Tom Clonan (Independent) | Oireachtas source

No, but there is an arrangement. The fact of the matter is that the RAF does enter our controlled airspace to follow, intercept and escort Russian aircraft out of the area. It is not a criticism; it is just an observation of the facts. We must do a little bit better to vindicate our sovereignty.

The head of transformation and the head of strategic HR are going to report to the Chief of Staff. I welcome the Minister's mention of the changing of the status of the Chief of Staff to the Chief of Defence because currently our de facto Chief of Staff, through the Carltona principle, is the Secretary General of the Department of Defence. I have met the Secretary General and as a former soldier I would follow her over the top. I think she is a great leader, and she is a great Secretary General but as the Minister said, it should be the Chief of Staff.

In terms of transformational change, the report and the high-level action report do not mention the training institutions of the Defence Forces – the Military College, the brigade training structures and the Cadet School. They need urgent attention. They must change their training systems to evidence-based ones because much of the toxic culture that has led to the fresh disclosures by the Women of Honour and others is embedded in the manner, philosophy and ideology of training that is carried on there. I welcome the establishment of a national defence academy. I have been presenting peer-reviewed papers and research at international military conferences for the past 22 years and I have never once met a member of the Irish Department of Defence or a military officer of the Defence Forces presenting at these, so we are out of step with international best practice with regard to our intellectual tradition, which is essential for-----