Terry Leyden (Fianna Fail)

I welcome the Minister of State, Deputy Tom Kitt, and congratulate him on his excellent work as Government Chief Whip and Minister of State at the Department of Defence. The Minister for Defence, Deputy O'Dea, is doing a tremendous job and morale within the Defence Forces is very high. It is a credit to the work of both Ministers.

Like my colleagues, Senators Maurice Cummins and Geraldine Feeney, I am also a nominee of the Irish Conference of Professional and Service Associations to which RACO and PDFORRA are affiliated. We are very fortunate to be nominated by it and to be elected to the House. It gives us a particular connection to the Defence Forces. Senator Maurice Cummins and I met members of the Defence Forces on Tuesday evening and we got a very strong impression of their support for this mission to Chad. They are very excited about this project.

The Defence Forces have a tremendous track record in Kosovo, Liberia and in Cyprus. They have created a great impression everywhere they have gone. Lebanon was another great success story as far as our troops were concerned.

Some 400 troops will be deployed in the Chad region. It is a great honour for this country that of the 27 EU member states, Major General Patrick Nash will head the European Union protection force of 3,700 and will have the backup of 11 staff in the headquarters in Paris. It is a great honour for this country to have such a leadership role. It is only right in the circumstances that we should deploy 400 troops for 12 months at a cost of approximately €57 million.

We are also very fortunate to have Lieutenant General Dermot Earley as chief of staff of the Defence Forces. He is from County Roscommon and we are particularly proud that he has achieved great success in the Army and has become chief of staff. The loyalty of the troops to him is very impressive. He will support the troops on the ground and Major General Patrick Nash in his work.

Ireland has a particular role in the world because it never had colonies and was not involved in any of those conflicts. Irish troops are accepted in every country and in every conflict. They will play an important role in the conflict in Chad which has been going on for too long. Some 50 rangers have been deployed and I heard one on "Morning Ireland" this morning explain the mission. They are very well equipped troops and will assess the logistics in advance of the arrival of the 400 troops who will arrive after Christmas. They will be able to be with their families for Christmas before they embark on this dangerous mission. It is, however, a great humanitarian mission. We wish the troops every success and a safe return. It will be a successful mission because all missions in which the Defence Forces have been involved dating back to our first involvement with the United Nations have been successful.

I was an election monitor in Bosnia-Herzegovina. The troops who volunteered for civilian work there proved to be the most qualified and best trained in the world. We are very proud of our Defence Forces. They have shown great ability to deal with complex situations. They have certain diplomatic skills which those in most other countries would not be in a position to deploy. We are all very proud of their work and the success they have achieved.

An issue which arises from time to time concerns the voluntary or local Defence Forces. They have indicated that they would be interested in supporting our troops. It is generally accepted that some should be given the opportunity to participate in overseas missions. That could help our troops on the ground. While they would not be in the same position as the Permanent Defence Forces, they have played an important role and it would be a recognition of their work in providing voluntary support to the Army if they were given the opportunity to be deployed as backup to our Permanent Defence Force.

The nearest barracks to County Roscommon is Custume Barracks in Athlone. It plays an important role in the life of the region and we are pleased to have that type of deployment in Mullingar and Longford. I hope that type of regionalisation of the Defence Forces will continue, particularly of the Army which plays an important role in the life of the midlands, as the Cathaoirleach knows. They have been involved in every voluntary organisation.

The work of the troops will be difficult as it is a very complex conflict. For too long the world has stood idly by and allowed this situation to develop. All the countries of the European Union should be involved. I hope Germany and Italy will play an important role and that the larger countries will provide the backup as far as helicopters, fixed wing aircraft and other logistics are concerned to make this mission a success.

The Dáil unanimously approved this deployment and wished the troops well. There may be reservations among some parties but they should be reminded that this is a peacekeeping mission authorised by the United Nations and the European Union. It is a very big step for us as a small country. We are showing our commitment to the world by deploying our troops in a peaceful manner.

I send the troops Christmas greetings. They will spend Christmas at home with their families before they embark on this mission. We look forward to welcoming them back safe and sound following the completion of this mission.