Gerard Craughwell (Independent) | Oireachtas source

Yesterday I sat and listened to the Taoiseach responding to Deputy Micheál Martin and stating that there was no crisis in the Defence Forces. The truth of the matter is that being 1,000 technicians short amounts to a crisis. Stepping away from the defence role of the Defence Forces, let us consider for a moment their frequently overlooked role in the security of the State. We have an Army Ranger Wing, for example, in the event of a terrorist attack or a hijacking. We have the bomb disposal team which is called out, on average, twice a week. Our forces are depleted, however, to the point that there are very few qualified officers available to that bomb disposal team.

Cyber security is also a function of the Defence Forces. The Engineering Corps, meanwhile, deals with ordnance and explosives and it too is greatly depleted. We can pretend that there is no crisis as much as we want. The Leader was right when he pointed out recently that a conference is coming up on this matter. There will indeed be a conference and I would say that things will get hot and heavy at it. The bottom line here is that we are in dire straits. I recently called for the Minister of State with responsibility for defence to resign and step aside in favour of somebody who is prepared to drive the Defence Forces forward.