A KILKEE man has been appointed as the Assistant Chief of Staff with the Irish Defence Forces.
Brigadier General Neil Nolan has been promoted as the new Assistant Chief of Staff within the Irish Defence Forces by Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, Simon Harris (FG).
Neil is a professional infantry officer with over thirty five years experience in a variety of roles across the Defence Forces as well as deployments with the United Nations, NATO and the European Union.
Nolan’s 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.
Prior to his current role he served as the Director of Infantry of the Defence Forces. Brigadier General Nolan has served in command appointments including the 2nd Infantry Battalion, 5th Infantry Battalion and 28th Infantry Battalion.
He also served as the Defence Forces Press Officer and Executive Officer of the Human Resources Branch. His overseas experience includes deployments to Lebanon, Chad, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Kosovo.
His educational qualifications include a Bachelor of Commerce from NUIG, an MA in Leadership, Management & Defence Studies from MU, a MSc in HR Leadership, Diploma in Change and Transformation and a Professional Diploma in Strategy Development & Innovation from the Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, UCD. He is a graduate of the Defence Forces’ Command & Staff Course.
Neil is the son of the late Paddy who died in September 2019 and Margaret better known as Peg who died in January 2015. Paddy was a veterinary surgeon who ran the well-known veterinary practice, Nolan & Malone up until his retirement in the mid 1990s, he was also a local historian. His uncle Michael died in August of this year, he was a solicitor and was heavily involved in the Kilrush Community Development Ltd who initiated the buy-back of Scattery Island in 1989 from Belgian ownership.
It is the latest senior staff announcement for the Defence Forces with Colm Ó Luasa recently 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.
