Cathal Berry (Kildare South, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the opportunity to contribute to this debate. I welcome even more the opportunity to listen to the debate. I have listened to all sides, particularly those who may have different views from me. There are two, pretty much, motions before us. One is about Defence Forces overseas and the other is about the PESCO projects. I will deal with the first one first. I echo many comments, particularly those of Deputy Gannon, in praise of our troops overseas, particularly those in the Middle East. We have more than 500 troops there at the moment keeping a lid on potential conflicts. Recent events in Ukraine are catastrophic and devastating for that country and we see the direct effects of the conflict in this country in relation to refugees, cost of living, cost of fuel and so on. It casts a different shade on our peacekeeping troops overseas. They are working for the global good, but also in Ireland's self-interest to make sure the stability of the world continues.

Turning to the PESCO projects, I am very much in favour of the four projects selected and will tell Deputies why. I am proud to say that in 1926 my great-granduncle was part of the first Irish military mission to the USA. They spent 15 months in the US, six of them in total, then came back and established a military college in the Curragh Camp in my constituency. We have been benefitting from that ever since. From my experience of international training courses I have benefitted enormously. I spent three months in the UK on a live fire course, came back and the standard of live fire training and expertise in our Defence Forces increased considerably as a result. That is why our troops are so good overseas and so heavily sought after. They are composed and comfortable in a live fire scenario. Their weapons handling is excellent and their weapons discipline is excellent, unlike other countries which are more trigger-happy and jumpy.

I spent a lot of time in the jungle in Belize, which made me a better peacekeeper in Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire. I spent a month there and spent months all over Europe working with like-minded countries to improve our hostage rescue capability and bring it back to Ireland. I spent much time in the UK doing medical training which we ploughed back into our Defence Forces. PESCO is not about Europe, but Ireland. It is about improving our standards. We do not have the expertise on this island and have to go abroad to get it and plough it back. From a military perspective, it is in Ireland's interest.

I agree with all four projects selected. First is cyber. There are two seats in the National Cyber Security Centre for military cyber experts. We do not have the expertise in Ireland so have to go abroad and get the expertise to prevent attacks and deal with one if it happens. We saw the devastating effects of the HSE attack last year.

From a disaster management point of view, I do not want to make a false equivalence but will give a classic example. I was involved in the vaccination programme and everybody in this Chamber knows it was sluggish for the first two or three months because we had not done it before and had not trained together. If there is a tsunami, earthquake, volcano or severe weather event abroad, there will be an international response and if we have not trained together or co-operated in the past, we will find it difficult to have a cohesive response.

I have mentioned at the committee that I am concerned about medical training in the Defence Forces. Any opportunity we get to improve our expertise, tools and talent we should seize, bring it back to our Defence Forces and plough it into our training.

In relation to the last one on mines, the Naval Service does not have the expertise in dealing with mines. Sea mines from the Second World War float ashore occasionally. Mines are becoming extremely topical in the Black Sea. If the international community decides it needs to go in and secure Odesa to bring the grain out of the silos, there will be a requirement to deal with the sea mine threat. We do not have the expertise. We have to get the expertise to bring it back in.

My view is purely from a training perspective. Any interaction we have had with the European Union, from a national perspective, has been, on balance, positive. Students use the Erasmus programme and engage with the European Union. An Garda Síochána uses Europol and Ministers use the Council of Ministers. PESCO is how militaries engage and co-operate with each other, exchange skills through workshops and bring them back to their national defence forces to improve their standards. PESCO does not compromise our peacekeeping standards. International training does not compromise those standards; it created them in the first place and enhances them.

I am in favour of the four projects. I hear the diversity of views in the Chamber and respect them but, in Ireland's self-interest and that of our Armed Forces, these four projects will make us better peacekeepers, soldiers, sailors and flight crew. We will be able to protect our country to a higher standard and contribute, should we wish on a voluntary basis, to international operations overseas.

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