The Government is to give the Defence Forces Chief of Staff control over recruitment and purchase of equipment, in significant concessions designed to reduce tension between the Government and senior officers over staff cuts.
The draft White Paper on Defence, due to be discussed by the Cabinet in a fortnight, is still expected to contain the widely reported plan to reduce Defence Force numbers from 11,500 to 10,500. However, senior sources have told The Irish Times that it will also contain important changes which have been sought for many years by the Army Command.
Within the last few days the Chief of Staff, Lieut Gen David Stapleton, submitted a detailed response on the White Paper to the Minister for Defence, Mr Smith. In it he argued strongly against the proposed cuts. His submission also covers several other issues of concern to senior officers arising from the draft White Paper.
Mr Smith is expected to meet Lieut Gen Stapleton shortly and to tell him that in future he will be allowed to decide to advertise for and recruit staff when vacancies arise. This change - not envisaged in the White Paper as written - will end a longstanding source of frustration among army chiefs.
Under the planned new regime, Defence Force numbers will be capped at 10,500 but the Chief of Staff will be allowed to decide to recruit whenever he sees fit, subject to the maximum. Departmental sanction will no longer be required.
Although numbers are to be reduced to 10,500, the numbers retiring or leaving the forces for private sector jobs will mean the first recruitments under the new system are likely to take place later this year.
The Chief of Staff will also chair the new civil-military planning and procurement group, in a reversal of the White Paper proposal that it would be chaired by an assistant secretary in the Department of Defence.
Several other changes in the White Paper, circulated to all Government Departments and the Defence Forces a fortnight ago, are also understood to be under consideration by the Minister.
Last Sunday, on RTE's The Week in Politics, Mr Smith said he would not be changing his position on staff cuts.
Senior Army officers are known to be deeply unhappy both with the planned cuts and with their perception that submissions they made to the Department in advance of the publication of the White Paper were ignored.
It also appears that fears that much of the funding for new equipment could be spent on a new Government jet are unfounded.