Senior Army sources concur that a big, battalion-size peacekeeping mission abroad is essential for the future operational health and direction of the military.
This State's military's leadership skills have been honed in the hills of south Lebanon and in the UN's other big missions. All the Army's General Staff have held either commanding officer positions in UNIFIL or have commanded other UN missions.
The UN service in south Lebanon also provided our small army (8,500 strong, excluding the Naval Service and Air Corps) with the experience of deploying independent, cohesive units of up to 700 soldiers. Senior Army figures describe this experience as the life-blood of the Army and fear that without such a big foreign operation the military could stagnate.
The Army has no such prospect on the horizon.
Its next foreign assignment for the UN is the provision of a 200-strong "guard and administrative company" with the UN Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE). This unit departs for Eritrea on December 5th and will guard the UN headquarters there and provide security for convoys.
The next-largest deployment of Irish troops is the 103-strong transport unit in Kosovo, which has been in place for over two years. The only other significant mission is the 42-strong unit in East Timor.
The closest prospect for a large mission is a call from the UN for the Army, one of the most experienced in UN peacekeeping, with 53 years' continuous service, to deploy in post-war Afghanistan. The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, said last week that he would like to see Irish troops serving in Afghanistan "post-Taliban".
Should the call come, the Chief-of-Staff, Lt-Gen Colm Mangan, will send officers to assess the proposal and reconnoitre the ground. He will then pass on his advice to the Government.
Army sources agree that it is too early to say whether or not Irish troops might be needed in the region but, given the importance the world will attach to settling Afghanistan and improving the quality of life of its population, it may be that troops from a neutral country like the Republic might be needed.
Military sources say it is likely that a lightly-armed force such as the Irish could deploy would not be needed until the aftermath of any major conflict in the region. However, the Irish have served in Lebanon in very severe security conditions, testament to which are the 17 soldiers killed in action there in the 1980s and early 1990s.
The Army is obliged under UN agreement ratified by government always to have a battalion-sized force ready for action. This agreement, known as UNSAS (UN Stand-by Arrangement System), will entail the Army being in continuous training and preparing for a mission such as that it has just withdrawn from in Lebanon.
However, under the other agreement entered into by the State with the EU, it has also to provide a battalion-strength force in readiness for service with the European Rapid Reaction Force (ERRF). This battalion has to be ready for service by the end of 2003. The sources say that the Army cannot have two battalions operational abroad simultaneously.
At least in the coming years the Army will be better prepared for service in hostile environments. By next year it will have taken delivery of 40 armoured personnel carriers (APCs), with a further 25 shortly to be ordered. It will also have a fleet of smaller tactical support vehicles.
The military budget stands at around £600 million, representing a lower percentage of GDP than most other EU countries. The force strength has been reduced by about 3,000 to its likely long-term "establishment" of 10,500.
Recruitment is healthy, with almost 800 young people applying for 70 officer cadetships. Next year a major promotional campaign begins to attract recruits as part of the recently-introduced policy of continuous recruitment.
As it displayed in Somalia in 1992/93, and more recently in Kosovo and East Timor, the Army can deploy quickly, set up high-quality, weatherproof living conditions and energetically fulfil whatever mission is set for it. Rather this, one retired senior officer said recently, than "stagnating on the Curragh of Kildare".