Barry Ward (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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326. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the way in which he will ensure that current procurement process and guidelines for the Defence Forces will not hinder the quick and efficient implementation of both LOA2 and LOA3; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41390/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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A High Level Planning and Procurement Group (HLPPG) comprising of senior civil and military management of the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces, and an associated Working Group meet on a monthly basis which provides a joint civil and military forum for oversight and approval of expenditure and to ensure that expenditure is profiled and monitored on an ongoing basis.

The Department’s Procurement and Acquisitions Branch manages overall procurement policy within Defence reflecting the specialised nature of the equipment profile and works on major projects in conjunction with various units within the Defence Forces.

In response of the CoDF recommendation for “The immediate establishment of a top-down Capability Development Planning Process (CDPP) through the creation of a new permanent civil-military structure”. a permanent Capability Development Unit was established in January 2023. The Unit is led by the Department of Defence and, is civil-military unit which currently comprises five civil and five military staff. This will scale up considerably over the coming years as the new processes that are proposed are fully rolled out. This Unit is preparing a 12-year Capability Development Programme which will identify and cost, at a high level, the capability requirements for the Defence Forces out to 2040 across all domains of operation. This is an ongoing piece of work which will consider what equipment is best to deliver these required capabilities.

Ongoing planning for the acquisition of military equipment is through the utilisation of the Defence Equipment Development Plan, which is a rolling plan, considered through joint civil-military co-operation, and provides a consolidated, structured basis for ongoing investment in military equipment to develop and maintain necessary capabilities.

The rolling Equipment Development Plan encompasses a programme of sustained equipment procurement/acquisition across the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service as identified and prioritised in the Strategic Framework and the Detailed Implementation Plan for the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces, building on the work done under the White Paper on Defence. This is part of the ambitious programme of work to move to Level of Ambition 2 ( LOA2) by 2028, and will ensure that the Defence Forces have the major equipment platforms, ancillary equipment and force protection equipment required to carry out their important roles both at home and overseas.

In assessing projects for inclusion in the Equipment Development Plan and as they progress through the approvals process, consideration is given to the full suite of procurement procedures and options available for Defence acquisitions, which are provided for in the EU procurement Directives, including the Defence and Security Directive 2009/81/EC.

As provided for in the EU’s White Paper for European Defence - Readiness 2030, the European Commission has initiated a process to implement in the short term, amendments to the Defence and Security Directive 2009/81/EC to simplify and streamline procedures in order to ensure it is fit for purpose given the heightened needs of Defence Forces internationally. My officials are engaging in this process to ensure that the needs of Ireland are reflected in any changes.

Capital funding of €1.7 billion has been allocated to Defence Development Plan for the period 2026-2030. The funding is an increase of €600 million (announced 23rd July in the National Development Plan) or 55% on the previous baseline figure of €1.1 billion. This significant increase reflects the government’s commitment to continue to increase investment in our Defence Forces. The Department of Defence and the Defence Forces will, over the coming months, review all strategic equipment and infrastructural priorities to align with the revised 2026-2030 multi-annual capital allocations. It will enable targeted progression on key elements of government commitments within Level of Ambition 2 (Enhanced Capability) objectives, as outlined in the Commission on the Defence Forces Report.

The government has also agreed that the Department of Defence should leverage a new European Union instrument – the SAFE (Security Action for Europe) instrument. SAFE is intended to help EU member states focus on priority areas and address capability gaps, particularly through by engaging in joint acquisitions, where that’s appropriate. SAFE will help to speed up the delivery of Ireland’s defence capability.