Large-scale army job losses would be disastrous for town

Large-scale job losses at Custume Barracks would be absolutely disastrous for the town of Athlone, should they come to pass, with fears growing that the loss of the brigade headquarters status at the army barracks could result in the exodus of some 500 soldiers from the town to elsewhere in the country. Defence Minister Alan Shatter failed to allay growing fears this week when he visited Custume Barracks on Monday to launch the new air ambulance service, which will be based at the army barracks. When pressed on the issue and the possible job implications it would have if the Western Brigade was to be disbanded, Minister Shatter would simply say that discussions were ongoing regarding the reorganisation of the brigade structure within the Defence Forces. It was announced late last year that a review of the brigade structure was to be undertaken, reorganising the current three brigades into two. The other two brigades are headquartered in Dublin and Cork, resulting in strong speculation from the outset that the Western Brigade will be the one to lose out. However, it remains to be seen what the loss of brigade headquarter status will mean for Athlone, with fears mounting in some circles that Athlone could be in for a post-Treaty referendum nightmare with up to 500 troops being redeployed elsewhere. Some of the units in Custume Barracks that are brigade units, rather than attached to the barracks, include the 4th Field Engineers, the Brigade Training Centre, signal and medical corps, the Ordnance Corps, Military Police and the 4th Cavalry Squadron, which was previously based in Longford barracks before a decision was made to close this army barracks. It is not yet clear whether Athlone would lose all or any of these units should the decision be made to abolish the 4th Western Brigade, but if Custume Barracks were to lose all of these units it could mean the departure of between 500 and 600 soldiers from the town. If the Government decides to downgrade Custume Barracks, which is the oldest occupied military barracks in Europe, resulting in such significant losses of jobs in the town, it would be disastrous for Athlone. The town has been somewhat insulated for the recession, thanks in no small part to the presence of the army barracks, the Department of Education, AIT and a number of large multinational companies, such as Ericcson and Alkermes. However, the loss of some 500 jobs to the town would badly damage the town's economy, not to mention the social impact it would have in Athlone, with military life playing a massive part in the community. Not only would it be disastrous for Athlone, however, but it would essentially be the death knell for the Fine Gael party locally if its Government were to downgrade the barracks to such an extent that would result in the workforce being more than halved. The party is still recovering locally from the decision to close Columb Barracks in Mullingar as well as the fallout from the closure of the emergency department in Roscommon County Hospital, which did severe damage to the Fine Gael party and saw it lose South Roscommon TD Denis Naughten from its ranks. A decision now that would have such a devastating impact on the economy of Athlone would simply be political suicide for Fine Gael in this region. The party may have benefitted from the swing against Fianna Fail last year, but if it were to make a decision like this now it may well suffer the same fate as the previous Government at the hand of Athlone's electorate. While 24 hours may be a long time in politics, the loss of such a large workforce to the town is not something that will be forgotten easily, something the Minister should remember when making his decision on the future of Custume Barracks.