Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 25 March 2004
9 Ms Lynch asked the Minister for Defence when it is intended to proceed with the plans to acquire a fleet of light armoured vehicles for the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9280/04]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Defence Forces commenced a programme to acquire Mowag APC-light armoured vehicles in 1999 and 40 of these vehicles have been delivered under the initial contract. The majority of the 40 APCs are now deployed overseas, with 22 vehicles in Liberia and six in Kosovo. The vehicles are performing well in an overseas environment.
A further 25 vehicles have been ordered for delivery this year. The first two of the 25 vehicles have recently been delivered to the Curragh Camp and arrangements are being made for the shipment of a further three vehicles to Ireland. The remaining 20 vehicles will be delivered by next October. The cost of the 65 APCs is in the region of €84 million.
In addition to this programme, the Defence Forces have a requirement for a smaller light armoured vehicle, designated as a light tactical vehicle, which can be used to protect troops engaged in peace support operations in areas where the use of the larger Mowag APC would be inappropriate. For instance, the movement of one to three personnel in high-risk confined areas and general surveillance work are among the key roles of the vehicle.
Funding for this programme must be considered in the context of the APC programme and the changed financial position. It has been agreed with the military authorities that the programme for the acquisition of the vehicles will not proceed at present. In the meantime, the Defence Forces will continue to conduct further studies on the type and specification of vehicles required.
I welcome the Minister's statement that some progress has been made. Does he recall promising in 2001 that new, smaller light armoured vehicles would be acquired for the Defence Forces? Why has this promise not been honoured? On the previous occasion on which this subject was raised, the Minister informed the House that the Defence Forces were conducting further studies on the type and specification of vehicles required. What progress has been made in that regard?
As I indicated previously, the studies are continuing. I was faced with a dilemma when the medium lift helicopter contract had to be abandoned and also faced other constraints. In discussions with the military authorities, we decided on the immediate priorities, one of which was to try to increase the number of armoured personnel vehicles because they are working so well on international missions. APCs are powerful vehicles costing more than €1 million each. We bought an additional 25 such vehicles, all of which will be delivered this year.
As the Deputy will discover when he is on these benches, one must make choices. It would be a simple world if everybody could immediately have what they wanted but it is not that kind of world. I must make choices. The overall pattern of acquisition for the Air Corps, Naval Service and Defence Forces is without parallel and I am proud of it.
The promises were made in 2001.
I have already indicated I had to make some changes.
How many Mowags have accompanied our 450 troops in Liberia? Is the Minister satisfied that the earlier problems with the APCs have been solved? I understand two of the four APCs that accompanied our 100 strong contingent force to Eritrea in 2002 developed problems and parts had to be shipped out via Switzerland, while a further four developed cracks in their armour. Have all these problems been solved to the Minister's satisfaction?
As regards the 65 APCs ordered, of which 25 have not yet been delivered, do these form part of the commitment we gave at the European Union's capability commitment conference? What weaponry have we pledged to provide to the EU under the European capability action plan for the rapid reaction force?
The APCs have nothing to do with the headline goal or the European reaction force. All the relevant decisions were taken in the context of the White Paper. As Deputy McGinley has emphasised on a number of occasions, the Defence Forces were badly under-equipped. Missions have changed dramatically and those we are undertaking are of a higher risk. The security of troops is of paramount importance. Everything purchased until now would have been required in one way or another to undertake the missions in which we are involved.
There are 22 vehicles in Liberia. The difficulties that arose with a number of the APCs were hairpin cracks. Some people may argue that they could have been ignored as they would not have deteriorated, but we refused to do so and ensured the problems were addressed. We have not experienced any trouble with the subsequent APCs and the military advice I have received indicates that we have received the fullest co-operation from the manufacturers in having the problem solved. I have not heard of any recurrence of these matters in recent years.
Does the Minister agree that it is time to review some of the targets for equipment set out in the White Paper on Defence, especially in the wake of recent events, notably the Madrid bombings? Do we not need different equipment priorities for defensive purposes, especially air defences?
This is a difficult problem for the world as a whole. We have a limited ground-to-air ability but it has been somewhat enhanced by acquiring Pilatus trainer aircraft, which will come on stream this month and next month with a final delivery scheduled for June. These aircraft remain a limited source and I will keep the matter under review. While I would like to enhance our air defences, it would be extremely expensive to do so and would be difficult to justify the expenditure involved on the basis of the risk to Ireland. I have enhanced our air defences somewhat with the acquisition of the Pilatus aircraft, but I will keep the matter under review.
I am informed that some defence forces have far more advanced equipment that we do. I am aware that equipment costs a great deal. Has the feasibility of purchasing second-hand equipment from more advanced defence forces been considered as a means of addressing the current shortcomings in our air defences?
While I am prepared to examine all options within the resources available to me, we must be honest with the public. Aviation terrorism is a major problem for the world and engages many minds. If one received a call about a hijacked aircraft with 400 passengers on board, one would have to consider many issues, including the time available, whether it was travelling over land or water and the prospect that the call could be a hoax. These are major security issues but, as I stated, I will keep the matter under review.
