Sorca Clarke (Longford-Westmeath, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I note that the Minister is not present in the Chamber for the remainder of this debate. That is an observation which no doubt serving members and veterans, and their spouses and children will note with some interest given that it is the second time in as many weeks that the Minister has not been here for a debate on the Defence Forces.

Commandant Conor King, the general secretary of RACO has said that without significant retention initiatives there will be no improvement in the staffing gaps. Like it or not, without people there is no capability. He said that it is destined to fail unless we see clearly defined milestones, independent oversight and accountability. I could not agree more because without action this will simply be another report on a shelf and another missed opportunity except this time it will be done in the full knowledge of the implications because this report lays out the stark reality facing our Defence Forces into the future.

What the report truly lays bare is that one reaps what one sows or, in this case, what one could not have bothered to sow. For years we have seen plans an reports put forward by successive Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael, Labour Party, Green Party and a Dolly mixture of others who were in government at the time that were blatant in their lack of recognition of the vital role of the Defence Forces and of the threats and potential threats to the State. Whether it was equipment, built infrastructure, Air Corps, Army, Naval Service, Reserves and veterans, the entire spectrum of the Defence Forces was seen as low-hanging fruit. It was almost as they were unworthy of meaningful resourcing and yet increasingly expected to do more with less as numbers diminished. I do not accept for one minute that when the nature of conflict began changing and the impact of climate change and its associated human cost was developing that no single person in the Government or the Department thought our Defence Forces would not have a role to play or appreciate the impact that a lack of investment would have. Nor do I believe that when representative bodies and others raised concerns about the haemorrhaging of talent and skills that not one person thought to take action. I believe, however, that there was a deliberate decision to ignore what was happening. Instead there was an ostrich approach which has created, facilitated and resulted in the situation which faces our Defence Forces today.

What truly galls me is that this was done with an attitude towards the greatest asset that the Defence Forces have - its people who serve the State often generation to generation - that their willingness to serve could almost be exploited to such a degree that low pay and poor conditions were acceptable. They are not acceptable nor will they ever be acceptable. One serving member on the working family payment is too many. One family food parcel or homeless veteran is one too many.

The 2012 filleting of the Army was a mistake. It was an unmitigated disaster and tore the heart out of the Army, particularly in the midlands. I will be parochial here because today in my constituency of Longford-Westmeath there remain two closed barracks with no true defined purpose for over a decade. One remains operational in Athlone. The impact that reorganisation had on the Army was profound. It was a very public example of that lack of vision and appreciation of the impact it would have on the wider structure. I remember the closure of those barracks as do countless others in my constituency. I remember serving members of the Army sleeping in cars because they could not afford the price of fuel to go home. As for the barracks which remain, the height of vision for Custume Barracks in the infrastructure plan was a new dining hall. We should all be very grateful that a modern army no longer marches on it stomach because given the current level of food ration allowances they would be lucky to get past Coosan. At the very core, and something that is reflected in the report, is respect and loyalty. The respect and loyalty shown by those in the military life has never been recognised by the Government. Instead it is treated with a lack of interest and disdain. The evidence of that is the repeated, successive and systemic failures by those tasked with overseeing the Defence Forces, the deafness scandal, Larium, the side effects of hazardous chemicals at Baldonnel, the Women of Honour and others with similar experiences, barracks crumbling, sleeping quarters with actual holes in the ceiling and an Air Corps that is not able to see into our sky or a Naval Service that is unable to see below sea level. The 123 recommendations are not going to be easily achieved and some require a much wider conversation and decisions. However, none will be achieved while respect and loyalty is not reciprocated. The two-way street is absolutely vital for the future of our Defence Forces.

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