Aer Lingus' War Hawk

international | anti-war / imperialism | other press Tuesday February 24, 2009 19:24 by Douglas Delaney

Indy Media Ireland Twigs on the Link Between Carlyle Group and Ireland's National Air Carrier

With Thomas Corcoran now sitting on Aer Lingus' board directors, it appears that Ireland's premier air carrier is still closely affiliated with U.S. defence interests. There is nothing clandestine about that relationship. It's in plain sight for everyone to see.

Thomas A. Corcoran, a founding member is a founding member of the Carlyle Group and a longstanding manager of its defence sector. Corcoran also sits on the board of directors of several other corporations that have hefty contracts with the US Defence Department, including conglomerate GenCorp, Proxy Aviations Systems, L-3 Communications and LaBarge, headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri.

LaBarge specialises in high-tech, military-related electronic gear; Proxy Aviation builds unmanned, drone aircraft, which can be outfitted with missiles or surveillance equipment; and L-3 Communications focuses on electronic surveillance hardware.

Corcoran, a proud Irish American, is also a generous giver to the Irish American Funds, a charity that provides funds for Irish education. That puts Corcoran in the same league as billionaire, Irish-American Chuck Feeney, who heads the Atlantic Philanthropies. But Corcoran's interests in Ireland include more than charity work.

He is also a director of Aer Lingus, which until 2006 was owned by the government of the Republic of Ireland. This is not the first time that the Irish air carrier has been linked to the U.S. military-industrial complex.