The consolidation of the Defence Forces formations into a smaller number of locations is a key objective of the White Paper on Defence. The proposals announced in the Budget have been developed in full consultation with the military authorities. The dispersal of personnel over an extended number of locations is a major impediment to essential collective training. It also imposes increased and unnecessary overheads on the Defence Forces in terms of barrack management, administration, maintenance and security. The consolidation process is designed to facilitate higher training standards, while also freeing up under-utilised resources and personnel for operational duties. As such, there are significant benefits from an economic, social and strategic context for Defence in the implementation of the current programme.