I propose to take Questions Nos. 1951 and 1952 together.
The medal ceremony scheduled to be held in Rosslare next month will see the awarding of the Defence Forces International Operational Medal to Naval Service personnel who have served on Operation Pontus in the Mediterranean.
The Defence Forces International Operational Medal recognises the outstanding role serving personnel have played when deployed overseas on humanitarian missions. The medal will, in the future, be awarded to all serving, Navy, Army and Air Corp who meet the requirements for the award. As such, it is not purely a Naval Service Medal but rather a Defence Forces Medal and needs to be seen in those terms. As such it is not a Naval Service centred event, albeit that the first award will be to Naval Service personnel.
The specific awarding of medals to Naval Service personnel who have served on Operation Pontus will not be a one off event. A number of medal ceremonies will have to take place so that every member who served in Operation Pontus receives their medal. The Naval Service Headquarters at Haulbowline will be one of those locations
The chosen location of Rosslare for the first of these ceremonies is not unusual as the Defence Forces regularly holds events and ceremonies outside of its many installations around the country.
Recently four former members of the crew of LÉ Cliona were honoured at a ceremony on board LÉ Niamh in Dublin. Previously LÉ James Joyce was commissioned in Dun Laoghaire and LÉ Samuel Beckett was commissioned in Dublin. The LÉ William Butler Yeats will be commissioned in Galway later this year. Reviews of troops before overseas deployment have been conducted both in barracks and in public locations. The next deployment to UNDOF will be reviewed in Nuns' Island, Galway.
The Defence Forces represent a key component of the State’s security architecture and belong to and serve everyone in Ireland. By holding ceremonial events in various locations the excellent and valued work of all those who serve in the Defence Forces can be brought to the attention of the wider community.
It will also allow a wider circle of family, friends and the public at large, to attend these formal events. These are positive initiatives that will only benefit the Defence Forces, both in terms of recognition and, importantly, when it comes to encouraging young people to join.
