Mr. Se?n Clancy:

I thank the Chairman. I plan to speak for approximately 20 minutes, if that is acceptable to the Chair. I am conscious I did not provide a brief prior to my attendance here today and I therefore think it is important I set the complete context, insofar as is practical, for the conversation we will have afterwards. If it is acceptable to the Chairman, this will take about 20 minutes.

Ar an gcéad dul síos, mar Cheann Foirne Óglaigh na hÉireann, gabhaim buíochas le baill an choiste as ucht an cuireadh chun labhairt leo ar chúrsaí a bhaineann le hÓglaigh na hÉireann agus ar a dtosaíochtaí. Táim ag tnúth go mór le caidreamh dearfach leis na baill agus le hiad a chur ar an eolas faoi na hábhair atá faoi mo chúram.

As Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, I thank the committee for the invitation for me to attend here today and for the opportunity to address members on matters and priorities relevant to the Defence Forces at this time. I intend to brief the committee on current and future-focused developments concerning the Defence Forces, including the security environment, my organisational priorities, cultural change, the Commission on the Defence Forces, and retention and recruitment matters. In that context, I look forward to a positive engagement and hope to inform members on any issues they may raise that are within my remit and responsibility.

As already outlined by the Chairman, I am accompanied this afternoon by Brigadier General Rossa Mulcahy, my assistant chief of staff, Colonel Rory Sheerin, who is the Defence Forces director of human resources, Colonel Caimin Keogh, director of the strategic planning branch, and Commandant Gemma Fagan, a member of my Chief of Staff’s division.

The members of this committee will be very well aware we are facing a number of unique and unprecedented opportunities and challenges. I am personally invested in leading the Defence Forces to address the key issues we face as an organisation in collaboration with our departmental colleagues. Since taking up my role as Chief of Staff in September 2021, I have reflected on how Óglaigh na hÉireann can improve and develop, thereby ensuring we are operationally ready for deployment at home and overseas and ever ready to carry out the roles and tasks assigned by Government.

Despite our very real challenges, some of which I will address in some detail, it is important to appreciate that this is also a period of great opportunity for the Defence Forces. The report submitted to Government by the Commission on the Defence Forces provides a generational opportunity for Ireland and for Óglaigh na hÉireann. Most importantly, the Government-approved recommendations provide a roadmap to design and develop the future force out to 2028. The future structures and capabilities of the Defence Forces will be redesigned to respond to developments in both the national and international security environments. The threat and risk environment looking out to 2030 and beyond remains complex and unpredictable.

Our overseas deployments remain a priority and are a visible demonstration of Ireland’s commitment to international security and multilateralism. The mandated missions or operations where our members deploy are often challenging and, in some cases, in hostile environments where some of our personnel, tragically, have made the ultimate sacrifice, as evidenced by the loss of 89 personnel throughout our 65 years of unbroken service with the United Nations. Like the Chairman, I too take this opportunity today to remember Private Seán Rooney, a soldier, a peacekeeper and colleague who was killed on active service in Lebanon on 14 December 2022 and who remains, to this day and always, in our prayers and in our thoughts, as do his family and friends. A dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.

Security environment assessments inform how we train and prepare our forces so that we can secure our national sovereignty and defend and protect the citizens of Ireland. Reflecting on the number of global challenges that have emerged over recent years, it can be seen how those developments have informed the current employment of our forces. I am immensely proud of the key role we have played in support of the Health Service Executive and other Departments and agencies during the Covid-19 pandemic. We demonstrated, in a very real and tangible way, the value and benefit the Defence Forces bring when called upon in times of national crisis in terms of our planning competence, our logistical and operational expertise, our dual-use capabilities and, most importantly, our personnel.

That experience has also informed the Defence Forces’ response to other recent Government taskings and requests for assistance to support, for example, beneficiaries of temporary protection and those seeking permanent international protection. We have enabled the provision of emergency accommodation in a number of military installations and we continue to deliver those supports to the lead agencies within our means and capabilities. The Defence Forces’ planning and cyber defence capabilities were also deployed in support of the HSE when it was subjected to a serious cybercrime incident in 2021, and we continue to support the National Cyber Security Centre with the secondment of personnel and expertise when required. In 2021, the Defence Forces Army Ranger Wing, our special forces, was tasked to support, secure and assist a Department of Foreign Affairs-led emergency consular assistance team operation in Kabul, Afghanistan. That mission facilitated the evacuation of 26 Irish citizens and dependants during that challenging period. All of these examples serve to heighten the public’s awareness of the value that competent and capable Defence Forces deliver in terms of national resilience for our people and this State.

