Strategic Planning - Current Activities
The Strategic Planning Office is involved in a wide variety of projects that take a number of years to complete. Many of these projects are ‘work in progress’, such as the review of the organisation (both PDF & RDF) ; the review on Pensions; and the implementation process of an Integrated Personnel Management System.
The Defence Forces Decentralisation Implementation Group, chaired by the Director of Strategic Planning with an input from members of operations, support sections, DFHQ CIS, DFTC and 2 E Bde, is expected to take a number of years to complete.
When the law required the Defence Forces to make provision for the delivery of its services through Irish, the Chief of Staff directed that An Comhairle Gaeilge Óglaigh na hÉireann produce a new instruction to be known as Administration Instruction A8 Chapter 5 in compliance with its statutory obligation. The Strategic Planning Office is currently working with An Comhairle Gaeilge and is assisting with the monitoring and implementation of the provisions outlined in the Act and the Administration Instruction. Expenditure reviews are another responsibility that have emerged by way of legislation and the Defence Force has carried out a number of these reviews, with Strategic Planning Office participation on the Review Boards.
Other areas of involvement fall under the responsibility emanating from SMI. Apart from producing the Chief of Staff’s Strategy Statements and Annual Reports, the Office also has an input into the vendor selection process to supply the new Management Information Framework to the Defence Forces. And when the "Mullarky Report 2002" recommended the requirement to introduce formal risk management strategies into the management process, the Office became involved immediately with the Directorate of Administration in developing a formal Defence Forces Risk Management Policy. The Chief of Staff’s Risk Management Policy and the Defence Forces Risk Management Framework were produced recently and implementation will take place over the next number of years.
From January to June 2004 Ireland hosted the Presidency of the European Council. As part of Ireland’s EU Presidency The Strategic Planning Office participated in a wide range of activities, including the running of a high-level Seminar on Syneregy between the UN and EU for Crises Management Operations for EU member states, the accession states, UN officials and other interested organisations.
It is clear that over recent years the Strategic Planning Office has been quite successful in initiating, taking ownership and managing change in the Defence Forces. The feedback is encouraging and is best illustrated by the Progress Report on the Implementation of Modernisation & Sustaining Progress when the Chairman said:
"The result (of the change that has taken place) is that we now have a more efficient strategically focused and creditable Defence Force, which is affordable and sustainable, now and in the long term. The more streamlined organisation has shown itself to be capable of achieving its mission, including the taking on of new responsibilities in Europe... Moreover, this is being achieved while the Defence Budget is effectively held at 2000 level. Few if any sectors could match this scale of achievement."
