Liz McManus (Wicklow, Labour)
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Question 55: To ask the Minister for Defence his proposals for developing the Irish Defence Forces into a modern light infantry force; the military equipment which has been acquired since 2000; the military equipment which has been ordered; from whom the military equipment has been purchased; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38187/06]

Willie O'Dea (Limerick East, Fianna Fail)
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The overall objective of the White Paper is to ensure that the country has the Defence Forces it needs to meet the roles laid down by Government and that the Defence Forces continues to be an organisation in which people are proud to serve. To achieve this the White Paper set out the following broad goals:- to provide a light infantry based force with an appropriate level of all-arms capability; to provide sufficient forces and capabilities to meet needs at home and to make a significant contribution abroad; to put in place a more cohesive and better equipped force than exists at present; and, to provide significant additional resources for equipment and infrastructure broadly within the existing level of financial allocation.

The acquisition of new equipment and services for the Defence Forces continues to be a key focus for me as Minister for Defence. Significant investment has taken place in recent years and I will continue the good work in that regard. In recent years the main focus of that investment has been as follows: The Defence Forces have acquired a total of 65 new APCS in recent years from Mowag in Switzerland at a total cost of €84m, paid over the years 1999 to 2005. Mowag APCs are currently on operational duties with our troops in Kosovo, Liberia and now Lebanon. In December 2005, a further contract was signed with Mowag for the supply in 2007 of 15 additional Piranha Armoured Vehicles, 9 of which will be fitted with a Kongsberg Remote Weapon Station with a 12.7mm machine gun and 6 will be fitted with an Oto Melara turret armed with a 30mm cannon. The 15 vehicles will be used mainly in the Surveillance and Reconnaissance roles on overseas missions. The contract value is in the region of €36.5m including VAT. A down payment in the sum of €15.1m was made under the contract in December 2005. Payments under the contract will extend to January 2008. The Javelin system was acquired from Raytheon / Lockheed Martin via the US Foreign Military Sales at a cost of some €13m inclusive of VAT to give Defence Forces personnel an effective, anti-armour capability while on peace support operations. The system replaced the Milan missile system. The main delivery was made in 2005.

A programme for the purchase of NBC equipment is ongoing over recent years. The Defence Forces have available to them equipment for monitoring and protecting their members in dealing with Nuclear, Biological or Chemical (NBC) threats. This range includes approximately 9,500 NBC suits, 800 of which were delivered in 2006. Other equipment on hands includes Respirators, Biological Agent Detector and Screening Kits, Group Decontamination Equipment and Personal Decontamination Equipment. Over €8m has been expended on this programme in recent years.

An order has been placed for the supply of 1400 new 9mm general service pistols. The value of the order is in the region of €800k. It is expected that the new pistols will be delivered by the end of 2006. The pistols are carried for personal protection on security and regimental duties at home, and on overseas service. An order was placed in 2005 for the provision of 400 General Purpose Machine Guns for delivery late 2006. The value of the order is in the region of €4.379m, with a down payment of €1.447m paid in 2005. Six Field Deployable Command Post Containers have been delivered to the Curragh Camp. The value of the order was almost €3m. Two of the containers have been deployed to Lebanon. Integrated Protection and Load Carrying System —This includes Body Armour, Helmets and Back Packs (Rucksacks).

8000 units of body armour for the individual soldier on operational duties have been ordered. The new body armour provides significantly greater protection, comfort and coverage than the old model as well as a doubling of the range of sizes available. The total value of the two orders is in the region of €8m and full delivery is expected by end 2006. 12,000 helmets have been delivered. The value of the order was circa. €2.5m. 12,000 rucksacks have been ordered at a total cost of €3m, delivery to take place in 2007.

To complete the modern integrated protection and load carrying system, one other competition is currently in train for the acquisition of 12,000 Battle Vests used for the carriage by the individual soldier of essential items such as ammunition, personal radio, water and ancillary equipment.

The eight Pilatus PC-9M turbo propeller aircraft delivered in 2004, at a total cost of €60m, have replaced seven Marchetti aircraft in the pilot training role. These eight modern aircraft allow for the continued training of young cadets to the highest standards. Four utility AW 139 helicopters are being acquired from Agusta S.p.A. at a cost of €48.4m, inclusive of VAT. The four helicopters are being built at the Agusta facility near Milan, Italy. Two AW 139s will be delivered in November 2006 and the other two will be delivered in 2007. Payments for the helicopters are spread over a number of years from 2004 to 2008. The first helicopter has now been handed over to the Department and is currently being used for Air Corps pilot training in Italy.

The four AW 139 helicopters will be operated by the Air Corps in a general purpose military operational and training role. Primary taskings for the Utility helicopter will include training and operations with Special Forces, security and aid to the civil power, military exercises, infantry interoperability training and limited troop transport. They will also be used to perform air ambulance, inland Search and Rescue, aid to the civil community and VIP transport tasks.

Two light utility EC 135 helicopters have being acquired from Eurocopter S.A.S. at a cost of €12.8m, inclusive of VAT. The two helicopters were built at Eurocopter's facility in Donauworth, Germany. Both EC 135's were delivered in the latter part of 2005 and have entered operational service. The Air Corps are operating the two Light Utility helicopters primarily in the military pilot and aircrew-training role. Primary taskings for the helicopters will include pilot training, instructor training and instrument flight training.

In recent years, two new ships have been delivered to the Naval Service and the Service is operating with the recommended eight ships. LE Roisin was commissioned in December 1999 and her sister ship, LE Niamh, which replaced LE Deirdre, was commissioned in September 2001. The total cost of the two ships was €50m.

The past five years represents an investment of more than €500 million in acquiring and supporting modern equipment and services for the Defence Forces. In the same period there has been an investment of over €200 million in building and infrastructure across the Defence Forces. All of this equipment has been acquired as a result of tender competitions run in accordance with both nation and EU requirements. A wide range of manufacturers has provided the equipment.