Barry Cowen (Laois-Offaly, Fianna Fail)
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23. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the action being taken in relation to the finding of the Commission on the Defences Forces that in the current structure, the army brigades are not deployable and do not align to international standards in terms of their strength or capabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14376/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Commission on the Defence Forces was established on foot of a commitment in the Programme for Government and the Government decision in December 2020 which also agreed its terms of reference and membership. The report was published on the 9th February 2022.

The Commission undertook a significant body of work, encompassing wide-ranging terms of reference. It recommended significant changes for the Defence Forces and Defence provision in Ireland. It covers high level Defence Forces structures, defence capabilities, organisation, culture and human resources, the Reserve Defence Force and funding.

In July last year Government approved a High-Level Action Plan in response to the Commission report. As part of this, approval was given for a move, over a six-year period, to a level of Defence Forces’ capability equivalent to ‘Level of Ambition 2’ (LOA2), as set out in the capability framework devised by the Commission, which will entail funding increases to reach a defence budget of c. €1.5 billion (at January 2022 prices) by 2028 through the annual Estimates process.

Implementation structures have been put in place encompassing an Implementation Oversight Group, a High-Level Steering Board and an Implementation Management Office (IMO) to support the implementation of the overall transformation programme required to implement recommendations from the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces.

The High Level Action Plan also sets out all the recommendations contained within the report and designates a response of Accept, Accept in Principle, Further Evaluation or Revert.

The recommendation, that the structure of the Army be reviewed, was identified as an Early Action in the High Level Action Plan. Military authorities are progressing the establishment of an office of Army Force design which will undertake the work required to give effect to this recommendation.

John Lahart (Dublin South West, Fianna Fail)
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24. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will expand the Collins medal scheme to retired members of the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13888/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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There is a specific process in place concerning the award of medals to members of the Defence Forces, as set out in Defence Force Regulation (DFR) A9 and the associated Administration Instructions, wherein the qualifying criteria and procedures required for the awarding of Defence Forces Medals, in addition to the various types of medal awards, are delineated. Such awards are made on the recommendation of a Military Board appointed by the Chief of Staff for the purpose of examining and reporting on every recommendation for an award.

In general, military medals are awarded in recognition of specific acts or service at home or overseas, which can vary in significance from routine duty, to distinguished service and gallantry.

I have been advised by the Military Authorities that the Michael Collins commemorative medal is a commercial product of the Dublin Mint Office and as such, is not associated with the Defence Forces.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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26. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will provide details on his decision to withdraw Irish troops from the UNDOF mission to Syria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14315/23]

Seán Haughey (Dublin Bay North, Fianna Fail)
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28. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the reason for the withdrawal of the Defence Forces from the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). [14170/23]

Éamon Ó Cuív (Galway West, Fianna Fail)
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39. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will provide details of the UN-mandated peace missions from which Irish Defence Forces are being withdrawn; the reason for same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13975/23]

Gino Kenny (Dublin Mid West, People Before Profit Alliance)
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51. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will outline the rationale for the Irish Defence Forces personnel being withdrawn from the peacekeeping mission in Syria; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13381/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 26, 28, 39 and 51 together.

As of 1 March 2023, some 546 Irish Defence Forces personnel are currently deployed overseas. The main overseas missions are the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) with 344 personnel and the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) in Syria with 133 personnel.

The Department of Defence and the Defence Forces jointly review the overseas deployment of Defence Forces personnel on an ongoing basis. Following the conclusion of an assessment of Defence Forces’ current commitments and on the basis of the military advice available to me, I have decided to withdraw the 130-strong Infantry Group personnel from UNDOF with effect from April 2024.

When assessing the sustainability of our overseas commitments, all missions and operations are reviewed. There are always a number of considerations that inform a decision of this nature and importance and such decisions are not taken lightly.

One of those considerations relates to the Government’s approval of the Defence Forces' participation in the EU Battlegroup, given the assets and capabilities that will be necessary to support such participation.

The withdrawal of troops from UNDOF will allow the Defence Forces an opportunity to undertake a process of consolidation with regard to their overseas commitments and to prepare for future peace-keeping missions. It will also relieve ongoing challenges in respect of the filling of specialist roles in overseas deployments. It will reduce the requirement for mandatory selection of personnel in certain ranks or skill sets and it will facilitate personnel to participate in training and personal development activities to increase skill levels. The decision will also present some challenges, in terms of reduced opportunities for overseas deployments and allowances for personnel.

The United Nations Department of Peace Operations has been advised of our decision to withdraw .Infantry Group personnel from UNDOF. Subject to the United Nation's agreement, I hope that Ireland can continue to occupy a number of staff officer positions in UNDOF headquarters.

John Brady (Wicklow, Sinn Fein)
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27. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence if he will outline any concerns he has in relation to whether Ireland has the capacity to ensure that undersea data cables passing through Irish waters are secure; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14316/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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The Deputy will appreciate that, for sound reasons, it is not the practice to comment on the security infrastructure in place for undersea cables nor would it be in the public interest to do so.

The Naval Service, as the State's principal sea-going agency, is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles. While the main daily tasking of the Naval Service is to provide a fishery protection service in accordance with our obligations as a member of the EU, it also carries out a number of other non-fishery related tasks in tandem with maritime surveillance. This is augmented by the Air Corps Maritime Patrol Squadron in patrolling the Irish Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) using the two CASA CN 235 maritime patrol aircraft.

The Department of Defence and the Defence Forces continue to engage with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications in relation to the protection of Ireland’s offshore energy infrastructure and data cables. While the Defence Forces have limited sub-sea capabilities, enhanced maritime patrolling of the Irish Sea in the vicinity of priority offshore energy infrastructure is taking place by a mixture of air and naval platforms.

The Naval Service has no unilateral powers of enforcement in relation to damage, criminal or otherwise, to undersea cables or other communication links in Ireland’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

On the future development of subsea capabilities, the Commission on the Defence Forces report considers that the step up to level of ambition 2, should seek to deliver enhancement of subsurface capabilities to monitor subsea cables. The report states that to achieve this would mean the naval fleet should have enhanced air, surface and subsurface search capabilities, with the latter allowing the Naval Service to monitor activity in the vicinity of subsea cables. In order to achieve these desired capability effects associated with a move to LOA 2, specific recommendations made by the commission were accepted in principle by the Government when it published its high-level action plan in July 2022.

One of the early actions identified in the high level action plan is the commencement of the Strategic Defence Review. This review will look at defence policy across all domains and inform future capability requirements and enable a broader debate on the State’s overall defence policy. Department officials are currently working with their Military counterparts with a view to progressing this action. The first stage of this review will be a security environment analysis to be conducted by an interdepartmental working group which has been established for the purposes of the review.