HQ for elite Irish soldiers to be built at cost of 46 million euro

An HQ for elite Irish soldiers is to be built in Co Kildare at a cost of 46 million euro.

Tanaiste and Defence Minister Simon Harris is to bring a memo on the project to Cabinet on Tuesday.

The Army Ranger Wing’s headquarters and training centre will be located at the Curragh Camp in Co Kildare.

Construction on the project is expected to begin later this year.

The Army Ranger unit carries out special operations such as the evacuation of Irish citizens from Afghanistan in August 2021.

The Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces recommended developing the Army Ranger Wing so that it has “organic self‐sustainment capability”, including combat helicopter assets “to insert, operate and extract from mission areas”.

It recommended replacing the “complex and opaque” command structure of the unit and clarifying how it would interact with the Garda Emergency Response Unit when required.

It also recommended renaming the Army Ranger Wing to Ireland’s Special Operations Force (IRL SOF) to align with international norms and include permanent Air and Maritime Task Groups in Casement Aerodrome and Haulbowline Naval Base.