Of course, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which occurred after the publication of the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, has worryingly signalled the return of high-intensity conventional and hybrid conflict to the European Continent. As the Government has reiterated, Russia’s war is an assault not just on Ukraine but also on the international rules-based order. This new security paradigm emphasises the need for robust planning and preparation of contingent capabilities to meet current and future assigned tasks. This must be achieved while also continuing to contribute to international peace support operations and humanitarian missions.

The Government’s decision to participate in the EU military assistance mission, in support of Ukraine, will enable the Defence Forces to consider the deployment of up to 30 personnel to provide specialised training supports. The planning consideration is ongoing. These types of threats and emerging tasks underline the utility of and a requirement for a defence force that is flexible, adaptable, capable and inter-operable, as part of a whole-of-government approach to security and defence.

Following my appointment as Chief of Staff, I identified three key priority areas to guide staffing efforts and desired outputs. These priority areas are development and well-being; internal communications and Commission on the Defence Forces implementation. They focus on identifying and delivering projects and work strands that can be progressed by the Defence Forces and our policies and procedures. My overall intent is to empower leaders, at all levels, to improve retention conditions, implement and progress positive means of internal communication and support and enable the modernisation and development of the force. It is my intent to drive positive change from within, in order to realise the total package of benefits associated with being a member of Óglaigh na hÉireann. Balancing our required operational outputs in tandem with developing our future force design, structures and staffing, in line with the Commission on the Defence Forces level of ambition, is an ambitious, but appropriate, objective.

Closely linked and central to the realisation of my overall intent, is my determination and resolve to tackle any form of inappropriate behaviour such as bullying, misogyny or sexual harassment. Let me assure the committee that any form of unacceptable behaviour is completely contrary to our values and ethos and I am determined to tackle this problem, in order to ensure the safety and well-being of all our personnel. Any incident of inappropriate behaviour is one incident too many and it will not be tolerated. I am on record as stating that the vast majority of those who serve in Óglaigh na hÉireann are appalled by the lived experiences and accounts shared by our colleagues, both serving and retired, especially those that came to light following the Women of Honour documentary. I am grateful for the opportunity to reaffirm that position here today and to state it before this committee.

I await the publication of the independent review group’s report and I have assured An Tánaiste, the Minister for Defence, of my intent to work with all stakeholders in order to fully implement the recommendations as approved by his office. I am confident that the independent review group's recommendations, in addition to Defence Forces work streams already commenced in this area, will further enable our organisation to be grounded on best culture, ethos and values, which is no more than our members should expect and deserve.

In addition, as committee members may be aware, one of the five strategic objectives central to the implementation of the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces is concerned exclusively with addressing workplace culture, HR practices and policies for our members. These progressive initiatives, combined with the independent review group's recommendations and the internal steps taken to date, will provide those who serve with a workplace that is fully aligned with the principles of dignity, equality and mutual respect.

With that, I will turn my remarks to the Commission on the Defence Forces report. As committee members are no doubt aware, the commission reported in February 2022 and in July of last year, the Government approved a high-level action plan. The ambition is to advance, over a six-year period, to a level of Defence Forces capability equivalent to that required to enable level-of-ambition 2, as defined in that report. This will entail multiannual funding increases, which have commenced in 2023, to reach a defence budget of €1.5 billion, in 2022 prices, by 2028 and involves increases in personnel numbers of 2,000, creating a new Defence Forces establishment of 11,500.

The commission identified the critical importance of the unbreakable link that must be established between Government decisions on defence policy, level of ambition, capability and approved budget lines. In that vein, the commission concluded that our current capability ambitions were inconsistent with the more ambitious statements outlined in defence policy and that a continuation of the model would leave the defence instrument without a credible military capability to protect Ireland, its people and its resources for any sustained period. The commission's recommendation to move to an enhanced level-of-ambition 2 by 2028 has been approved by Government and is now a significant catalyst for change for the Defence Forces.

