Lisa Chambers (Mayo, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I welcome our participation in the European Defence Agency. We discussed this at length at committee level and at that stage I made it very clear that I very much supported our participation in both of these projects.

The European Defence Agency allows us the opportunity to pool resources, connect with other member states and benefit from economies of scale. We get to share knowledge and obtain information from other member states, perhaps on operations they do better than us. Perhaps we do some things better and we can share it with other member states. It is a very efficient way of doing business and ensuring our troops have the most up-to-date knowledge and experience.

Our participation in these training programmes ensures that our soldiers receive the best training and expertise that they can get to assist them in their overseas duties. We know our soldiers go on peacekeeping and peace enforcement missions but we should be clear that these are not holidays. They are extremely dangerous excursions for up to six months or even longer. It is very important that we ensure our troops have the most up-to-date training they can get. That means when they go abroad and interact with other armies in countries where it is not entirely safe, we can ensure that they are as best equipped as they can be to come home safely.

We have one of the lowest rates of spending of any EU member state. It is not that I advocate for large amounts to be spent on defence but it is worth noting that we are very modest in the amount of money we spend on our Defence Forces. Participating in these programmes allows us the opportunity, while spending some money, to get back in return something that represents significant value for money in terms of training, expertise and access to knowledge that we would not have otherwise.

Two programmes were described by the Minister of State. The MARSUR networking is a continuation of a previous project on which we have already embarked. We initially participated in this automated network, which allows members of the community to share knowledge on the position of ships and other fisheries protection issues. Most recently we have seen it being used where Irish authorities and the Irish Naval Service communicated with the Italian authorities on joint operations to save migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean. That demonstrates that having this capability and access to the most up-to-date information allows us to do our duties to the best of our abilities. We can all say we are very proud of the work that our Defence Forces have conducted in that regard in assisting migrants and as part of addressing the refugee crisis in the Mediterranean.

The cyber ranges are a fairly new technology and it demonstrates that we are thinking ahead, recognising and anticipating down the line what we as a country may face in terms of security. Cyber ranges allow us to pool expertise and knowledge while participating in these cyber ranges to test technology and conduct exercises in a virtual reality. It allows us to test our capabilities in terms of withstanding or dealing with a cyber attack in our own country. We hope we never have to deal with such an instance but we would be very foolish and naive to think we are totally immune from such an attack. Given it is such a complex area that is constantly progressing and changing, it is difficult to stay on top of it. Certainly, in terms of sharing knowledge and learning what other countries are doing to deal with the potential threat of cyber attacks, this can only be positive.

We may be a small country but we have always punched above our weight. Certainly, our Defence Forces have done no less than that. We have always operated to the very best of our abilities and at a very professional and modern level. It is because of our participation in these joint projects with other countries that we have been able to do that. We are a small country and we do not have the resources and capabilities to do all this training on our own. It is imperative that our troops are facilitated and encouraged to participate in these projects with other countries. They are similar to other projects in the past where we have done training related to nuclear and biological warfare. This involves the anticipation of potential threats that we could face in our country or that troops could face abroad while on duty representing our country. It is up to us when we send troops abroad that we know they are as safe as they can possibly be. I ask anybody suggesting that participation in this training is not good to think about sending troops overseas to participate in a mission where they do not have the same skill set as other soldiers from other countries. It is not a position with which I would be very comfortable.

I support the participation in both these projects and I look forward to the continued participation in joint defence projects with other countries.

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