The Communications and Information Services Corps (CIS) () – formerly the Army Corps of Signals – is one of the combat support corps of the

Irish Defence Forces The Defence Forces (, officially styled ) derives its origins from the Irish Volunteers. Whilst the Irish for ''Defence Forces'' is , as Ó Cearúil (1999) points out, the Defence Forces are officially styled . is used in other contexts (e.g. ...

, the military of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. It is responsible for the installation, maintenance and operation of

communications Communication is commonly defined as the transmission of information. Its precise definition is disputed and there are disagreements about whether Intention, unintentional or failed transmissions are included and whether communication not onl ...

and

information system An information system (IS) is a formal, sociotechnical, organizational system designed to collect, process, Information Processing and Management, store, and information distribution, distribute information. From a sociotechnical perspective, info ...

s for the command, control and administration of the Defence Forces, and the facilitation of accurate,

real-time Real-time, realtime, or real time may refer to: Computing * Real-time computing, hardware and software systems subject to a specified time constraint * Real-time clock, a computer clock that keeps track of the current time * Real-time Control Syst ...

sharing of intelligence between the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

, Naval Service and Air Corps branches at home and overseas. The CIS Corps is headquartered at McKee Barracks,

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, and comes under the command of an officer of

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

rank, known as the Director of CIS Corps.

Mission

Formerly the Army Corps of Signals, the Communications and Information Services Corps is responsible for the development and operation of Information Technology and Telecommunications systems in support of Defence Forces tasks. It is also responsible for coordinating all communications – radio and line – and information systems, communications research and updating of communications in line with modern developments and operational requirements. The CIS Corps is tasked with utilising networking and information technologies in order to dramatically increase Defence Force operational effectiveness through the provision of timely and accurate information to the appropriate commander, along with the real time efficient sharing of information and intelligence with the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps, as well as with multinational partners involved in international peacekeeping and other actors as required. This role includes the development and maintenance of a secure nationwide Defence Forces Telecommunications Network (DFTN), which can support both protected voice and data services, and the provision and maintenance of encrypted military communications equipment for use by Defence Forces personnel at home and abroad. CIS Corps units are dispersed throughout the DF giving Communications and IT support to each of the Army Brigades; Naval Service, Air Corps,

Defence Forces Training Centre The Defence Forces Training Centre (DFTC) (, ''ATÓÉ'') is the principal training centre for the Irish Army and other branches of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces, headquartered at the Curragh Camp that serves to provide educa ...

(DFTC) and Defence Forces Headquarters (DFHQ). The CIS Corps have Base Workshops where detailed maintenance, research and development is conducted. The CIS Corps collar flash features the angel

Gabriel In the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, Islam), Gabriel ( ) is an archangel with the power to announce God's will to mankind, as the messenger of God. He is mentioned in the Hebrew Bible, the New Testament and the Quran. Many Chris ...

, the messenger of God, behind a signal shield and the caption ''"Cór Comharthaíochta"''. This is the Irish translation for 'Signals Corps', while the translation for Communications and Information Services Corps is ''"An Cór Seirbhísí Cumarsáide agus Eolais"''.

Signals intelligence & cyber

The Communications and Information Services (CIS) Corps works with the Defence Forces intelligence branch, the Directorate of Military Intelligence (J2), with regard to

signals intelligence Signals intelligence (SIGINT) is the act and field of intelligence-gathering by interception of ''signals'', whether communications between people (communications intelligence—abbreviated to COMINT) or from electronic signals not directly u ...

(SIGINT), and houses a dedicated SIGINT element within the Corps. The DF CIS Corps has the ability to intercept and monitor communications, remotely collect data, and process it. Under Irish legislation, the ''Criminal Justice (Surveillance) Act 2009'' and ''Interception of Postal Packets and Telecommunications Messages (Regulation) Act 1993'' provides the Defence Forces with the legal authority to conduct domestic intelligence operations involving espionage, electronic communications and stored electronic information in order to safeguard and maintain the security of the state. The CIS Corps along with the

Garda Síochána (; meaning "the Guardian(s) of the Peace") is the national police and security service of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is more commonly referred to as the Gardaí (; "Guardians") or "the Guards". The service is headed by the Garda Commissio ...

, the national police force, provide a significant domestic support role to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) of the

Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment The Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment () is a department of the Government of Ireland that is responsible for the telecommunications and broadcasting sectors and regulates, protects and develops the natural resources of Ireland. ...

in countering

cyber-attack A cyberattack (or cyber attack) occurs when there is an unauthorized action against computer infrastructure that compromises the CIA triad, confidentiality, integrity, or availability of its content. The rising dependence on increasingly comple ...

s, protecting critical national infrastructure and securing

government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a State (polity), state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive (government), execu ...

communications. CIS is responsible for cyber security within the Defence Forces, and maintains a capability in that area for the purpose of protecting its own networks and users domestic and foreign. In 2016 the establishment of the Computer Incident Response Team (CIRT) in DFHQ CIS Company was revealed. In July 2015, leaked email correspondence from '' Hacking Team'' – a private

