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.

The primary role of the Defence Forces is to defend the State against armed aggression. Are our Defence Forces fit for purpose to meet that role ? Aggressive acts do not have to be armed any longer to have an effect on our country. It is very obvious that we do not have what some would regard as the means to deal with existing threats. Air policing, drug smuggling interdiction and underwater data cables have all received attention in recent times as examples where the DF do not have the capabilities or the resources to address these particular threats. In addition the effects of Brexit cannot be ignored, nor can the Cyber, Information and Hybrid Warfare threats, to say nothing of terrorism of the home grown (Dissident Republicans and Loyalist extremists) or international variety.

We are politically neutral but neutrality also implies the ability to defend said neutrality. Nor can we continuously undermine our own sovereignty by not having the means of detecting and dealing with all of the threats listed above and any other threat that may emerge.

Are the DF adequately resourced to fill its stated and future roles ? In short they are not, such specialist capabilities will take time, personnel and money to adequately resource. I sincerely hope that there will be the necessary political will to implement the recommendations of the Commission.

We are a modern European country with a seat on the UNSC that have also benefitted considerably from EU membership, such membership now implies a maturity and a willingness to play our part as good Europeans and World citizens. We have an obligation to play our part and to take responsibility for our own defence and take an active part in a common European Defence relationship. It is also absolutely vital that Ireland exploits all possible economic opportunities that exist within the European Defence sphere.

Existing defence spending as a percentage of GDP is one of the lowest in Europe at 0.29%, this will need to change, defence spending used to be much higher and a target of 1.5% of GDP is realistic. The target for NATO members is 2%.

Specialist capabilities across all services are required and as a minimum should include:

- Meaningful Air Defence to include detection and interception capabilities, having to rely on our nearest neighbour in the post Brexit world is both a mistake and an abdication of sovereignty

- Air lift to contribute to our peacekeeping and humanitarian roles, I note Luxembourg contributes to a European based initiative in this area - Multi role vessel to provide an expanded naval role across one of the largest marine Exclusive Economic Zones in the EU - Develop a Cyber capability to defend our vulnerable knowledge economy and associated industries such as IT, Pharma, FinTech etc - Increase our Intelligence capability in general across all services in order to ensure that Government have access to the correct information to enable up to date situational awareness and decision making. Forewarned is fore armed.

Consideration should also be given to an increased DF role in Emergency Management and in particular the DF should be listed as a Principal Response Agency in their own right.

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.

General

It is becoming increasingly apparent that the Office of Chief of Staff and the role of the office holder is not fit for purpose. A Chief of Defence with full command authority from Government and having the responsibility of the Accounting Officer for the Defence Forces is required.

A Deputy Chief of Defence – Land is also required, at present there is no Land Component Commander which makes no sense and leads to an unclear Command and Control scenario for the Land component of the Defence Forces.

Consideration should also be given to a Standing Joint Force Commander and Staff (in addition to their other duties) with a Brig Gen as commander. The existing DFHQ J3/5 staff could form the nucleus for such a Joint Force Command structure. Operation Fortitude has shown the need for such a Joint Force Command in the future.

The position of OC DTFC does not need to be a General Officer. A formation consisting of Educational establishments and 2 by Coy size units and Schools can be commanded by a Colonel. I would co-locate the office of D Trg and Staff in the DFTC.

My submission will mainly deal with the Reserve Defence Forces as that is where my own particular experience lies:

Dublin organisation

The current organisation needs significant change in the greater Dublin area in particular. This geographic area accounts for 1/3 of the National Population yet we only have 3 by Coy size sub units and 2 units (2 Cav with 2 Troops and 2 Tpt with 2 by Pl’s) and Pl approx. or less strengths in CIS, MED and MP. We also have a situation where all of the above are located in one Bks, CBB and no reservists at all in the other military installations of McKee Bks and Baldonnel.

At the very least a reserve sub unit should be in McKee Barracks and another in Baldonnel to leverage the large populations of North and West Dublin in particular. This is a simple solution and should be cost neutral, I note that there is a PDF TPT Pl in McKee so that could allow for co-location.

For Baldonnel I would suggest the setting up of an RDF Air Corps Support Wing with the primary role of Security, Ground and Air Defence of Baldonnel and deployed detachments off base. This can also facilitate and be a mechanism for former Air Corps Personnel and their skill sets being retained in the RDF. It can also be used as the mechanism to directly recruit people with Civilian Aviation skills sets such as Refuellers, ATC, Fire and Rescue, Ground Ops etc to augment existing AC capabilities in those areas.

