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Displaying items by tag: Defence budget

Government is being asked to prioritise money for military radar equipment, including primary radar, RTE News reports.

The Minister for Defence is expected to recommend a major increase in defence spending at the Cabinet meeting later today, describing it as the "biggest Government decision on the Defence Forces in living memory ... and one of the biggest things I have ever done in politics".

Simon Coveney will update the Government on how to proceed with the recommendations made by the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces.

The minister will ask colleagues to increase defence force spending from the current €1.1 billion annually to €1.5 billlion by 2028.

This is the recommendation for what was termed "level two ambition" in the commission's report.

The commission had called for this target to be achieved by 2030, but Mr Coveney is aiming to have the funding in place two years earlier.

More here on this spending programme.

Published in Navy

About J/80 Sailing

Easy to handle the J/80 is said to be less intimidating, safer and better suited for sailing offshore than other modern sport boats. 

It even has a full-length V-berth and 12-foot-long cockpit.

Thanks to its combination of stability, speed, durability, low maintenance and age-friendly deck layout, the J/80 has proved to be a great club boat around Irish yacht clubs with fleets popular in Dublin on both sides of the Bay at Howth and Dun Laoghaire. 

The key to a racing keelboat is that it holds the attention and interest of many types of sailors, young and old.  The J80 does it all, with thrilling 15-knot rides under spinnaker or relaxed sunset cruises with mainsail only. 

The Irish J/80 Class Association was formed in 2017 to represent owners, sailors, associated clubs and to help develop J/80 racing in Ireland.