‘Divisive’ officer system reformed

CHANGES to the practice of recruiting officers to the Defence Forces will see an end to the “divisive” categories of officers who came up through the ranks and those who came in as cadets, an Army officers conference was told yesterday.

Under a modernisation programme, school-leavers, graduates and non-commissioned officers will train together as one category.

The changes were welcomed by the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers’ (RACO) general secretary Lieutenant Colonel Brian O’Keeffe at the association’s conference in Tralee, Co Kerry.