At the risk of being unpopular I would also recommend the closure of any non- military barracks location that does not have a sufficiently sized population base. For example it is ludicrous that Clifden, Co. Galway is a Coy size post on paper.

Corps balance

At the further risk of being very unpopular I need to be convinced about the percentage of the RDF that are infantry, other countries simply do not have 80% of their reservists being infantry. That proportion needs to change in favour of Corps Units and in particular leveraging relevant civilian skill sets in areas such as CIS, MED, ENGR and TPT. To be clear I do not advocate for all Reservists being in CS or CSS units, we are an infantry centric DF and visibility of Reservists in that Corps is important, it would be foolhardy to suggest no infantry in the RDF.

DFTC Schools

Another initiative would be that each School in the DFTC would have a higher establishment of reservists permitting greater professional development and personnel mobility to say nothing of enhancing corporate knowledge and long term continuity in each of the schools.

Roles for Reserve Staff

In the same vein there should be a Reserve Cell in each Branch of DFHQ that is used in a meaningful way. The current situation where there is only one PDF Staff

Officer in the D ISTAR’s office is less than ideal. The potential for RDF Officers to perform necessary staff work on a project basis for all of the DF should be utilised.

Specialist Reserve

The Specialist Reserve has been mentioned and I am not against it once directly recruited personnel receive appropriate military training. It also needs to be rank appropriate, the commissioning of a Psychologist with 6 years previous service as an Officer in the USAF, as a 2/Lt is a case in point but that has since been rectified.

RDF Admin

Our biggest current challenge is a mind set in many of our PDF brethren where the Single Force Concept is just that, a concept. The low priority admin of all things RDF at all levels is an absolute indicator of this. A complete change of mind set is required for this to work. I completely accept that many admin staff at all levels are already stretched and under pressure, as such RDF admin constantly slips down the priority list and some admin staff just simply do not see RDF admin as being part of their jobs. A simple fix to the success of the RDF would be the timely and proper admin of RDF Recruitment to include provision of Medicals. This one step alone could stop the seemingly irreversible decline into extinction. I personally believe the recent media report in The Times forecasting the end of the RDF by 2026 to be optimistic. I would not give it much past 2023 or 2024 at best.

The existing bureaucracy for the admin of RDF paid days is unnecessarily onerous. The DF should have full control the Paid Days and assign them as the DF see fit is far more appropriate rather than the existing system. The process can be subject to occasional audit by DoD if required. The workload involved in this admin is just such a wasted effort and that time could be better spent on other more important tasks.

Civilian Qualifications

Civilian qualifications also need to be recognised where possible. There needs to be greater scope and flexibility for such recognition and not just at so called professional levels either such as MO’s. A business analyst or logs expert or IT person’s or Physical Therapist or Fitness Instructor’s or Lawyer or Electrician’s skill sets should be recognised. It is possible being done informally but it needs to happen formally and within the system. By all means add a Military relevant training module but don’t blankly refuse to recognise such skill sets just because an individual did not complete a DF Course in same.

Role and Usage

The one issue that requires urgent activity is utilisation. Why have a Reserve if it is not used? The policy that we are only to engage in training and the subsequent fabrications that are being used to cover reservists being used on what are operational tasks is insulting to everyone’s involved intelligence. We need to be recognised as having an operational usage. The stated Roles of the RDF need to be rewritten as not being fit for purpose.

Roles of the Reserve Defence Force (RDF):

· to augment the PDF in crisis situations

· to contribute to state ceremonial events These roles are wholly inadequate and do not convey what we currently do and what we can do as portrayed in numerous iterations of skill surveys. Nor are they attractive from a marketing perspective.

Reservists should also have access to short term fixed contracts (with usual employment terms and conditions such as leave) to permit full time service on operational tasks in support to the PDF. Scope for same needs to be allowed for immediately and should be used to augment capabilities across all areas of the DF. If such contracts are brought in then the same allowances such as MSA and SDA as the PDF receive should also be paid.

Retention

Retention is key, why would you stay in an organisation if you are not utilised or valued. A tax free Gratuity needs to be reintroduced, service is not its own reward. If folks are giving of their time to serve the state then they must be rewarded. Furthermore payment means accountability on the part of the Reservist to the DF, it is a two way street. Reservists do not receive MSA and we incur real costs for attendance in terms of fuel, laundry, maps, map cases, compass, stationary etc. The gratuity went some way to making up for those financial disadvantages.

If a Reservists employment circumstances permit or if they are between employment then they should be permitted to undergo courses of whatever duration alongside their PDF Colleagues in order to upskill. If necessary a return of service contract can be put in place for particular courses. If the offer is right and the reservist is valued they have the potential to stay in the organisation for 30 plus years approx. and also have the potential to become SME’s in specialist areas providing much needed continuity in units with high turnover and throughput of personnel.

