain gang infested areas, if the gardai have the slightest question they will call out the bomb squad as well as plenty of hoaxes like at the Israeli embassy etc
  • provide security at government building
  • provide security at their own barracks (this is 24 hour continuous shift)
  • provide air transport for various ministers who are too lazy to drive
  • patrol to prevent illegal fishing (navy but they are all the same)
  • patrol to prevent drug smuggling, they helped catch the boyos in cork with that massive shipment
  • train for the overseas peacekeeping missions

General day to day things include maintaining their own telephone and radio systems, canteens, paperwork etc. Strangely enough they have received a number of awards from SEI for green energy saving initiatives.

Sometimes I read for time to time, sack the army they do nothing, so sack 10,000 people is the message. We quite rightly had a fit about 2000 people getting the chop in dell what effect would it be to sack 10,000? the savings on the army budget would quickly be wiped out in dole payments...
 
I wonder how many more millions would have been robbed if the army were not providing cash escorts every day?
 
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