The resources available to our nation from our army should be explored in these times of difficulty.
I had a chance meeting recently with an officer from the Irish Army reserve. He said something to me that really struck a chord. He told me of a conversation he had with his company and how he suggested that the young recruits might, in the near future, be servicing soup kitchens instead of practising to be soldiers. This vision gave me quite a shock!
In America during the great Depression of the 1930s, soup kitchens where a daily part of life for millions of Americans. When the fabric of an economy starts to collapse many citizens can be pulled down with it. While we like to imagine our systems as robust, they can fail.
According to Wikipedia Ireland spent US$1.3 billion in 2007 on military expenditure. Whether this expenditure is justified from a sustainable development prospective is a debate for another day. However this expenditure does provide significant human resources that could be made available to the state as this contraction becomes embedded.
The current size of the Irish Armed Forces is estimated at 10,200 soldiers. In total the Irish defence forces number 22,600 personel including the reserves. This is a considerable resource that is available to the state. It is highly likely that during this economic contraction the social fabric of our society will be stretched to its limits. The Army is in a very interesting position to assist Irish sociey as this difficult time unfolds. The organisational structures, the human resources and skills available and the ability of our soldiers to get stuck into a tough job are qualities that may well be required in the years ahead.
Knowing that it has these talents are available to it might it be a good idea for the government to examine the activities of our armed forces and investigate how they might be used to rebuild the social and environmental resources of our country and to make ready, plans to assist our people in a time of peaceful difficulty.