Career Courses need to occur frequently or at least on a known and well flagged basis. The current ad hoc basis of career courses is far from ideal and is not preferred. It goes to the attractiveness of the offer and feeds into retention to say nothing of recruitment in the first instance. Professional development is essential and I very much welcome the completion of career courses as being necessary for promotion as per the new draft R5.

International Comparisons

Other countries may be able to provide us with good international comparisons for Reserve Service. In addition to the usual English Speaking suspects of the UK, Australia and NZ consideration should be given to looking at the Reserve Force models in Scandinavia:

Denmark

An active Home Guard of 15,600 personnel and a 2014 Budget of €67m offers voluntary service to provide the task of the Home Guard is to support the Armed Forces – nationally as well as internationally. In addition, the Home Guard supports the police, the emergency services and other authorities in carrying out their duties. There are Army, Naval and Air Force Components.

The Danish Home Guard’s contribution includes military capacity building, military support to civilian reconstruction, support to humanitarian efforts, and other international tasks, including security force protection.

Since 2001 an increasing number of qualified Home Guard personnel are being sent abroad on an equal basis with the Army, Navy and Air Force, most notably as Protection Teams under the auspices of Jægerkorpset, and also as guard platoons in Kosovo and Afghanistan. Plans also exist to send Home Guard combat medics abroad.

Denmark’s defence spending is 1.32% of GDP.

Sweden

In Sweden The Home Guard with 22,000 personnel is designed to operate across the entire conflict scale – from providing peacetime assistance to society in times of crisis, to armed struggle in wartime. The Home Guard is part of the Swedish Armed Forces and comprises nearly half of the Swedish Armed Forces’ body of personnel. Units are modern combat units with a main responsibility to protect, guard and monitor Swedish territory and also provide support to society in times of crisis. In this way, the Home Guard units provide a territorial base for the defence and protection of Sweden. The Home Guard consists of stand-by units with advanced and adequate equipment. The most common types of units are guard companies and task force companies. Guard companies are stationary units that operate locally, whereas task companies are mobile tactical units with more advanced tasks. The task force companies move by means of tanks, cross-country vehicles and specially equipped minibuses.

The Home Guard also solves tasks along the Swedish coasts by means of shipborne units and intelligence companies that gather intelligence through reconnaissance and surface surveillance. There are also CBRN platoons, traffic platoons, pioneer platoons and grenade launcher platoons. With joint communications and command and control systems, interoperability with other Swedish Armed Forces units is achieved. Their readiness times are very short and measured in hours, not days or weeks.

Should Sweden be hit by natural disasters, large-scale accidents or exposed to other threats against society, the Home Guard stands prepared to assist the police, the rescue services and other authorities. In forest fires, flooding, pandemics or searches for missing people, the Home Guard units provide an extra resource. Every year, the Home Guard conducts a large number of such support operations.

Sweden’s defence spending is 1.1% of GDP but that will increase rapidly in the next few years.

Norway

In Norway The Home Guard (Society’s Soldiers) is a vital part of Norway’s military first line of defence. Its main tasks are safeguarding territorial integrity, strengthening military presence, and protecting important infrastructure. With extensive local knowledge, the Home Guard can support in national crisis management and assist in major events like natural disasters, accidents, and search and rescue operations. T he Home Guard has 40,000 soldiers distributed on eleven regional districts. Most of the personnel are soldiers who have been transferred after completing 12 months of initial service. The Home Guard also has several rapid-reaction intervention forces consisting of 3,000 voluntarily recruited and well-trained soldiers.

In 2019 the Home Guard Budget was €148m.

Norway spends 1.7% of GDP on Defence.

Finland

Differs from its Scandinavian neighbours in that once you have completed the conscript service part of the liability for military service, you will be mustered into the Finnish Defence Forces’ reserve. As part of the reserve, your competence and know-how will be sustained by refresher training exercises. In addition, voluntary training exercises and training events will be arranged for the reservists.

The Finnish Defence Forces’ reserve comprises approximately 900,000 Finnish citizens. The wartime strength of the Finnish Defence Forces is 280,000 soldiers, and this strength is resupplied by other reservists as applicable.

As a person liable for military service you will be part of the reserve until you turn fifty or sixty. Those in the rank and file transfer into the auxiliary reserve at the end of the year when they turn 50, whereas the reserve officers and non-commissioned officers remain in the reserve until the end of the year when they turn 60.

Finland spends 1.9% of GDP on Defence.

