Dr. Mark Mellett:

Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil libh as ucht an chuiridh a thug an coiste dom labhairt anseo inniu. I am honoured to address the joint committee and thank it for its invitation. I am joined Major General Kevin Cotter, deputy Chief of Staff, support, and Brigadier General Peter O’Halloran, assistant Chief of Staff. Major General Kieran Brennan, deputy Chief of Staff, operations, is on duty in south Lebanon and sends his regrets.

I will speak about the magnificent men and women who comprise Óglaigh na hÉireann and the importance of continuing to attract, develop, retain and, above all, value our people. I will also speak about our transformation programme and its importance in ensuring resilience in a world of ever-increasing complexity. When I close, I will be happy to take questions. I will begin by outlining some of the threats Ireland faces in the defence and security domain and how we respond to them.

The Defence Forces are a key component of the State’s security architecture and part of the bedrock that underpins our sovereignty. We operate against a backdrop of a rapidly evolving security and threat environment. According to the global peace index, Ireland is in the top 5% of safest countries in the world, yet this is the fourth successive year of global peace deterioration. The new environment presents risks to national and international peace and security and includes threats posed by state and non-state actors; hybrid threats cross-cutting a number of sectors, including cyber and espionage; national and transnational violent extremism, terrorism and organised crime; and environmental factors such as climate change and global population increase. There is also the uncertainty associated with Brexit.

A key responsibility of the Defence Forces is remaining fit for purpose in the ever-changing security environment. They play their part in addressing these threats by two main means: by maintaining appropriate military capabilities and providing military advice for the Minister and the Government. To maintain appropriate military capabilities, our personnel use our unique range of assets on land, sea and air to provide the military capability to defend Ireland and its assigned interests internationally. We do this, for example, by supporting An Garda Síochána in aid to the civil power. In 2017 alone, we conducted in excess of 3,400 operations on foot of requests from An Garda. We provide specialist services such as explosive ordnance disposal, intelligence surveillance and reconnaissance, special operations forces contingent capability and engineer special search teams. We secure vital installations and provide escorts. The Naval Service and the Air Corps patrol our maritime jurisdiction which is one of the most hostile in the world. They also carry out maritime defence and security operations in an area which equates to almost three times the size of Germany, at almost 1 million sq. km, in upholding our sovereign rights, in particular in fisheries but also in countering illegal narcotics, as well as delivering specialist diving services. To date in 2018, the Air Corps has carried out over 4,500 missions, delivering emergency aeromedical support, as well as many other services such as cross-Border support in fire fighting. As one might expect, we train for these evolving threats, remaining operationally ready to deliver robust military capabilities. Our work in aid to the civil authority also helps to keep the people safe and protects their livelihoods, as we saw across the country during recent severe weather events.

Internationally, this year Ireland celebrates its 60th year of unbroken service with the United Nations in some of the most volatile areas of the world. It is an unparalleled record and a remarkable achievement for such a small state. We have completed nearly 70,000 individual tours of duty, with 87 members of Óglaigh na hÉireann making the ultimate sacrifice. We have added to Ireland’s reputation as a major contributor to international peace, security and humanitarian efforts and proved Ireland’s commitment to the principles of the United Nations and the European Union and, in particular, multilateralism. Apart from delivering on Government policy and contributing to international peace and security and conflict resolution, our overseas service is vital to the maintenance of our operational capabilities in order that we are better able to perform at home in the delivery of defence, security and Government services. Our peacekeeping record is a key strand of the Government’s strategy for securing a seat on the UN Security Council. Earlier this year I was pleased to attend the launch of Ireland’s bid in New York. As I speak to the committee, we have a battalion operating with UNIFIL in south Lebanon, a quick reaction force operating in western Syria with the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, UNDOF, and a training team operating in Mali with the EU mission. For the last three years we have had a Naval Service ship operating in the Mediterranean. In that context, it has been involved in the rescue of 18,000 civilians, including many vulnerable women and children.

The other way we play our part in addressing current threats is through the provision of military advice, which is sometimes verbal and often written. In either case, the general staff provide this advice in a professional and considered manner on foot of evidence-based analysis. I offer considered military advice on behalf of the general staff to inform ministerial and governmental decisions. Once decisions are made, we provide leadership in implementing them in full, obeying all lawful orders without fear or favour, as is our duty.

I want to say a few words about our people, of whom I am immensely proud. The Permanent Defence Force is a unique organisation and different from any other public service body. Our people have no right to join a trade union. As such, they have no right to strike and can be called on 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days of the year. They are subject to military law. They have an unlimited liability contract which requires them to face hardship and danger for the benefit of others. For all of these reasons, I need to ensure our personnel are trained and developed to the highest national and international standards; that they are provided with the very best personal and professional supports, equipment and facilities; and that they are valued. They are highly skilled professionals, whether serving in line or technical appointments. Their rigorous training, education and development, unparalleled operational experience, diplomatic skills, loyalty, can-do attitude and unflinching devotion to duty are of immense value and unique strengths of the State. These outstanding qualities have made them highly sought after by employers in both the State and private sectors.

