Brendan Smith on 2012 Defence Reorganisation and Army Capacity

Thank you very much rendition . Minister, the Government decision in 2012 to reduce the number of Army brigades and Defence Force from 3-2 has had – according to experienced Army personnel – destructive strategic consequences on Defence Force operational output, critical intelligence capability and – very importantly as well – recruitment and retention of personnel. Recently in the Oireachtas Committee of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Defence, the Secretary General of Bracko, Comandant Conor King, stated very clearly that a A disproportionate number of the 3,600 personnel who have voluntarily left from the Defence Force in the past three years have been from former units of the 4th Western Brigade, which was disestablished in 2012 by that Government decision. The White Paper on the Fendt, approved by Government in July 2015, comprehensively deals with all aspects of defence policy and was informed by a wide-ranging consultation process. The retention of the Army's two-brigade structure is among the commitments outlined in the White Paper. This involved the removal of a layer of middle and senior management associated with having a brigade headquarters, which helped to bring the size of the current two-brigade closer to international norms. The two-brigade structure led to the consolidation of previously understrength units into smaller numbers in full-strength units and a reduction in the number of headquarters with the associated redeployment of personnel from administrative and support functions into operational units. The change to the present structure eliminated the situation whereby operational units were understrength, while at the same time too many personnel were involved in carrying out non-operational administrative and support functions. The White Paper on the Fendt resulted from a comprehensive examination of defence requirements, and it reaffirmed the Government's commitment to the two-brigade army structure and stated that it will remain in place. The structure has enhanced the pliability and sustainability of the Defence Forces both at home and overseas. It is important that these benefits are maintained, as they are in keeping with measures across the public service, where the focus continues to be on increasing operational outputs and reducing unnecessary bureaucracy. Furthermore, notwithstanding the recognised recruitment and retention challenges faced, it is notable that overseas operations have continued at a higher tempo in recent years. I am satisfied that the increase in numbers in serving Ireland overseas has been facilitated since we moved to a two-brigade structure by the focus on ensuring increased operational capacity. I am satisfied that the current structure optimises the capacity of the army to continue to fulfil the roles assigned by Government, and as such there are no plans to change the current two-brigade structure of the Defence Forces. Thank you, Minister. Deputy of a minute for your personal commentary. Thank you. I thank the Minister for his reply. Minister, with regard to consultation, indeed I have heard and spoken to very experienced and distinguished army personnel who have distinguished themselves both at home and abroad working for our state, state that with non-military elements dominated the discussions that led to decision-making to disband, to disestablish the third brigade. Minister, as you know, before 2012 reorganisation, there were five operational units in Dublin. After that reorganisation, there remains only two operational units in Dublin, and that has led directly, I understand, to the requirement for troops from barracks in Athlone, Dundalk and Donegal travelling to Dublin in rotation to carry out routine barrack duties, which before reorganisation were carried out from members of the five operational units stationed in Dublin. Surely it makes no common sense, no strategic sense, no financial sense, to be bringing personnel from Finnair camp in South Donegal, from Athlone and from Aiken barracks in Dundalk to carry out routine duties in Dublin. Anybody who would say that a reorganisation that resulted in that type of transient personnel, people working one day in Finnair, another few days then in rap mines in Dublin. That makes no sense, and if somebody suggests that that was a good strategic move, I would say that I'd want to go back to the drawing board again and take a look at that reorganisation that has, in my view, influenced by people I've spoken to with great experience in the army, people very committed to our state that they would say that there are huge flaws in that reorganisation that took place. The decisions taken in 2012 were on the basis of recommendations brought forward by the then Secretary-General of the Department of Defence and the then Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces, which were aimed at ensuring the most effective operational structures within a stabilised strength ceiling of 9,500 permanent Defence Forces personnel. The reorganisation proposals at the time were developed collaboratively by senior and military management. I know very well that there was a senior military management team working on the reorganisation at the time and what was the best for the organisation. But I think the reorganisation of 2012 has created many, many opportunities for people. And one such opportunity was the increased number of people that were able to go overseas on peacekeeping duties. And I think if you look at the record over the last number of years, that we have a high number of people who had an opportunity to go overseas on peacekeeping duties. And that is one of the reasons why people join the Defence Forces. I am not saying that we have not had challenges since the New York. Absolutely, we have a huge amount of challenges. And the retention issue that we have at the moment are also causing some of the challenges that we have. And that is why I would like to get back up to the 9,500 persons. And the Defence Forces are fully funded for 9,500 persons. Minister, 2012 was a political decision influenced by the officials in the Department of Defence, not by military decision-making. Minister, could I just say with regard to retention of personnel, over the years I have attended many parades and caverns in different functions. When we had Dooney Nail barracks, I knew many of the people who have served generations of families who have served with distinction abroad. Could I just say, I quoted a figure earlier, Minister, which showed very clearly that the biggest loss of personnel has been from the areas that were previously part of the Western Brigade. And again, Minister, it is clear as well that towns that have lost that history, that have lost their contact with their barracks, where their generations of families joined the army, served their country with great distinction. That ownership, that community that the army generated, that is being lost. And that has contributed to us losing people and it has also contributed to less people in those areas applying to join the army. Minister, in conclusion, could I just say that the army element of Defence Forces is wrongly oriented. It is very oriented to the south and the east and the south-east. We want to realise that unfortunately there is a border in our country. It will be there for another few years, I'm sure. And the 499km border with Northern Ireland is now overseen from a Defence Forces perspective, from the headquarters of the 2nd Infantry Brigade, located in Rapmines, Dublin. I believe that dealing with the border area, that we need that local decision making and that knowledge to be gathered and that decision making made in the local area. Minister, I spoke to you before and I had parliamentary questions with you and mentioned the committee as well. The need to consider again restoring Dooney Nail barracks in Cavern. We have a central border area now, where you have Finnair camp in South Donegal and Aiken barracks in the dock. The central border area is without a military installation, unfortunately. Thank you. I hope you accept that you know that the security of the State rests with An Garda Sikana. I know that the Defence Forces have a very, very close relationship with An Garda Sikana when it comes to security of the State. Deputy, and I mean this in the best of terms of, we should be looking forward rather than looking back. And I do take on board your views where those barracks previously were now not getting recruitment from those areas. Look, probably one of the hardest decisions is, you have been in government when military barracks have been closed down, I have been in government when military barracks have been closed down, and it is not a nice thing for an area. And you do sympathise with an area, because you do see that there is a huge appetite for people in those areas wanting to join the Defence Forces. And after a number of years, when the barracks maybe are gone or whatever, you do see a decrease of people wanting to join the Defence Forces. And that is where we have to look at and change the recruitment that we are doing. And that is one of the reasons why I have a review of recruitment going on. How do we get it back into the communities where we had barracks previously? And that is one of the reasons that has frustrated me that we have to look at recruitment totally differently than what we are doing at the moment. And there is an ongoing process at the moment where an independent chair is in looking at the review of recruitment as part of the independent pay commission material as well. But the White Paper published last week suggests that where we need more people are in the areas of cyber safety management. And the critical mass where we had people previously might not be suitable for that area now. that we have different security threats to the State now. And I think we have to reflect that as well in the decision in around recruitment and retention. Thank you for staying everybody very Speaker. Thank you for excitingly. Thank you. Based your Autumn At court caught in the hands of the 36 election, there have been some sort of下面 every summer for for round ofpm. Thank you very much, Alison David great thank you again plaid. Thank you very much for hanging on the atlet