Charlie O'Connor (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)

Yes, I could have been. My maternal Grandad was a soldier and my paternal grandfather while he was not in the armed forces was killed at sea by a German bomb.

The purpose of my question is to recognise that the world is now a different and more dangerous place, certainly more so than when we were growing up. Ireland now has a superb reputation throughout the world as a super economy and it has defence responsibilities. Is the Minister satisfied that all Ireland's commitments both at home and overseas can be met within the current strength of the Permanent Defence Force? Is this a good or bad year for recruitment?

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