Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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212. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the degree to which the national army is being upgraded and updated in line with the requirements of a modern army within the European Union in the event of a threat arising from any quarter; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23245/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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214. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the extent to which the Air Corps continues to be modernised and upgraded in line with requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23247/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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215. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the extent to which the Naval Service continues to be modernised and upgraded in line with requirements; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23248/23]

Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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217. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the extent to which major update of military equipment is ongoing in the Army, Navy and Air Corps given the emergence of threats in these areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23250/23]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 212, 214, 215 and 217 together.

My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service is maintained and developed. This is to enable the Defence Forces to carry out the roles assigned by Government. Equipment priorities for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service are considered in the context of the established capability development and Equipment Development Planning (EDP) processes. Further additions to the EDP are currently under consideration, including in the context of the Government’s decision to move to a higher level of ambition, known as LOA2, and in light of specific recommendations, associated with a move to LOA2, made in the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces last year.

Furthermore, the proposed timeframes for implementation of the specific capability development recommendations made by the Commission are currently being reviewed in the context of work ongoing to produce an Implementation Plan, addressing all of the Commission’s recommendations including specific equipment purchases, and this Implementation Plan will be published once it has been finalised.

Work on capital investment in aircraft continues with the recent placing of a contract with Airbus at a cost of €68 million, including VAT, for a military transport aircraft for the Defence Forces. The Airbus C295W aircraft is highly versatile and will provide a dedicated asset to support the Defence Forces military airlift transport requirements and provide a wide contingent capability. The aircraft will enable the Air Corps to provide a wide range of services including logistics support and transport of troops and equipment, medical evacuation and air ambulance, Special Operations Forces operations and a general utility role. Delivery of this aircraft is expected in 2025.

The programme for the supply of two C295 Maritime Patrol Aircraft is nearing completion with delivery of the aircraft expected in 2023. Projects for other Air Corps capabilities will be considered in the context of overall capability development and available funding in accordance with the planning processes.

Marine advisors have been appointed by my Department to support the procurement of a Multi-Role Vessel (MRV) to replace the now decommissioned former flagship LÉ Eithne. This work is underway and will inform a public tender competition, in line with the Public Spending Code, in due course. The MRV is an important element of the Defence Equipment Development Plan and is provided for in the Government's National Development Plan as a major capital project. It is the Government’s intention that this new vessel will provide a flexible and adaptive capability for a wide range of maritime tasks.

The two Inshore Patrol Vessels (IPVs), purchased from the New Zealand government last year to replace the now decommissioned LÉ Orla and LÉ Ciara, were transported to Ireland following a year long project to regenerate and modify the vessels. Following their arrival in Cork, the IPVs will undergo a comprehensive programme of works including crew familiarisation and training. Projects for other Naval Service capabilities will be considered in the context of overall capability development and available funding in accordance with established planning processes.

Projects for the Army are being considered in the context of capability development and available funding against the backdrop of the overall Equipment Development Plan process. There has been significant investment in recent years in the armoured fleet of vehicles with the enhancement of force protection and mobility with the mid-life refit of the MOWAG Piranha III vehicles project nearing completion and the delivery of Armoured Utility Vehicles. These projects have seen the integration of cutting edge technology and equipment into the vehicles. Technology is an enabler of modern military forces and a Software Defined Radio Project which is the next generation communications system for the Defence Forces is currently in the marketplace. This complex project is being designed and customised to meet the Defence Forces' requirements and to incorporate systems and equipment platforms, it will support the joint common operational picture.

The Department of Defence has received a capital allocation under the National Development Plan of €566 million over the 2022 to 2025 timeframe. The Defence annual capital budget for 2023 is €176 million. The recent Budget for 2023 included an increase of €67m over the 2022 budget for Defence. This includes an almost 25% increase in Capital funding and demonstrates the Government’s strong commitment to support the transformation of the Defence Forces into a modern, agile military force, capable of responding to increasingly complex security threats.

This is following Government approval 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 on Defence Forces, which will entail funding increases to reach a Defence budget of approximately €1.5 billion (at January 2022 prices) by 2028 through the annual Estimates.

This level of capital funding will allow the Defence Organisation to undertake a phased planned programme of sustained equipment and infrastructural development across the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service as identified and prioritised in the Defence White Paper and the Report of the Commission, while building on the significant investment programme over recent years.