Future unclear for Offaly soldiers after barracks downgrade

The future of Offaly soldiers based in Athlone's Custume Barracks is up in the air after confirmation that the midlands barracks will no longer be the headquarters of the 4th Western Brigade. Last week, it was confirmed that the Defence Forces would move from a three-brigade to a two-brigade structure, with the abolition of the 4th Western Brigade. The move has been described as a bombshell for Athlone and the wider midlands, although the Government is insisting that troop numbers will be retained at 1,000 in Athlone. Traditionally scores of soldiers from Clara, Shannonbridge, Banagher, Birr and further afield have been based at Custume Barracks. Now, with the loss of the brigade headquarter status - and the likely redeployment of some soldiers to the remaining brigade headquarters in Cork and Dublin - Offaly soldiers will be anxiously waiting for further details of the reorganisation plan to emerge n the coming weeks. In a telephone interview with the Offaly Independent this week, Minister for Justice, Equality and Defence Alan Shatter said the move was not a budgetary exercise. "This isn't about saving money, it's about maximising our capabilities and operational structure." Minister Shatter said three brigades were in place when the strength of the Defence Forces stood at 11,560, but now that it stood at 9,500 it is being reorganised to a two brigade structure. He said it didn't make sense to have three-brigade structure and said there was a disproportionate number of officers to enlisted personnel and the reorganisation meant that going forward there would be a proportionate number of officers to enlisted personnel and the Defence Forces could use its resources to recruit enlisted personnel as they are needed. He said the announcement was "good news" for the region as the Government had committed to retaining 1,000 personnel in Custume Barracks, from the current 1,050. Asked what units the personnel who will be moving from Custume Barracks are attached to, Minister Shatter said this was a matter for the Chief of Staff. The Minister said that Custume Barracks would remain a very important barracks within the Defence Forces and said the 1,000 personnel based there would continue to play a very important role. Asked about the time-frame of the move, Minister Shatter said he hoped the final arrangements would be known within the coming weeks and said he expected the reorganisation to start in the second half of the year.