Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to the debate on this report, which is wide-ranging in its recommendations and makes for an interesting read. I agree that overall we must continue to resource our Defence Forces to ensure they are properly equipped and trained for the roles that we require them to undertake but ultimately, what should be at the heart of this report is ensuring that we protect our neutrality.

With regard to the recommendations contained within the report, I support the cultural change processes outlined, particularly in regard to female participation and diversity. The development of expanded recruitment channels for the recruitment and participation of under‐represented groups is welcome. I agree that we should enable easier access to Irish citizenship for those who serve in the Defence Forces. We need to recognise barriers that those under-represented groups face when joining the Defence Forces, such as family-friendly hours, about which a lot has been already said. I welcome that the report recommends the extension and enhancement of family-friendly policies, howsoever they would work within the Defence Forces.

I also welcome that the report takes into account green defence. This is an area that needs to be highlighted further in the future. We should ensure that our military sets ambitious environmental targets and that analysis of green defence solutions and horizon scanning to identify emerging technologies is embedded in the capability development and planning process of our Defence Forces.

The final recommendation of the report calls on the Government and Oireachtas to urgently address the need to define a clear level of ambition for the major roles of the Defence Forces. I thought it was fairly clear that we are a neutral State and that is what we will continue to be. This includes defence of the State, its people and its resources and overseas missions. We must be very careful when we are considering this. The vision as stated in the executive summary is that the Defence Forces should remain poised to meet the challenges of an evolving and complex world. What does that mean? That is, I believe, the crux of the problem. I am very concerned about a concerted move away from neutrality, which I believe is the aim for some in government. We must ensure that this is discouraged by all means necessary. The executive summary statement could mean anything. There is a danger that in a couple of years time the Minister would be here talking about how we are meeting the needs as outlined in this document but we would actually be going to war on behalf of Europe, France, Germany or whoever.

I am particularly concerned about the ongoing militarisation of the EU. We need to ensure that in the resourcing of our Defence Forces, the aim is not to create or participate in any sort of European army, but to ensure that our neutrality is at the core of everything we do. Our armed forces have a great tradition of engaging in peacekeeping activities internationally, especially in the UN and the UN-supported peacekeeping missions, of which Ireland has been involved in 527. As of August 2021, more than 550 Irish personnel were deployed to civilian and military international crisis management and peace support operations around the world, many of whom trained close to where I live in Ballyshannon, where centenary commemorations of the handover of Finner Camp from British to Irish military forces will take place tomorrow.

Our international peacekeeping endeavours should be commended. I would like to see a continuation of this country’s focus on peacekeeping when we are setting a clear level of ambition for the major roles of the Defence Forces. That should be our aim, not the joining of NATO or an EU so-called defence organisation. This is where we should be setting our sights. I agree with the different options that are outlined in the report and option 2 seems to be the one that probably would be the best in terms of meeting those needs. We need to clearly set out our intention. I have my doubts as to whether the intention of everyone in government or of the Government is to ensure that we continue in our peacekeeping role and remain focused on being able to manage and do that properly. We need to ensure that in this we are not masking preparations for a role in terms of NATO or an EU defence programme. If that is what is intended, the Government should be clear and say it and let people have the debate on that. It should not be masking or hiding its intentions, as I believe is happening here.

We are getting to the stage where we are seeing the running down of the Defence Forces. The withdrawal of the capabilities of our Defence Forces will be used by some to make the point that if we want to update our Defence Forces, we have to do it this way, we have to go this far and we have to play our role in terms of defending the EU, NATO or whatever. We do not. We can have Defence Forces that function as a defence force, as something that we need, we want and all our citizens want. We can maintain that through the peacekeeping roles we already play. We can strengthen the Defence Forces to make sure that happens without going the full hog or the whole way in terms being a part of NATO and so on. We can do that if people discuss and agree it and believe that is the way it is going to be. That is important.

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