It is evident that the much delayed, long promised White Paper on Defence is unravelling and threatening to deteriorate into one of the most serious crises ever in the relationship between the Defence Forces and the Government. There is clearly a huge gulf between the Minister, his advisers and the Department, on the one hand, and the professionals of the Defence Forces, whose future the paper is meant to address, on the other. It is abundantly clear that the consultation process has degenerated into a disaster, with potentially serious consequences for the future leadership of the Defence Forces, for morale and for recruitment.
What began as yet another review of the Army, Navy and Air Corps has been allowed to be transformed into a nightmare scenario which is now threatening the future of all three services. Everyone accepts that some disagreement is inevitable but the scale and sheer volume of the negative response to the leaked White Paper and the Minister's leadership on this issue is disturbing. What has happened to the consultation process? Why has there been a breakdown of this degree and depth with such potentially serious repercussions? Why has the Minister not improved communications with the leadership of the Defence Forces since the leak of the White Paper? Why did he find it necessary to enter the Dáil two days ago and speak about the leadership of the Defence Forces in such a threatening and offensive manner? Is this what we should expect from a Minister for Defence? Is it a reflection of the relationship between the Minister and the most senior members of the Defence Forces?
I understand that the circumstances surrounding the forthcoming publication of the long promised White Paper are now so critical that the Minister could be faced with resignations, thus creating an unprecedented situation and a potential crisis in the relationship between the Executive and the Defence Forces. The exit from the Defence Forces of qualified and experienced personnel could also escalate – I hope that does not happen – as a result of this problem.
This situation is appalling and should not have been allowed to develop. It is worth pointing out that when the White Paper was promised in an election manifesto, the Defence Forces were only then emerging from a massive review and reorganisation. The Defence Forces have already had to face up to huge changes and the effect of delaying the White Paper and allowing rumours to circulate unabated over a long period in respect of cutbacks in personnel numbers and reductions in the roles of the Air Corps and the Navy is hugely damaging.
While the Taoiseach and Minister for Foreign Affairs sign up for further commitments to Partnership for Peace and a European led rapid reaction force and while they visit Kosovo to reassure our troops, there is nothing but uncertainty emanating from the Department of Defence at present. It is astonishing that we have arrived at a point in the process of the production of the White Paper where the advice of members of the Defence Forces and their representative associations would appear to have been totally disregarded. Ongoing news reports about the Air Corps and its equipment are also a cause for grave concern and that is an issue which I am raising separately.
We all accept that the Defence Forces must continue to modernise, be efficient in terms of taxpayers' resources and be fully accountable and ready to respond to future needs in an adaptive and flexible manner. However, this cannot occur in a policy vacuum. Defence Forces staff have made it clear that the retention of three brigades is the bare minimum needed to fulfil our obligations. The Minister is delaying decisions on a series of overdue and critical issues. I ask him to inform the House how he intends to address the serious issues surrounding the White Paper which have emerged in recent weeks.