While the reinvestment of these skills back in civil society strengthens Ireland, a key challenge facing the Defence Forces is the retention of appropriate levels of highly skilled and experienced men and women, both in line and technical appointments. Similar to other areas of the public service, the process of restoring pay to the levels that obtained before the economic downturn has commenced.

Although this pay restoration is welcome, we are competing in a buoyant jobs market and current rates of pay present significant challenges for our personnel and, therefore, our organisation.

The recruitment and retention challenges facing the Defence Forces were recognised in the Public Service Pay Commission's report of May 2017. Subsequently, the Government tasked the commission with examining these matters in more detail. In that context, the general staff have worked with departmental officials to prepare a joint submission to the commission. As the work of the commission is under way, it would be inappropriate to go into the detail of the submission. However, as Chief of Staff, together with my colleagues on the general staff, I hope to have the opportunity to address the commission in the coming months. I look forward to the outcome of its work which I hope will provide the basis for addressing these matters in the Defence Forces.

On a related matter, recently the Minister published the report on the review of the conciliation and arbitration scheme for members of the Permanent Defence Force. It provides a means for the determination of claims and proposals from the representative and official sides related to remuneration and conditions of service. I must commend the representative associations, the Representative Association of Commissioned Officers and the Permanent Defence Force Other Ranks Representative Association, as they are essential stakeholders in the process. I also commend the Reserve Defence Force Representative Association.

All that said, there is more to retention than pay. We have been working very hard in advancing a wide range of initiatives to improve non-pay retention factors. For example, with the Department of Defence, we have been reviewing service contracts. In the new year we hope to play our part in reviewing the promotion system in co-operation with the representative associations. For our part, I have been implementing various family-friendly initiatives such as postings closer to home and three-month overseas appointments. We have also been improving internal communications, placing more emphasis on health and well-being, enhancing opportunities for the personal and professional development of our people, driving our innovation programme, including through the Chief of Staff's innovation awards, and working to embed our values in everything we do through our values champions awards and values in action programme. Notwithstanding all of these positive developments, we are still facing significant challenges. That is why we need to attract the best talent, especially when there is a buoyant jobs market in competing sectors, and nurture job satisfaction by acknowledging the quality of our personnel, the demanding nature of their roles and their unique loyalty and commitment to the State. We must ensure the Government and citizens get the best return on the significant investment the State has made in their training, education and expertise.

I will touch briefly on the issue of transformation. In order that we can develop both our capabilities and our people, we will continue to implement our strategic plans and give military advice on the allocation of defence resources. As stated in the White Paper, Ireland's investment in defence is low by international comparisons. Against the backdrop of the evolving threat environment, we will continue to make the best use of our allocated resources, for instance, through our capital investment programme. In the Army the emphasis is on force protection; in the Air Corps it is on new aircraft, and in the Naval Service, it is also on fleet replacement. One of the main ways in which we are transforming is through implementation of the policy decisions contained in the 2015 White Paper on defence. For example, we have ongoing projects that focus on the doubling of the Army Ranger wing, high level command and control of the Defence Forces, strategic human resources policies, the proposed institute for peace support and leadership, our built infrastructure, veterans, gender equality and diversity agenda and the Reserve Defence Force.

On the subject of the Reserve Defence Force, RDF, as a former reservist, I am particularly proud of the excellent contribution the force has made to Óglaigh na hÉireann for many years. In recent times it has proved its worth time and again, providing real added value in terms of manpower during Storm Emma and technical expertise in dealing with matters such as cyberdefence. Our intention is to do more to make the most of our RDF personnel who have a huge amount to contribute. To that end, I have recently appointed a director with specific responsibility for the Reserve Defence Force. We are continuing to work on improving the single force framework to maximise the utility of the Reserve Defence Force, for example, through the proposed specialist reserve.

Under the leadership of the Minister of State with responsibility for defence and in keeping with my responsibility under the Defence Act and working with the Secretary General, I am absolutely committed to nurturing vibrant Defence Forces, both permanent and reserve, that will continue to meet the constitutional requirements of government and the expectations of citizens. I again acknowledge that we have been dealing with some significant challenges in recent years. During that time, there has been one constant - the absolute loyalty, dedication and professionalism of our soldiers, sailors and air crew, of whom we should all rightly be proud. They are the reason the Permanent Defence Force is one of the most trusted institutions in the public service. The certainty they have provided since independence has come within a resource envelope that represents excellent value for money for citizens. They continue to be key guarantors of the defence, security and well-being of the people and the sovereignty of the Republic of Ireland. As the world evolves, so too must we in order that we remain fit for service in the 21st century. In order that we can transform, I will continue to advocate for the need to be competitive enough to retain experienced personnel, both line and technical, and attract new entrants in order that we can guarantee defence and security services for the State and every citizen, whether it is on land, in our airspace or hundreds of miles offshore, whether it is on overseas service in conflict zones or at home, in ensuring national security and resilience. Our men and women stand ready, in the best traditions of Óglaigh na hÉireann, to "strengthen our nation by inspiring pride and leading excellence".

I again thank the Chairman for giving me the opportunity to address the committee. I am very happy to take questions from its members.