Major General Clancy appointed as Defence Forces chief of staff

Major General Seán Clancy has been appointed as chief of staff of the Defence Forces. Picture: @defenceforces/Twitter

Major General Seán Clancy has been appointed as the new chief of staff of the Irish Defence Forces, succeeding Vice Admiral Mark Mellett, who will retire from this position September 29.

Earlier today, the Government accepted the Minister for Defence, Simon Coveney’s recommendation to nominate Maj Gen Clancy for the position.

The nomination will go to President Michael D Higgins.

Congratulation's to Major General Seán Clancy on being appointed Chief of Staff of Óglaigh na hÉireann.

Major General Clancy is the first Air Corps Chief of Staff in the history of the state and will take up his new appointment this September. #StrengthenTheNation pic.twitter.com/UVbCyERrX6

— Óglaigh na hÉireann (@defenceforces) July 13, 2021

Mr Coveney congratulated Maj Gen Clancy on his new appointment and also thanked Vice Admiral Mellett for his "outstanding contribution" as chief of staff over the last six years.

"On behalf of the Government, I would like to wish him well in his future endeavours and to thank him for his hard work and commitment over many years of service in the Defence Forces.

"The leadership, professionalism, and dedication shown by him has brought great honour on the Defence Forces and on this nation as a whole," Mr Coveney said.

Maj Gen Clancy, who has been deputy chief of staff since April 2019, joined the Defence Forces as a cadet in 1984, before commencing flight training in 1986.

He has accumulated approximately 5,000 flight hours, flying both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft.

A statement from the Department of Defence described him as a "driver of change and a champion for innovation" within the force.

He played a central role in the development of Ireland's first Emergency Aeromedical Service, established in 2012.

He has also been a strong advocate for leadership and was the co-author of the Defence Forces Leadership Doctrine published in 2016.

Maj Gen Clancy served in appointments including squadron commander, wing commander, senior staff officer operations, senior staff officer personnel, chief of air staff support in Air Corps headquarters and director of strategic planning branch on the Chief of Defence’s staff, Defence headquarters.

Prior to promotion, he served as general officer commanding, Irish Air Corps and director of military aviation.

Maj Gen Seán Clancy has spent a considerable period of his career as a Search and Rescue pilot and was the commander of the crew who received the Marine Medal for Meritorious Service in 2002.

He spent a year serving with a European Union Force in Bosnia as the military advisor to the Force Commander and spent two years as air advisor to the permanent element of SHIRBRIG, the UN standby Brigade.

Maj Gen Clancy, who lives in Dublin with his wife Caroline and three children, holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from Trinity College, Dublin and a Masters in Military Leadership and Defence Studies from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

He is also a graduate of the Defence Forces Command and Staff College where he was the recipient of the Lt Gen Tadgh O’Neill Award.

In 2017, he completed a Diploma in Advanced Management Performance with Smurfit Business School.