The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, is set to become embroiled in a new row with the defence forces over their demand to be relieved of high-profile public duties including Border checkpoint duties and cash escorts.
It emerged yesterday that the retiring chief of staff, Lieut Gen David Stapleton, has asked the Government to phase out the Army "Aid to the Civil Powers" (ATCP) and to allow them to concentrate on military duties instead.
As a first move the Army wants the Government to end the military guard on Portlaoise Prison.
Lieut Gen Stapleton said ATCP was not a job for soldiers. "It saps our training and it saps morale to a certain extent because it is not a soldierly job," he said.
However, a spokesman for Mr Smith said last night that ATCP was a role assigned to the defence forces by Government and there were no plans at present to change this.