Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

It is great to see so many members interested in this report. I hope we will have time to go through the high-level action plan later on because I know members will have detailed questions on how we are taking things forward. I very much welcome this opportunity to engage with the members of the joint committee on matters relating to the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, and I look forward to hearing their contributions.

The establishment of a Commission on the Defence Forces was set out in the programme for Government and was a key priority for me as Minister for Defence. When the commission’s report was published in February of this year, it recommended widespread and unprecedented changes for the Defence Forces and defence provision in Ireland. The report contained 130 recommendations in total, ranging from reform of high-level command and control structures to revitalisation of the Reserve Defence Force. However, the overarching theme was the urgent need for cultural transformation within the Defence Forces.

At the time of the report’s publication, I made a commitment to revert with a memorandum to Government detailing a proposed response to the commission’s recommendations and a high-level action plan. Since then, a significant body of work has been progressed by me, my officials and the Defence Forces culminating in the approval of the memorandum and high-level action plan on the 12 July. The Government approved 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 approximately €1.5 billion at January 2022 prices by 2028 through the annual Estimates process. A conservative estimate means that will be a defence budget of between €1.8 billion and €1.9 billion by 2028. This represents the largest funding increase for defence in the history of the State. This afternoon I would like to talk about the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces and the subsequent Government response, and the significant progress that has been made since publication.

As members will all know, in December 2020 the Government authorised the establishment of the commission and agreed its terms of reference and membership. The terms of reference covered the structures and size of the Defence Forces, defence capabilities, HR polices and strategies, the Reserve Defence Force, governance and high-level command and control in the Defence Forces and pay structures. The work of the commission was carried out against the backdrop of the defence policy framework set out in the White Paper 2015 and the White Paper update of 2019, both of which were developed by joint civil and military teams.

The publication of the commission’s report last February represented the culmination of 13 months of intensive and dedicated work carried out by the commission members. The report was wide-ranging, challenging and comprehensive and proposed significant changes for the Defence Forces and defence provision in Ireland. The illegal invasion of Ukraine within weeks of the publication of the report acted as a catalyst that brought defence matters to the forefront of public discourse. With the deterioration of the international security environment, nations across the world reassessed their defence capabilities and Ireland was no exception. The commission’s finding that Ireland’s Defence Forces would be unable to conduct a meaningful defence of the State from a sustained act of aggression by a military force with its current capability brought the need for investment and transformation into sharp focus.

The report made a wide range of recommendations regarding high-level command arrangements, Defence Forces structures, defence capabilities, the Reserve Defence Force, and funding with a significant proportion of the recommendations focussed on strategic HR and cultural change. The commission identified the urgent need for clarification of the levels ambition for the Defence Forces, and in the absence of such clarity they created a framework focused on three levels of ambition, LOAs, the first of which, LOA1 represents Ireland’s current capability, LOA2 represents enhanced capability, and LOA3, which represents funding on a par with similar countries across the EU. One of the key recommendations of the commission was that consideration be given to a move to LOA2 in the short term. The commission also recognised that any proposal to move to LOA3 could only be considered in the context of a step to LOA2 in the first instance, which is exactly what we are doing.

Due to the large number and wide range of the recommendations, many of which were highly complex, a period of five months was required to give the recommendations detailed consideration and to develop a high-level action plan.

Following the publication of the report, I engaged extensively with ministerial colleagues and other stakeholders, including representative associations. A civil-military team was also established to work on the response to the recommendations and the high-level action plan. This involved intensive engagement across the defence organisation, as well as with a wide range of other stakeholders and Departments, in particular the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Following detailed analysis of the recommendations and extensive engagement with stakeholders, the high-level action plan set out a position of "accept", "accept in principle", "further evaluation" or "revert" for each of the 130 recommendations. I am very pleased to say that 103 of the 130 recommendations were either accepted or accepted in principle, with 17 subject to further evaluation. I will be reverting to the Government with proposed responses to the remaining ten recommendations at a later stage. Reverting does not mean we do not agree with them. It just means we need more work and in particular legal advice on some of the main recommendations, which will be provided by the Attorney General.

The commission’s report identified five core areas to be addressed in an implementation plan, which were captured in the high-level action plan as five strategic objectives, which are: strategic HR and cultural change to be delivered; new command and control and joint structures to be established; services to be reformed and restructured; the Reserve Defence Force to be revitalised; and a joint capability development to be implemented.

The high-level action plan set out initial implementation and oversight structures including a high-level steering board chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach, an implementation oversight group with an independent chair and the establishment of a civil-military implementation management office. The high-level action plan also identified 38 early actions to progress a number of key recommendations from the commission’s report, which will also provide the necessary building blocks to develop an implementation plan within six months of the Government decision.

A number of key appointments were proposed in the high-level action plan to progress the implementation of the recommendations and the transformation agenda, including a civilian head of transformation, a civilian head of strategic HR and a gender adviser who will all report directly to the Chief of Staff.

A digital transformation officer will also be required to lead the digital transformation agenda, and will report directly to the head of transformation, who, in turn, reports to the Chief of Staff.

On 12 July of this year I brought a memorandum to Government and a high-level action plan detailing the proposed response to the Commission's report, which was approved. As I mentioned earlier, the Government approved 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 €1.5 billion - at January 2022 prices - by 2028 through the annual Estimates. As I stated earlier, this represents the largest increase in Defence funding in the history of the State. A number of measures relating to pay and allowance structures have also been accepted for implementation.

The move to LOA2 also entails an increase of some 2,000 personnel above the current Permanent Defence Force establishment of 9,500, of which we are more than 1,000 below at present. It is clear that a significant task lies ahead for the Defence Forces and my Department. Implementation of the recommendations requires significant resources and expertise, both internal and external. The Department has a significant role to play in enabling, supporting and overseeing progress of the transformation agenda. To do this it, too, will require additional resources.

I believe we are currently in a strong position to deliver this unprecedented transformation, thanks in no small part to the leadership and strong working relationship displayed by the Secretary General and the Chief of Staff, both of whom are working remarkably closely together. They are drivers, in some ways, and champions of the transformation agenda within the Department and the Defence Forces.

Finally, I thank the Chairman for inviting me here today. I look forward to hearing members' thoughts and views on matters relating to the Commission on the Defence Forces. I have tried to touch on a number of issues. I would be delighted to address these and any further issues of interest that the members might like, in particular, the early actions. We have made some progress on those and I could bring them up to speed on the 38 early actions. It might be a useful process for the committee, if the Chairman wants to go through that. I am happy to take questions on whatever the members want to ask questions on.