Leader of military's Covid-19 battle promoted to senior Cork-based role

Task force established in March in response to pandemic threat

Appointment of Brigadier General Brian Cleary to General Officer Commanding 1 Brigade

The Irish Army officer who has been in charge of the military task force aiding the battle against Covid-19 has been appointed to General Officer Commanding 1 Brigade.

Brigadier General Brian Cleary, who is a native of Athlone, Co Westmeath, will be based at Collins Barracks, Cork.

He was appointed commander of the Joint Task Force, which was established on March 19 last in response to the Covid-19 threat. 

Under his guidance numerous military deployments were made to aid the HSE.

A spokesman for the Defence Forces said a new commander will be appointed to that task force shortly.

The senior officer joined the army in 1983 as an officer in the Artillery Corps and he currently lives in Kildare.

Brig Gen Cleary has extensive overseas experience with the United Nations, EU and NATO.

He has been deployed on a number of missions to Lebanon, East Timor, Western Sahara, Ivory Coast, Chad, and Afghanistan.

He has also served the Defence Forces in Special Operations and public relations, in roles in the Military College and with Defence Forces Headquarters Operations Division.

Brig Gen Cleary holds a master’s degree in Organisational Behaviour (MSc OB) from Trinity College, Dublin and a master’s degree in Leadership, Management & Defence Studies from the National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

The married father of four enjoys a wide range of interests which include sports, outdoor pursuits, triathlon and choral singing.

As the senior officer in charge of 1 Brigade he will oversee military operations in Carlow, Laois, Offaly, Kilkenny, Wexford, Waterford, Cork, Kerry, Limerick Clare, Tipperary and Galway.

These also include training camps at Kilworth, Bere Island and Fort Davis in Co Cork and Carnagh Camp in Athlone.

The brigade also has responsibility for protecting a number of vital installations including Shannon Airport, Cork Airport, Cork Docks, and Farranfore Airport.