Ireland does not necessarily share the exact same threats as all of the above countries but they all offer examples of meaningful reserve service across a wide range of possible taskings and in terms of a more total defence concept.

Overseas Service

I do not intend spending much time on Overseas Service, it should happen. Most of the other contingents that the DF serve alongside overseas include reservists in many roles and not just as specialists either. The Finns in particular in UNIFIL are renowned for utilising reservists overseas on short term contracts.

Perhaps ensuring meaningful reserve service at home needs to be prioritised in the immediate short term before due consideration is given to overseas service for reservists.

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.

Recruitment

Our previous traditional entry cohort of school leavers to the RDF is no longer sufficient or indeed preferred. Older applicants bring skill sets and life experience all of which has the potential to assist the DF in general. Recruitment to the Reserve should be targeted and reservists should be involved in the management of recruitment campaigns and provide case studies/real life examples etc. Many reservists have the skill sets to bring to recruitment in the form of real world marketing and technology skills. A Reserve Communications and Recruitment Cell should be part of DFPRB.

The process is too slow and cumbersome, it needs to be streamlined and again Reservists should be utilised to support Bde or Fmn Manpower offices in the proper and timely admin of recruitment campaigns, processes etc to include interviews, fitness testing and medicals. I am unsure that rolling recruitment will work unless properly resourced. Centralised Recruit and 3* Course training is again a given and needs to be delivered at least twice per annum.

The cost of a pre fitness medical to applicants is a considerable deterrent, no one be they PDF or RDF should have to pay for their GP to give them a pre enlistment medical. All applicants that reach medicals should be reimbursed for this cost. The other deterrent is reputation, the Reserve has moved on, it is no longer the Free Clothes Association/Drinking Club that many think it was. This is a considerable barrier to entry and again effective marketing can address this but only if the offer is attractive. Meaningful utilisation of the Reserve will also go a long way to addressing that issue.

All former PDF soldiers leaving the DF on good terms should be encouraged to transfer to the RDF on discharge, this can only help the DF retain key skills and enhance the skill levels in the RDF overall.

In addition I would strongly recommend the forging of strong links between RDF Units and 3rd level educational institutions. 3rd Level students may welcome the opportunity for paid training with the RDF and are a good source of future personnel for both the RDF and PDF, be it graduate Cadet entry or graduate Engineer entry to the AC or technician entry to the NS as ERA and equivalent.

Paid training in the Summer for RDF Members in their units would be mutually beneficial. There is a good track record of DF engagement with Maynooth and Carlow IT and this should be leveraged at other 3rd level colleges and universities.

It is noteworthy that the female participation rate in the RDF at 13% approx. is over twice that in the PDF at 6% approx.

Consideration should be given for all PDF troops to move from Regular to Reserve and back for fixed time periods as troops circumstances change, especially with regards to family friendly policies.

4. Any other comments you may wish to make in relation to the Defence Forces having regard to the Commission’s Terms of Reference

There is a necessity for greater flexibility on the part of DoD and the DF. Our regulatory structure (inherited from the British Army in the early 1920’s and updated in the 1950’s) need serious and urgent updating to reflect the reality of life in Ireland in the 21st Century.

For the RDF Employment Protection must be prioritised and enacted as soon as possible. The UK’s former SABRE Model is worthy of looking into further, it is now termed Defence Relationship Management in the MoD along with an Employer Recognition Scheme. To date progress has been slow and mainly seems to have been the issuing of a short brochure on the subject and no action since. Meaningful engagement with employers provides the DF with an opportunity to engage with business leaders and influence wider society.

I also understand that Australia provides best in class support to reservists and that should also be looked at.

Clothing issue

The current scale of issue for committed reservists is insufficient. The concept of pooled essential equipment for tactical training is an anachronism that is frankly unacceptable and on so many levels, especially that of hygiene. The notion that wet gear and sleeping bags can be pooled and shared is ridiculous in this day and age,

Nothing tells a reservist how little they are valued better than the current scale of issue and pooled equipment. It is akin to a form of institutionalised apartheid.

Reservists cannot undergo tactical training with barrack boots and in winter without Snug-pack jackets. Sleeping systems without Gore-tex bivvy bags are not sleeping systems. The current scale of issue is suitable for recruits only until they undergo tactical training. By all means wait until the recruit is about to undergo such training and their commitment to the Reserve is confirmed, before issuing the required levels of personal equipment for same.

This needs immediate action and can only lead to economies of scale for the DF with higher quantities from a purchasing perspective. Again a change of mindset is required and those responsible for procurement must include the Reserve when specifying quantities.