Commission on the Defence Forces Public Consultation Response THE NAVAL SERVICE DIVING SECTION – THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE STATE’S MILITARY UNDERWATER CAPABILITY NAVAL SERVICE DIVING SECTION 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. NAVAL SERVICE DIVING CAPABILITY Currently, the Naval Service has overall responsibility for Military Diving within the Defence Forces. The Naval Service Diving Section (NSDS) was established in the early 1980’s and now operates a large range of diving systems, including Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus (SCUBA), Surface Supplied Diving Equipment (SSDE) and Mixed Gas Rebreather Systems. The NSDS also has a range of underwater robotics & survey equipment; including 2 x “REMUS 100” Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), 3 x remotely operated Vehicles (ROVs), Side Scan Sonar Equipment, an Ultra Short Baseline (USBL) Acoustic Positioning System, amongst various other underwater systems. International military best practice places the responsibility for countering all underwater explosive ordnance disposal, and improvised explosive devices found below the high-water mark, with Navies. In recognition, the White Paper on Defence 2015 (WP2015) delegates the responsibility for “the clearance of underwater mines and explosives” to the Naval Service Diving Section (para 3.5.1). Underwater Control, covering Harbour Protection and Mine Warfare operations, falls within the 2018 EU Capability Development Plan, where Underwater Control is one of eleven cross domain capability priority areas. The EU have developed the Strategic Context Case on Underwater Control as a vehicle for implementation to address capability shortfalls in this area at an EU, and national level through the Project Team Underwater Control. PESCO Projects such as Maritime (Semi) Autonomous Systems for Mine Counter Measures (MAS MCM) in which Ireland are observers; and the PESCO Harbour and Maritime Surveillance and Protection Project (HARMSPRO) are all aligned with addressing these capability shortfalls in both Mine Warfare and Critical Infrastructure Protection and the protection of Sea Lines of Communication, vital for an island nation such as ours. The volume of sub-sea internet & cyber cables being routed to Ireland, and the fact that 99% of Ireland’s trade is conducted by sea, further highlights the need for the State to protect its Sea Lines of Communication. WP2015 also highlights that "many of the risks and threats listed in the EU Maritime Security Strategy (EUMSS) are relevant to Ireland's maritime domain" (para 2.5.4). In the context of critical seabed and port infrastructure, WP2015 references the EUMSS Action Plan and the protection of critical maritime infrastructure as one of its five (5) workstrands (para. 3.4.4). The EUMSS lists underwater pipes and cables as being a strategic maritime interest for the EU. The ability to map and survey these pipes and cables, which are easily interfered with over the horizon, to a detailed hydrographic survey standard ensures that Ireland can accurately monitor them, ensure that their physical security remains intact and that any physical disruption can be identified, responded to and countered/secured. To develop the capabilities required to address identified shortfalls and threats to our Sea Lines of Communication, our lifeblood as an island nation, and bring Ireland in line with international best practise, requires additional resources invested in both human resource, equipment and infrastructure into the NSDS. 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. NAVAL SERVICE DIVING SECTION Despite a significant increase in NSDS responsibilities over recent years, which has seen significant investment in both diving and underwater search equipment, the structures and manning levels of the NSDS have gone largely unchanged. Currently, the NSDS falls under the command of Officer Commanding Shore Operations as follows: NAVAL HQ (FOCNS) OPERATIONS SUPPORT NAVAL COLLEGE COMMAND COMMAND (OC & CNC) (OCNOC) (OCNSC) SHORE OPS NS FLEET NAVAL INT. FORST NSDS It is proposed that this C2 structure be amended to reflect the NSDS as the State’s primary diving asset: NAVAL HQ (FOCNS) OPERATIONS SUPPORT NAVAL COLLEGE COMMAND COMMAND (OC & CNC) (OCNOC) (OCNSC) NSDS SHORE OPS NS FLEET NAVAL INT. FORST NSDS This would ensure that the Head of Military Diving in the Defence Forces is at an appropriate level in the C2 structure of the organisation and has a seat at the decision-making table. This will prevent dilution/mis-interpretation of key information as it travels up and down the Chain of Command. 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. ESTABLISHMENT OF A NAVAL SERVICE CLEARANCE DIVER BRANCH Currently the Establishment of the NSDS is twenty-seven (27), broken down as per “Annex A” to this submission. Divers are primarily drawn from the “Seamans” Branch of the Naval Service and continue to operate a two (2) year seagoing/ashore rotation in line with the rest of the Naval Service. This rotation is detrimental to the proficiency and development of Naval Diving as individuals are affectively “re-learning” the equipment and re-training to gain proficiency each time they rotate ashore. As Naval Diving is classified as an “Additional Qualification” within the Naval Service, it comes secondary to an individual’s primary “Branch” (Seamans, Mechanicians, Supplies, Communications etc.) Naval Diving, although highly specialised and technical in its nature, always takes a back seat. Due to the seagoing/ashore rotation and the “Additional Qualification” status of Naval Diving, the NSDS is currently operating at 44% Strength, including Support Staff. There are currently seven (7) “in-date” Divers posted into the NSDS. The NSDS has very limited operational capability and over the past 24 months, the NSDS was unable to respond to several ATCP/ATCA requests. When the NSDS can respond, Divers are attached from other Units whenever operations dictate. This results in Divers of different proficiency levels operating on the same Dive Team, which can slow down operations. The training burden of running Diving Courses also draws on the limited resources of the NSDS, further diminishing operational capability. Due to the lack of staff, the majority of diving equipment maintenance is now outsourced to private contractors, which leads to further decline in equipment knowledge and proficiency. By way of illustrating the critical manpower shortages in the NSDS, the minimum Dive Team required for the most basic of diving operations is six (6) - Dive Supervisor, two (2) x Divers, Standby Diver, Surface Attendant and a Boat Coxswain. At the time of writing, there are twenty-six (26) in- date Divers in the Naval Service, but only seven (7) of these are posted to the NSDS. Two (2) of these seven (7) are eligible for the next 6-month Potential Non-Commissioned Officers Course, due to commence next month. In order to maintain future diving capability, there is a requirement to qualify more 18m Dive Supervisors. Due to other factors later in the year, the 18m Dive Supervisors Course (5 weeks) must be run during the same period, with three (3) students and two (2) instructors drawn from the NSDS. Therefore, there will be a six (6) month period where the NSDS could be reduced to five (5) Divers. Within that six (6) month period, there could be a further five (5) week period where the NSDS can only respond to the most basic of diving tasks by pausing a CPD Course and augmenting the Dive Team with a Diver from another Unit. This is just one example of the cycle of continuous manpower issues within the NSDS. Military Diving has, by its very nature, an inherently higher risk factor than most other routine military operations. Divers are tasked with conducting operations in nil visibility on submerged hazards like sunken fishing vessels, aircraft and vehicles in waters affected by strong currents. The complexity of diving operations such as the Search & Recovery operations for Irish Fishing Vessel WD-207 “ALIZE” in 51 m of water (January 2020) or the Irish Coastguard helicopter “R116” in 42m of water (March 2017)