Fine Gael Kildare South TD, and Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, has welcomed confirmation from his colleague, Tanaiste and Minister for Defence, Simon Harris, that a new state of the art Army Ranger Wing Headquarters will be built in the Defence Forces Curragh Camp.
Welcoming the news of the €46million investment following the Tanaiste’s memo at Cabinet this morning, Minister Heydon said: ‘The Army Ranger Wing is a highly trained and sought after unit within the defence forces, and they deserve, along with all of our Defence Force personnel across all services, fit-for-purpose infrastructure to enable them to carry out their duties.”
The new base for the Army Ranger Wing was a key recommendation made in the ‘Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces’ which outlined that there is a clear requirement to develop enhanced infrastructure to support the planned expansion of the commando unit. Phase one of the project will involved the development of a new HQ building, followed by specifically designed training and operational facilities tailored for the ARW needs. Further phases of the overall project will see the delivery of accommodation facilities, a gymnasium and office space.
The Army Ranger Wing has engaged in high-profile operations, including extraction of Irish citizens in Kabul after the return to power of the Taliban in Afghanistan in 2021. Army Ranger Wing members also executed a dramatic military intervention in 2023 by fast-roping down from a helicopter, securing a container ship, which was subsequently found to possess over 2.2 tonnes of cocaine.
Continuing, Minister Heydon said, “Our Defence Forces are seeing record investment by this Government into their operations. Recently, the new €5.4million Cadet Training School and machinery yard were opened by An Tanaiste at the Curragh, with works continuing on the €8.6million Communications and Information Services (CIS) Workshop also on the Curragh. These investments are proof of this Governments ongoing commitment to strengthening Oglaigh na hEireann, ensuring it is a modern, fit for purpose military and enhancing the facilities available at the Curragh.
“As a TD for Kildare South, which houses the Curragh Camp, I am acutely aware of the bravery, commitment, and professionalism of our Defence Forces, and remain as committed today as when first elected, to ensuring that they are adequately catered for. I am also enormously proud of the Curragh and I will continue to push for further investment there to ensure state of the art facilities and infrastructure to match our forces”, concluded Minister Heydon.
