Defence Forces Review 2010

Short Biographical StatementsSh o r t Bi o g r a p h i c a l Stat e m e n t1. Comdt Johnny Whittaker is an Infantry Officer with twenty-four years service in theDefence Forces. He has served in various command and staff appointments at home andoverseas. He graduated with a first class honours masters degree (MA LMDS) from the65th Senior Command and Staff Course in 2009, where he was awarded the LieutenantGeneral Tadhg O’Neill sword for ‘Best Student.’ He currently holds the appointment ofTanaiste, 1 Cn Cois, 4th Western Brigade.2. Dr Edward Longwill is a Security Policy Analyst at the University of Ulster. He receivedhis PhD in history and politics from the University of Ulster in 2009. His doctoral thesisis titled ‘The Irish Army and State Security Policy, 1956 – 74.’3. Comdt Ian Byrne DSM has 25 years service in the Defence Forces. He holds a B Commfrom the National University of Ireland (Dublin), a MA in Technical Communicationsfrom UL and a MA(LMDS) from NUIM. He is a graduate of the 62nd Senior Commandand Staff Course and was posted as an Instructor to the Command and Staff School onits completion. He has recently attended the Joint Services Command and Staff Collegein Shrivenham where he graduated from the 11th Advanced Command and Staff Coursewith a MA in Defence Studies from Kings College, London.4. Jenny Flynn is currently completing a Masters in International Security and Conflictat Dublin City University. In 2009 she graduated from UCC with a first class honoursdegree in Politics and Spanish where she was also awarded the 2009 UCC PoliticsDepartment graduate of the year. In 2009 she served as an intern at Delegation of theEuropean Commission in Washington DC and in January 2010 she served as an intern atthe Irish Forum for Peace in Sri Lanka.5. John Joe Ryan was commissioned in the Defence Forces in 1968 from which heresigned as a Commandant in 1990. His military service included two and a half years’peacekeeping service with UNIFIL and UNTSO in Lebanon, Syria and Israel both as astaff officer and military observer culminating in his appointment as Military Assistantto the Head of Mission, UNTSO, Jerusalem from November 1982 to January 1984.He graduated in Law and European Studies (Hons.) from the University of Limerickin 1990 and he holds a post graduate degree as a Solicitor from the Incorporated LawSociety of Ireland. He worked for a cumulative period of six years (1990/92 & 1995/99)as a Solicitor with Stephen MacKenzie and Co. Solicitors, Fitzwilliam Square, Dublin2. He joined the United Nations as a professional staff member to work in politicalaffairs with UNTAC in Cambodia in 1992. He was reassigned to UNPROFOR, BosniaHercegovina in 1993 where he worked inter alia, in political affairs, civil affairsand civil administration culminating in his appointment as Head of Political Affairs,Bosnia Hercegovina, (UNPROFOR HQ, Sarajevo), from which he resigned in 1995.On rejoining the UN in 1999, he was appointed as the UNTAET Administrator of DiliDistrict, East Timor. He was reassigned to UNMIK, Kosovo in 2001, where he servedas Municipal Administrator, Mitrovica, 2001/02; Head, International Judicial SupportDivision, Department of Justice, 2002/05; Deputy Legal Adviser, Office of the Special131