One of the biggest issues from the Kabul operation two years ago was that Ireland did not have an independent airlift means to deploy its troops overseas, that issue still hasn’t been solved yet. Secondly, we learned that we need a lot more contingency planning to be done in advance of these very predictable ...
Good to speak to Shane Coleman on Newstalk this week about the Russian ships that were in Irish waters over the weekend. “Normal practice is if you have a sensitive convoy moving through your economic waters, you would put out at least one of your naval ships to shadow that convoy. Unfortunately, Ireland had no ...
Glad to contribute to the Dáil debate on the findings of the Independent Review Group’s report about conduct and misconduct in the Irish Defence Forces. It was also good to welcome the Women of Honour group and veterans from Kildare to hear the debate. I welcome the publication of this report and its ...
Good week for Óglaigh na hÉireann / Irish Defence Forces. Better healthcare for enlisted personnel. Renovation of homes in barracks for military families. 3rd Airbus C295 for airlift (first time in the history of the State) Proper order too. They have our front- we should have their back…
This afternoon in the Dáil Deputy Cathal Berry TD spoke to the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, Micheál Martin about the housing crisis in Co. Kildare, with over 6,500 people on the social housing waiting list. Deputy Berry noted that ‘According to the Department of Defence, there are 62 vacant houses in the ...
This is a long overdue measure that I have been advocating for for years so I very much welcome it. Defence Force personnel regularly sustain injuries due to the nature of the physical and demanding work they do .. the least any employers can do is ensure reliable access to medical treatment for any employee injured ...
Alongside current recruitment pathways, service personnel should also be able to seamlessly transition between Regular & Reserve- in both directions. This happens in every other EU country. The war in Europe is likely to get worse this year. What exactly are we waiting for?!? Click here to view ...
Radio interview on RTÉ’s Late Debate this week. I spoke about the factors forcing people to leave the Defence Forces and the urgent need for a full-time, stand-alone Minister for Defence. Listen to the full interview here https://www.rte.ie/radio/radio1/clips/22204122/
Radio Interview on RTÉ Radio 1 recently in relation to the provision of non-lethal air defence systems from Ireland to Ukraine. These non-lethal air defence systems could be used to intercept unmanned drones and missiles, preventing similar atrocities that happened over the weekend and help to save innocent ...
Huge thanks to the Irish Air Corps for facilitating the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs & Defence Committee’s visit to Baldonnel. Superb, but sobering briefings. Candour very much appreciated. Ireland’s lack of air capability is a major national strategic risk. We need to fix this.
Statement on the 2023 Defence Budget Notwithstanding the wording of yesterday’s budget document, senior Government Ministers have since clarified that the stated €67m (6%) increase in the 2023 Defence budget does not include an allocation for the National Pay Deal “Building Momentum” currently being balloted on ...
Good to speak to Bryan Dobson on RTÉ Radio One recently about the lack of independent airlift capability in Ireland. This time last year, Irish troops had to hitchhike with other European armies to evacuate Irish citizens from Kabul. Also, during the pandemic, Ireland had no means to transport its own citizens or ...