It should be noted that all 130 of the commission’s recommendations have been categorised under five strategic objectives. These core areas concern transformational change to modernise organisational culture and HR strategies and practices; the reform of high-level command and control and the creation of new joint-services strategic and operational headquarters, supported by three service chiefs; revitalisation of the Reserve Defence Force; reform and restructuring of the three services; and joint capability development. A joint civil-military implementation management office is currently engaged with external consultants to develop a detailed implementation plan to be approved by Government. That plan will timeline and chart how and when projects will be progressed to achieve its objectives.

During this time, the Defence Forces and the Department of Defence have not stood still. I have progressed a number of initiatives, in collaboration with the Secretary General and her staff, in line with the high-level action plan recommendations. Since the beginning of the year, I have designated an office of reserve affairs, led by a colonel rank. The office will be tasked with designing a new plan to regenerate our Reserve Defence Force, for the approval of An Tánaiste, the Minister for Defence. The Reserve Defence Force is an integral and valued capability under our single force concept and we welcomed the Defence (Amendment) Act 2021, which provides for Reserve Defence Force supplemental military service in support of the Permanent Defence Forces, and the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020. The Acts and amendment enabled the reserve to contribute significantly to the wider Defence Forces effort during the Covid pandemic, while also having the effect of removing the absolute prohibitions within the defence Acts on members of the reserve serving overseas.

I am also progressing the designation of a gender adviser to my office and, pending that appointment, I have institutionalised the attendance of a senior female officer to provide a broader perspective at weekly and monthly general staff meetings and to advise the general staff on gender-specific issues. Women comprise just over 7% of our workforce, which is a capability gap. That number needs to grow and we are working on this as part of our recently launched BE MORE recruitment campaign, as well as other initiatives. Work is also well-advanced on the high-level action plan. This plan identified a total of 38 key early actions, to progress a number of key recommendations arising from the commission's report. These early actions will also act as the necessary building blocks to support the full detailed implementation plan. An update report is due to be published by An Tánaiste, the Minister for Defence, in the near future, prior to delivery of the detailed implementation plan.

I am happy to report that significant progress has been achieved in many areas, including pay and allowances; the development of a new vision statement for the Defence Forces; ways to expand our recruitment and induction capacity, to include the development of new joint recruitment and induction training centre at Gormanston Camp and the creation of a civil-military capability development branch to deliver new infrastructure, equipment and facilities needed to accommodate, train and operate our forces on land, air and sea. Competitions for the appointment of new heads of strategic transformation and strategic HR, who will report directly to me, are actively under way.

The progress to date has been briefed to the high-level steering board, which has been established to oversee implementation and is chaired by the Secretary General of the Department of the Taoiseach. In addition, the implementation oversight group led by the independent chair, Ms Julie Sinnamon, has been established to oversee and drive progress on the implementation of the recommendations of the commission. This journey of modernisation and force transformation will inevitably involve a level of disruption and will require significant organisational and cultural change. Ultimately, upon implementation, the ambition is to deliver a regenerated and fit-for-purpose force with an ambitious vision, a larger and more capable workforce and a greatly enhanced, multiannual budget-and-resource envelope.

One of my priority considerations in the past number of years concerns the recruitment and retention of personnel, who are our most valued resource. Our capability to deliver the required military outputs in a dynamic threat environment and in times of crisis, rests on the sustained availability of sufficient personnel who are prepared physically, intellectually and psychologically. The members of this committee will be cognisant of the human resource difficulties the Defence Forces have experienced in recent times. The full-employment market conditions currently enjoyed by Ireland is the contested space that all employers must overcome, when attracting recruits and retaining personnel in service. We are constructively engaged with our departmental colleagues in this space, in order to ensure that we have a competitive edge. I am convinced that the future force, in its structures and staffing, will have to be agile and adaptable in order to address the security challenges of the future.