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

spying and eavesdropping software company – reportedly showed members of the Irish CIS Corps in discussions with the company to purchase intrusion and surveillance "solutions" for the lawful interception of online communications, such as monitoring incoming and outgoing emails, browsing activity,

Skype Skype () was a proprietary telecommunications application operated by Skype Technologies, a division of Microsoft, best known for IP-based videotelephony, videoconferencing and voice calls. It also had instant messaging, file transfer, ...

calls, remotely switching on webcams and microphones and remotely taking control of devices. A Defence Forces spokesperson said that for operational security reasons, it could not comment on specific elements of the activities of the CIS Corps, but confirmed that no goods or services were purchased from the company in question. The CIS Corps deployed ' ethical hackers' to fight back against the Health Service Executive ransomware attack in mid-2021, and sent CIS personnel to hospitals and HSE offices in order to decrypt devices affected by the cyberattack onsite. Reservists were particularly useful to this effort due to their cybersecurity skills and experience gleaned from the private sector.

CIS School

Soldiers join the Communications and Information Services Corps in one of the following apprenticeship trades; *Communication Operative *Electronic

Engineering Technician An engineering technician is a professional trained in skills and techniques related to a specific branch of technology, with a practical understanding of the relevant engineering concepts. Engineering technicians often assist in projects relat ...

Software Engineering Software engineering is a branch of both computer science and engineering focused on designing, developing, testing, and maintaining Application software, software applications. It involves applying engineering design process, engineering principl ...

Technician * Information Technology Support Technician *Communications & Information Services Technician *Regimental

Signaller A signaller, signalman, colloquially referred to as a radioman or signaleer in the armed forces is a specialist soldier, sailor or airman responsible for military communications. Signallers, a.k.a. Combat Signallers or signalmen or women, are ...

*Radio Instructor *Telephone Maintenance Technician *Data Communications Technician *Microwave Systems Technician *

Network Administrator A network administrator is a person designated in an organization whose responsibility includes maintaining computer infrastructures with emphasis on local area networks (LANs) up to wide area networks (WANs). Responsibilities may vary between or ...

All personnel do their basic military training. The CIS School runs a large number of CIS related courses, including a degree programme in Military Communications for CIS technicians in association with the Institute of Technology, Carlow. There are 3 sections to the CIS School, providing training in the areas of operational procedures, technical proficiency and simulation. Procedural and Operations Section (Proc/Ops); * Communications Operative Course * Detachment Commanders Course * Aerial Riggers Course * Regimental Signals Course * CIS Standard NCO Course * CIS Young Officers Course Technical Section; * CIS Trainee Technician Scheme (TTS) * Technical Training Advancement Courses * Strategic Applications Training Simulation Section; * Digital Indoor Range Theatres (DIRT) * Command and Staff Trainer The DIRT range is a digital indoor shooting range in which trainees can be assessed on their marksmanship skills for the various

small arms A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...

weapons used by the DF. It helps develop these proficiencies methodically without firing live ammunition on a regular basis. The €1 million facility is based at the Department of Defence properties at Kilworth Camp,

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

Communications and Information Services Corps Units

Active units

* Defence Forces Headquarters CIS Company (DFHQ CIS Coy), McKee Barracks,

* Communications Division, Naval Service (Comms Div, NS), Halbouline, Cork *Air Corps CIS Squadron,

Casement Aerodrome Casement Aerodrome () or Baldonnel Aerodrome is a military airbase to the southwest of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland situated off the N7 road (Ireland), N7 main roads in Ireland, road route to the south and south west. It is the headquar ...

, Baldonnel, County Dublin *CIS Group (including CIS School, Base Signal Workshops, Base Technical Stores) Curragh Camp,

Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 10,302, making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. It is home to Kildare Cathedral, historically the site of an important abbey said to have been founded by Saint ...

1 Field CIS Company (1 Fd CIS Coy), Collins Barracks, Cork * 2 CIS

2 Field CIS Company (2 Fd CIS Coy), Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin

Retired units

*4 Field CIS Company (4 FD CIS COY), Custume Barracks,

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midland Region, Ir ...

*31 Reserve Field CIS Company (31 RES FD CIS COY), Sarsfield Barracks,

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

and Collins Barracks, Cork *54 Reserve Field CIS Company (54 RES FD CIS COY), Custume Barracks, Athlone and Military Post, Sligo * 62CIS

62 Reserve Field CIS Company (62 RES FD CIS COY), Cathal Brugha Barracks, Dublin ''The

Reserve Defence Forces The Reserve Defence Forces (RDF) () are the combined Military reserve force, reserve components of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The RDF is organised into the First Line Reserve (FLR) and an active Second Line Reserve. Th ...

(RDF) units have been integrated with the Permanent Defence Forces (PDF) units as part of the "single force concept".''

References

External links

Defence Forces Ireland - Army Corps - Communications and Information Services Corps

Defence Forces Ireland - Air Corps - Communication & Information Services Squadron
{{DEFAULTSORT:Communications and Information Services Corps Military communications corps CIS Corps Irish intelligence agencies Signals intelligence agencies Computer security organizations Cryptography organizations Software engineering organizations Cyberwarfare Information technology management Communications in the Republic of Ireland