Address by the Minister for JUSTICE, EQUALITY & Defence
Mr. Alan Shatter, T.D.,
at the 2013 Annual Delegate Conference
of the
Permanent Defence Force OTHER RANKS Repesentative Association (PDFORRA)
Whites Hotel, Wexford
on
Wednesday
2nd OCTOBER 2013
Introduction
Mr. President, Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General of the Department, Assistant Chief of Staff, General Secretary, Distinguished Guests and Delegates.
It is a great pleasure and honour for me as Minister for Justice, Equality & Defence to address this, your 22nd Annual Delegate Conference.
Defence Reorganisation
The last 12 months have seen some of the most significant organisational reforms in the history of the Defence Forces. These reforms have played a very significant role in maintaining defence capabilities and outputs within the current reduced resource envelope. This has resulted in the strength of the Permanent Defence Force being stabilised at 9,500 personnel.
The successful consolidation of Army Units within a two Brigade structure is something which could not have occurred without the cooperative engagement of PDFORRA and its members. Great credit is due to you for your constructive and professional engagement and I want to thank you for that.
White Paper
The current White Paper has served the organisation well over the last 13 years. However, the preparation of the new White Paper on Defence provides an opportunity to review the future defence and security environment.
I have always said that I believe that the preparation of a new White Paper on Defence would benefit greatly from an informed and wide-ranging debate on Ireland’s defence policy. To that end I obtained the approval of Government to prepare and publish a Green Paper on Defence.
The Green Paper is intended to inform and stimulate consideration of defence policy issues. It provides an overview of the current policy framework. It sets out a comprehensive assessment of the defence and security environment, and the challenges that we face in the domestic, regional and global spheres. The threats that have emerged since the last White Paper are more complex, diverse and interrelated. A key challenge is to ensure that we identify and develop appropriate capabilities to address these new threats and potential future demands.
The preparation of the new White Paper provides the opportunity to develop a new vision for Defence taking account of the current and evolving environment. This is of fundamental importance to the State, and as key stakeholders, it is particularly of relevance to personnel within the wider Defence Organisation.
I know PDFORRA are actively engaged in preparing a submission. I am sure it will make for some interesting reading and I look forward to receiving it in due course.
Broader International Context
Ireland’s defence policy does not operate in isolation. It sits within the broader context of foreign and security policy.
The Common Security and Defence Policy will be on the agenda at the December 2013 European Council meeting. There, Heads of State will discuss how to enhance defence capabilities, to strengthen the European defence industry and to improve the effectiveness, visibility and impact of the CSDP. Decisions taken at Council will have a crucial bearing on the future direction of the CSDP and Ireland’s engagement with the European Union on defence issues.
International Operations
A key element of Ireland’s contribution to international peace and security is the commitment of personnel to international peace support missions under a UN mandate.
Ireland is currently contributing 570 Defence Forces personnel to fourteen (14) different missions throughout the world. This follows the recent deployment of the 43rd Infantry Group comprising 115 personnel to Syria for service with the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) on the Golan Heights. I would like to take this opportunity to wish them well on their tour of duty.
The deployment of the Force Mobile Reserve to UNDOF will help ensure that the mission can continue implementing its mandate. I believe that the Defence Forces contingent can make an important contribution to the success of the mission, as they have done throughout the world on so many occasions in the past.
The other main overseas mission, in which Defence Forces personnel are currently deployed, is the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) with 361 personnel including the Deputy Force Commander. The Irish Battalion has been working alongside a contingent of 170 personnel of the Finnish Armed Forces as part of a joint Irish/Finnish Battalion since June 2012. Ireland currently holds command of the joint Irish/Finnish Battalion. Finland, in accordance with agreements entered into on the deployment of the joint battalion, will assume command of the joint battalion in November 2013.
Mr. Alan Shatter, T.D.,
at the 2013 Annual Delegate Conference
of the
Permanent Defence Force OTHER RANKS Repesentative Association (PDFORRA)
Whites Hotel, Wexford
on
Wednesday
2nd OCTOBER 2013
Introduction
Mr. President, Secretary General and Assistant Secretary General of the Department, Assistant Chief of Staff, General Secretary, Distinguished Guests and Delegates.
It is a great pleasure and honour for me as Minister for Justice, Equality & Defence to address this, your 22nd Annual Delegate Conference.
Defence Reorganisation
The last 12 months have seen some of the most significant organisational reforms in the history of the Defence Forces. These reforms have played a very significant role in maintaining defence capabilities and outputs within the current reduced resource envelope. This has resulted in the strength of the Permanent Defence Force being stabilised at 9,500 personnel.
The successful consolidation of Army Units within a two Brigade structure is something which could not have occurred without the cooperative engagement of PDFORRA and its members. Great credit is due to you for your constructive and professional engagement and I want to thank you for that.
White Paper
The current White Paper has served the organisation well over the last 13 years. However, the preparation of the new White Paper on Defence provides an opportunity to review the future defence and security environment.
I have always said that I believe that the preparation of a new White Paper on Defence would benefit greatly from an informed and wide-ranging debate on Ireland’s defence policy. To that end I obtained the approval of Government to prepare and publish a Green Paper on Defence.
The Green Paper is intended to inform and stimulate consideration of defence policy issues. It provides an overview of the current policy framework. It sets out a comprehensive assessment of the defence and security environment, and the challenges that we face in the domestic, regional and global spheres. The threats that have emerged since the last White Paper are more complex, diverse and interrelated. A key challenge is to ensure that we identify and develop appropriate capabilities to address these new threats and potential future demands.
The preparation of the new White Paper provides the opportunity to develop a new vision for Defence taking account of the current and evolving environment. This is of fundamental importance to the State, and as key stakeholders, it is particularly of relevance to personnel within the wider Defence Organisation.
I know PDFORRA are actively engaged in preparing a submission. I am sure it will make for some interesting reading and I look forward to receiving it in due course.
Broader International Context
Ireland’s defence policy does not operate in isolation. It sits within the broader context of foreign and security policy.
The Common Security and Defence Policy will be on the agenda at the December 2013 European Council meeting. There, Heads of State will discuss how to enhance defence capabilities, to strengthen the European defence industry and to improve the effectiveness, visibility and impact of the CSDP. Decisions taken at Council will have a crucial bearing on the future direction of the CSDP and Ireland’s engagement with the European Union on defence issues.
International Operations
A key element of Ireland’s contribution to international peace and security is the commitment of personnel to international peace support missions under a UN mandate.
Ireland is currently contributing 570 Defence Forces personnel to fourteen (14) different missions throughout the world. This follows the recent deployment of the 43rd Infantry Group comprising 115 personnel to Syria for service with the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) on the Golan Heights. I would like to take this opportunity to wish them well on their tour of duty.
The deployment of the Force Mobile Reserve to UNDOF will help ensure that the mission can continue implementing its mandate. I believe that the Defence Forces contingent can make an important contribution to the success of the mission, as they have done throughout the world on so many occasions in the past.
The other main overseas mission, in which Defence Forces personnel are currently deployed, is the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) with 361 personnel including the Deputy Force Commander. The Irish Battalion has been working alongside a contingent of 170 personnel of the Finnish Armed Forces as part of a joint Irish/Finnish Battalion since June 2012. Ireland currently holds command of the joint Irish/Finnish Battalion. Finland, in accordance with agreements entered into on the deployment of the joint battalion, will assume command of the joint battalion in November 2013.
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