Recruitment into the Defence Forces occurs across a number of streams for enlisted and commissioned ranks. Though levels of induction have been generally robust, it has been challenging over the past number of years to grow sufficient numbers to keep pace with higher levels of exits. Defence Forces recruitment systems are regularly reviewed and updated. The implementation of relevant recommendations arising from the consultant-led review on recruitment continues. In addition, and in line with recommendations by the Commission on the Defence Forces, a new recruitment strategy has been developed with a focus on four principal themes, which are expanding induction pools; enhancing marketing effectiveness; optimising selection and induction methodologies; and maximising retention in training.

We have long understood that our turnover rate, recorded at 10.72% in 2022, cannot be addressed by recruitment strategies alone. I fully appreciate that a healthy balance between retention and exit numbers must be maintained if the Defence Forces is to remain fit for purpose. We have witnessed heightened levels of exits since circa 2016. While that dynamic has softened during the pandemic years, 2022 figures confirm the resumption of an upward trend in voluntary exists. It remains to be seen if this is an after-effect of career decision-making delayed during the pandemic or whether it points to a more permanent acceleration.

Many aspects of military service have the potential to influence retention rates, including career opportunities, remuneration, intensity of training and operational missions, work-life balance considerations, infrastructure and equipment developments. The appropriate implementation of the working time directive can play a key role in this and is positively welcomed by the general staff. A ruling by the European Court of Justice in 2021, known as the Slovenian case, has been very significant to our understanding of this subject, and engagements are ongoing to arrive at a draft heads of a Bill for the appropriate amendment to the Organisation of Working Time Act.

In addition, work on a Defence Forces cross-functional retention strategy is under development and is relatively mature. The draft strategy focuses on a number of key retention themes, which include: culture; opportunities; supports; work-life balance, including the working time directive; conditions of service; and rewards and recognition.

I am cognisant of the double jeopardy that a reducing workforce entails, namely, asking personnel to execute the duties and responsibilities expected of a fully established organisation. I acknowledge that it will take time for the Defence Forces to rebuild our strength levels. In the interim, we continue to review the scope of our domestic framework operations and our overseas commitments. Our intent is to reduce the totality of our current commitments in the short term in order to enable, and progress, the regeneration of our force and the associated capability developments. Following the provision of military advice, the Government has signalled the intent to withdraw from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force, UNDOF, mission on the Golan Heights and this will facilitate other planned commitments. As a package, all of these initiatives should have a positive effect. When considered, in addition to the ambition and realisation of the implementation plan by the Commission on the Defence Forces, this will provide assurance to our personnel concerning their career opportunities, work-life balance, continued professional and personal development pathways, and the future direction of their respective services.

Before I conclude it is important for me to state and acknowledge the extremely positive and collaborative relationship that I enjoy with the Secretary General of the Department of Defence, her staff, and the full and unrelenting support and leadership of An Tánaiste and Minister for Defence. I can report that we are collectively on the same page, and positioned to grasp this once-in-a- lifetime opportunity to implement the changes that are necessary to build a regenerated and modernised Defence Forces.

I would like to make mention of the role played by the Defence Forces in support of the decade of centenaries programme since 2012. I am extremely proud of our contribution in this area, which also offered us an opportunity to increase the public’s awareness and understanding of our role in the defence and security of the State while also reinforcing our identity and heritage. Our personnel have carried out many State ceremonial activities, most notably the 2016 Easter parade, and more recently when making the centenary handover of Dublin Castle, adding a sense of pride, solemnity and dignity to these great moments of State. Our contribution to the decade has also reached into the cultural and societal spaces by the contribution, co-ordination and execution of the flags for schools programme in 2016, and in various other collaborations and exhibitions with academic partners and our national cultural institutions. Such efforts, including our recent commemoration of the handover of the barracks through the contested Civil War commemorations, have demonstrated that Óglaigh na hÉireann is a mature, reflective organisation, capable of respecting in an inclusive manner the totality of our shared history. I am immensely proud of our organisation and the people who serve in it both past and present, and I am confident that we will stand firm for 100 years more. Finally, I thank the Chairman for giving me the opportunity to address the committee, and I am happy to answer any questions that are within my scope and area of responsibility. Go raibh míle maith agaibh.