Appointment of Brigadier General Brian Cleary to GOC 1 Bde

04th November 2020, 10.40am Brigadier General Brian Cleary has been appointed as General Officer Commanding 1 Brigade based in Collins Barracks, Cork City. This follows his recent appointment as Commander, Joint Task Force, which was establishment on the 19th Mar 2020 in response to Ireland's COVID-19 threat. A native of Athlone, Co. Westmeath, Brigadier General Cleary joined the Permanent Defence Forces in 1981 as a member of the 58th Cadet Class and was commissioned as an Officer into the Artillery Corps in 1983. He currently resides in Kildare. Military Experience Brigadier General Cleary has held a wide variety of roles and appointments in the Artillery Corps, DF Public Relations, DF Special Operations, DF Military College and DFHQ Operations Division. Overseas Experience He has extensive overseas service with the United Nations, EU and NATO deploying to Lebanon, Western Sahara, East Timor, Cote D’Ivoire, Chad, and Afghanistan. Education Brigadier General 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. Brigadier General Cleary is married to Martina and they have four children. His interests include reading, sports, outdoor pursuits, triathlon and choral singing.