[Irish] Platforms for Various [US military] Functions

national | anti-war / imperialism | opinion/analysis Thursday August 07, 2003 17:33 by S. Aerobics - Oxygen to Info.

Director of Dublin based Omega Air, Ulick "wars unfortunately have to benefit somebody" McEvaddy interviewed on RTE Radio 1

Source - 'Moneymakers', RTE Radio 1, Tues 5th Aug. "Ulick McEvaddy" interviewed by SHANE KENNY, (a repeat programme from last April)

Legend
"Ulick" - quoted in quotation marks
SHANE - paraphrased in cap locks
[S. Aerobics] - embedded [omments...

Background
Brothers Ulick & Des McEvaddy from Mayo.
Ulick joined the army, Des studied law, "He made the law, I enforced it".
Became business partners, forming Omega Air in "1980-82, yes", operating out of offices in Dolphins Barn, Dublin.
"we started to buy old airplanes (a.p) and scrap them and sell the spare parts"

OMEGA AIR GREW LARGER WITH US mILITARY CONTRACTS ?

"Yes, US military was part of our business...we have the civil aviation market and we also have certain military contracts, which were very lucrative and very useful to us"

WHY DID YOU SPECIALISE IN BOEING 707s IN PARTICULAR ?

"It was one of the few dual-use a.p ...[=] military and civilian..., a cargo capability unmatched at that time and...capacity for air refuelling.
its...the backbone of their (US military) refuelling fleet, also used extensively...as a VIP presidential...and military intalligence a.p"

WHY DID US mILITARY USE YOU TO DO REFUELLING AND TO DO INTELLIGENCE WORK WITH BOEING 707s, WHY WOULDN'T THEY DO IT THEMSELVES ?

"Ah, well, they don't clearly use us to do intelligence work thats, they're own remit [?], but we would supply them with platforms for various functions..." [bless you]

BUT IT SEEMS THEY ALREADY HAVE A VAST CAPACITY THEMSELVES

"They never have enough...in any war scenario you need 1 tanker a.p for every 3 fighter aircraft in theatre [Alas, poor Ulick]...it's a limitless market for air refuelling..."

[Note - foreign deployment (onslaught) is leaving the US Air Force increasingly strapped to provide refuelling training at home within the US]

SO THEY HAVE TO OUTSOURCE ALL THE TIME ?

"No, they don't, no, clearly they have a huge fleet, over 600 of these a.p themselves but they never have enough..."[insatiable]

[Note - they let us believe that it is an unstoppable thing...where as in fact it is not, the corporations want us to believe that we are powerlesss, which we are not - Killer Coke]

YOU DO OTHER OUTSOURCED WORK FOR THE US mILITARY ?

"Eh, well, eh, we have, we have in the past done other contracts, yes, but I, you know I don't, eh [pull yourself together, soldier !], clearly all the business we do with US military is classified, and we don't discuss it in an open forum"

THERES BEEN CONTROVERSY WITH THE AGING BOEING 707s

"European Commision introduced a regulation which favoured EU manufacturers and disadvantaged US manufacturers...we had chosen to re-engine our aircraft with US...engines...the EU regulation had no bearing on noise...it was purely a technical disadvantage for the US, who were furious and they took it on, head on...
But we had status in the EU [that the US didn't ?] so we took them on [for the US ?] ...all the way to the European Court of Justice...it took an awful lot of time and effort, to fight those bureaucrats it's not a very easy matter..."

[Q - do US military/industry invest in Ireland as an easy foothold to the EU - to influence Irish politicians/business (who have a recognised legal EU status) that can then legitmately and more effectively influence trade decesions/laws in Europe than 'outside' US pressure can ?]

ARE THESE BOEING 707s SAFE ?

"Very much so, the safest a.p in the sky...unless they're in the hands of 3rd world countries that don't maintain them..."

YOU DO BUSINESS IN AFRICA, AT ONE STAGE YOU OWNED 49pc OF GAMBIA AIR ?

"We were forced to abandon the concept of changing them into a modern, Western style airline, and we just had to pull out and cut our losses and go (laughs)... thats the way it is in Africa often times,...biggest problem...corruption is endemic...getting it out of the system is almost impossible"

YOU HAD MARY HARNEY & CHARLIE McCREEVY DOWN TO YOUR VILLA IN THE SOUTH OF FRANCE FOR A HOLIDAY ?

"Again a triviality, I've been friendly with McCreevy since my days in the army...racing in the Curragh..."
"I know Mary Harney since...I was on the board of Knock Airport, she was...sent down...to investigate...Gov. monies... misused in Knock, as they were told by the media, so we took her round Knock Airport...we were one of the biggest investors in that project other than the Gov. and showed her what great value we'd got for the £10 million...invested...I think she was impressed"

YOU AND YOUR BROTHER DES STAND TO MAKE A KILLING IF YOUR 145 ACRE GREENFIELD SITE WEST OF DUBLIN AIRPORTS RUNWAY IS CHOSEN FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDEPENDENT AIRPORT TERMINAL, WOULD YOU ACTUALLY DO THE CONSTRUCTION WORK YOURSELF, AND WOULD YOU OPEREATE IT ?

"Any killing to be made will be made much further down the road [Down the runway on to Iraq ?]... but our priority...its to build a termnal, as regards operating the terminal...it will go to tender...several international operators...have expressed an interest..."

[Note - Omega Air have displayed a prototype of their refuelling a.p at the Farnborough air show in the UK. The UK Ministry of Defence is looking for a "future tanker concept that will involve leasing sevices"] [Would a new private terminal at Dublin airport help in any way ?]

DID THE IRAQ WAR RESULT IN ANY FLOW OF BUSINESS TO YOUR REFUELLING SERVICES WHICH YOU PROVIDE TO THE US mILITARY ?

"Wars unfotunately have to benefit somebody..."

YOU WERE A SUPPORTER OF THE US/UK GOING TO WAR ?

"Absolutely, absolutely, it was very necessary that that regime would be changed in Iraq...we're all glad its gone"

BUT YOUR COMPANY DID BENEFIT FROM THE WAR ?

"We would provide air refuelling services, thats well known, to the US Navy and continue to do so, whether its war or peacetime it doesn't matter we still have the same level of service requirement"

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