Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 3 October 2023
173. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to indicate, following the recent successful activity of the Air Corps in deterring those who would present a threat to the State, the extent to which he accepts the necessity to augment the force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42801/23]
View answer174. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to indicate, following the recent successful activity of the Naval Service in deterring those who would present a threat to the State, the extent to which he accepts the necessity to augment the force; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42802/23]
View answer175. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence the extent to which he might see fit to augment and update the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps, in line with any lessons learnt from recent success on the high seas; if he sees a potential threat to installations, notwithstanding the success to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42803/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 173, 174 and 175 together.
The White Paper on Defence, approved by Government in July 2015, resulted from a comprehensive examination of Defence requirements. It provides the defence policy framework for the period up to 2025. This policy framework is designed to be flexible and responsive given the dynamic nature of the security environment and enables the Department, and the Defence Forces, to be adaptive to changing circumstances and to use resources as efficiently as possible. Within this context, the White Paper contains the Government's decision to put in place a fixed cycle of defence reviews. These cycle of reviews are to give assurance that defence policy remains up to date and relevant to the changing circumstances and bring certainty and regularity to defence planning. As set out in the White Paper these reviews are based on an updated security assessment and a fresh consideration of the implications of this assessment for policy requirements, associated tasks, capability development and resourcing. The first such review, the White Paper Update, was completed in 2019.
The second of these reviews, the Strategic Defence Review stage, was due to commence in 2021. With the establishment of the independent Commission on the Defence Forces by Government in December 2020, a decision was taken to pause commencing the Strategic Defence Review until the Commission on the Defence Forces had completed their report and Government had been given time to consider the report which was published on the 9th February 2022.
The Commission undertook a significant body of work, encompassing wide-ranging terms of reference. It recommended significant changes for the Defence Forces and Defence provision in Ireland. It covers high level Defence Forces structures, defence capabilities, organisation, culture and human resources, the Reserve Defence Force and funding.
In July last year Government approved a High-Level Action Plan in response to the Commission report. As part of this, approval was given for a move, over a six-year period, to a level of Defence Forces’ capability equivalent to ‘Level of Ambition 2’ (LOA2), as set out in the capability framework devised by the Commission, which will entail funding increases to reach a defence budget of c. €1.5 billion (at January 2022 prices) by 2028, the largest increase in Defence Funding in the history of the state. This will allow for the required substantial transformation and investment in recruitment and equipment that were identified by the Commission. The Budget for 2023 included an increase of €67m over the 2022 budget for Defence. This demonstrates the Government’s strong commitment to support the transformation of the Defence Forces into a modern, agile military force. A key early action, and key output from the opening phase of the Transformation Programme, the development of a detailed implementation plan, is at an advanced stage and is expected to be published in the coming weeks.
Some specific examples of equipment procured in the last 18 months includes, 30 armoured utility vehicles, 280 non-armoured vehicles, upgrades to 80 Amoured Personnel Carriers, Mid-life refit of LÉ Róisín completed and LÉ Niamh, commenced (to be completed in 2023), two Inshore Patrol Vessels and an Airbus C-295 Maritime Patrol Aircraft delivered in June with a second due this October.
The report of the Commission on the Defence Forces and the current events in Ukraine are prompting an open debate and consideration of our defence requirements. There is an ongoing requirement to consider whether the capabilities we maintain are appropriate, having regard to the security environment, the roles that we wish the Defence Forces to undertake, and likely risks. For this reason one of the Early Actions arising out of High Level Action Plan for the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces was the commencement of the Strategic Defence Review. As well as encompassing the Government’s agreed recommendations from the Commission on the Defence Forces, the future role of the Defence Forces both nationally and internationally will also be considered within the Strategic Defence Review. An updated security assessment, which is the first stage of the review, is currently being conducted by an interdepartmental group.
