THE MINISTER FOR Defence, Tánaiste Simon Harris, has appointed a new Assistant Chief of Staff to the Irish Defence Forces. 

Brigadier General Neil Nolan has served for more that 35 years as an infantry officer. He is well known in the Defence Forces and has served in a variety of roles across the military as well as deployments with the United Nations, NATO and the EU.

Nolan hails from County Clare and his most recent appointment was as Director of the Army Force Design office with responsibility for planning and designing the future structures and capabilities of the Army. He has also served as Director of Infantry of the Defence Forces.

The officer has has served in command appointments across a number of battalions and has also worked as Defence Forces Press Officer and Executive Officer of the Human Resources Branch.

His overseas service includes deployments to Lebanon, Chad, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo.

The appointment of Nolan is the latest senior staff announcement for the Defence Forces with Colm Ó Luasa announced as Deputy Chief of Staff Support in a wide-ranging role which includes responsibility for human resources. 

Ó Luasa, a former senior officer in the Army Ranger Wing and the Cavalry Corps, had been working as the Director of Transformation Management which is implementing the programme to modernise the Defence Forces structures.

Along with managing the massive project in purchasing everything from new uniforms and radar, to aircraft and naval ships, the Defence Forces is also undergoing a major redesign of its senior management structures.