Commission on the Defence Forces Public Consultation Response Template
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Commission on the Defence Forces Public Consultation Response Template 1. Capabilities – In this regard, you may wish to consider future integrated capability development and the planning and delivery requirements to support a joint force approach in terms of new equipment, professional military education and training, maintenance and development of infrastructure, developments in military doctrine, and transformative concepts, including specialist capabilities, that prepare and support the Defence Forces for future operations. 2. Structures – In this regard, you may wish to consider the most effective high-level Command and Control (C2) structures within the Defence Forces to ensure an agile and balanced approach that can function across all domains at home and overseas. Additionally, you may wish to address appropriate future force structures for the Army (including its brigade structure), the Air Corps, and the Naval Service, individually as component services and collectively as part of an integrated joint force approach. Furthermore, you may wish to address the changing nature of reservists, which presents an opportunity for the Reserve Defence Force to further integrate and support the Permanent Defence Force through the provision of enhanced collective and specialist capability across all domains. Please see also submission from Port of Galway Sea Scouts under the category of staffing. We would like to comment on the Reserve Defence Forces particularly the Naval Service Reserve as we feel that is were the Sea Scouts could be most beneficial to the Defence Forces. Over the years we have received great support from both past and present members of the Naval Service Reserve. If there was a Naval Service Reserve unit located in Galway where we have a barracks over looking the harbour with an old boathouse and slipway which could be brought into use again giving small boats such as Rigid Inflatable Boat's, BP18's and other similar sail training vessels immediate access to Galway Harbour from the barracks in Renmore, there would be many talented Sea Scout youth and adult members who would love to join the unit. The Army in Renmore Barracks liaise with schools to provide Transition Year students the opportunity to experience life in the military for a week. One of our Sea Scout youth members participated in this activity and was asked at the end would she consider a career in the Army. She told them that she was more interested in the maritime environment. Undoubtedly if there had been a Naval Service Reserve based in Renmore Barracks at the time she would have joined so that she could continue the sea training she received in the Sea Scouts. The Naval Service Reserve gives young people a chance to see what their future could be like in the Defence Forces and many members go on to enlist in the Permanent Defence Forces. The Naval Service Reserve are well trained and can be of great assistance to maritime activities as an integral part of the Naval Service. The West and North West of Ireland has a great maritime history and fantastic Atlantic Way facilities with a strong and skilled marine loving community. It is an untapped human resource which could provide significant recruitment for the Naval Service with the Naval Service Reserves as the entry point. Young people who have an interest and are skilled in maritime activities could join the Naval Service Reserves in Galway before or during college whilst still having the support of their families locally. Moving down to Cork at a young age can and has put people off joining the Naval Service. A Naval Service secondary base in Galway would show Sea Scouts that there is a career path into nautical science and the marine industry locally. Giving them the opportunity to build on their maritime skills and enabling them to see that a future can be made at sea. Galway has many reputable universities, technical colleges, secondary and primary schools, which the Naval Service could liaise with. Sea Scout groups are the fastest growing Scout groups in the country and are extremely popular with Galwegian parents especially since the maritime showcase that was the Volvo Ocean Race came to Galway twice. We had to stop our waiting list when it went over 200 children and change it into an expression of interest list to deal with the number of parents wanting to get their children involved. There are Sea Scouts groups in Donegal and Connemara as well, so Galway would be a more suitable location for them to gain exposure to possible future career paths in the Naval Service. With motorway links to Dublin, Sligo and Limerick, Galway is ideally located. In makes sense to have a Naval Service location on the West Coast as it will be the first port of call for international cruises and other commercial marine entities after the port expansion, particularly those coming from the West and North. Captain William J. Woolley's independent 1st Port of Galway Sea Scouts taught seamanship and navigation, in conjunction with his nautical school, over a period spanning 5 decades. His strong focus on preparing young people for life at sea was extremely successful in that many young Galway men went onto work full-time in Merchant Navy roles. A sign of his quality in training was that several of them became Master Mariners. When 1st Port of Galway Sea Scouts officially closed we were exceedingly honoured to receive equipment from them and endevour to continue their legacy of providing young people with quality sea training. Thank you for your attention to our submission. 3. Staffing – In this regard you may wish to consider the HR policies that support the requirement for an agile and adaptive modern military force. You may wish to consider issues such as recruitment and retention, organisational culture and values, gender and diversity, career progression, and industrial relations machinery. Port of Galway Sea Scouts would support the establishment of a Naval Service secondary port base in Galway alongside a Naval Service Reserve Unit, with the development of the Port creating possible new infrastructure along with the pre-existing barracks facilities in Renmore. Port of Galway Sea Scouts teach young people valuable nautical and navigational skills which can prepare them for a life at sea making for an ideal recruitment feeder resource for the Naval Service. In Galway the Naval Service would find an increased population base and could attract people to a career in the Navy who otherwise wouldn't know about or even consider such a career in this part of the country. Port of Galway Sea Scouts began as 24th Galway Knocknacarra Land Scouts. We volunteered during the first Volvo Ocean Race in Galway, which inspired us to make the transition to become a Sea Scout group. There hadn't been a new Sea Scout group in Ireland for over 25 years. The huge interest in water activities and maritime in general has grown since then. We are the largest Scout group in the West of Ireland and since we became Sea Scouts we have many, many parents trying to get their children into our group so they can learn water skills and sea traditions. Port of Galway Sea Scouts are located near Galway Harbour, we have several sail and motor training vessels ranging from canoes and sea kayaks to keelboats and Rigid Inflatable Boats. Thank you for your attention to our submission. 4. Any other comments you may wish to make in relation to the Defence Forces having regard to the Commission’s Terms of Reference .