Speech
Tánaiste's address at Review of the 123rd Infantry Battalion, Kilkenny
By: Minister for Defence; Micheál Martin
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Last updated on
By: Minister for Defence; Micheál Martin
Published on
Last updated on
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Secretary General Jacqui McCrum, Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Sean Clancy, members of the General Staff, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for being here at Kilkenny Castle this afternoon.
It is an honour for me to have this opportunity to join you today and review the personnel of the 123rd Infantry Battalion, who will travel to the Middle East in the coming weeks for service with the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) over the next six months.
Is mór an onóir dom a bheith anseo chun páirt a ghlacadh san ócáid thábhachtach seo. Táim buíoch díbh go léir as bhur seirbhís agus a dtiomantas do chúis na síochána.
First of all, let me begin by welcoming family members, friends and guests, to this very special occasion.
You play an essential role in contributing to the success of overseas peacekeeping missions.
Separation from loved ones can put immense strains and pressures on individuals, and the support and encouragement you provide is vital to the troops standing before us here today, as they prepare to deploy to UNIFIL.
On occasions such as this, I always make the point of acknowledging the role that your families play, but today I want especially to address myself to them.
I know that the current situation in the Middle East, including in Southern Lebanon and Northern Israel is a matter of grave concern to you and I understand that this is a worrying time.
I want to reassure you that the troops standing before us today – your sons, daughters, partners, dads and mums – are well trained, well prepared and well equipped for this deployment.
There is significant experience in these ranks, not least in the Battalion leadership. That leadership and experience will be invaluable over the next six months.
I was particularly impressed by the maturity of those who spoke as you completed your pre-deployment training about the situation into which you are about to deploy.
That maturity suggests a confidence in your training and preparation and also in your colleagues. As Private Tiarnan O’Reilly, who deploys with his brother Caolan, said “we’ll look after each other.” That is a sentiment I’m sure is shared by every member of the 123rd Battalion.
I want to assure you too that the safety and security of our Defence Forces’ personnel throughout the Middle East – whether in UNIFIL, UNDOF or UNTSO - is my highest priority and of paramount concern to the government.
Both the Chief of Staff and I are steadfast in our determination to ensure that our personnel stay safe throughout their tour of duty.
The UNIFIL leadership also fully shares that determination. Force protection is something that everybody takes extremely seriously. Appropriate precautionary measures are being and will continue to be taken in response to the threat that exists.
We will continue to monitor the situation closely along with our partners in the UN and the wider international community.
Despite the escalation of activity in South Lebanon over the last few weeks, it is important to always remind ourselves that you are going there in the noble pursuit of peace.
Peacekeeping is the most important international action for good that any nation can participate in. Your role, as part of UNIFIL, is to provide a safe and secure environment and to support local communities where you are deployed.
This commitment to those communities and to vulnerable citizens lies at the heart of Ireland’s engagement in UN-Mandated crisis management operations and it has never been more relevant in light of what is going on.
Ladies and gentlemen, I am deeply concerned at the situation in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. The risk of a wider regional escalation is also deeply concerning and must also be the focus of urgent international efforts.
The rising toll of civilian casualties and suffering in Israel and in the occupied Palestinian territory is horrifying.
Last week, I met with my EU Foreign Minister colleagues and echoed the UN Secretary General’s call for humanitarian pause to allow aid to reach those now in desperate need in Gaza.
I also insisted that it is essential that the EU maintains assistance for the Palestinian people at this time. The EU must give voice to support a humanitarian ceasefire in order for the delivery of vital supplies and humanitarian assistance to be facilitated for those in need.
It is important that I clearly reiterate the government’s unequivocal condemnation of the attack by Hamas on Israel. The actions that we witnessed were savage and brutal. The indiscriminate killing of civilians going about their daily life. The targeting of young party-goers at a music festival. The seizing of hostages, including children and elderly people.
These are reprehensible actions. I have been absolutely clear that all hostages, Israeli and international, must be released unconditionally. I have underlined that there is no justification – none - for such terror.
Israel has the right to pursue its attackers. However, this must be done within the parameters of international humanitarian law. As the UN Secretary General has underlined, even wars have rules. International humanitarian law applies in all conflicts, in all circumstances, to state and non-state actors alike. It is not optional. It is obligatory. The protection of civilians is at its core.
I know that you have all had an extremely busy few weeks, having recently completed a rigorous pre-deployment training program in the Glen of Imaal.
While this training has been demanding, it is necessary in order to ensure that you are well prepared to overcome the challenges you may face and to discharge your duties effectively in the mission area in Southern Lebanon.
As you, the men and women of the 123rd Infantry Battalion, leave to write a new chapter in the history of the Defence Forces participation in UNIFIL, we remember the high price that has been paid by members of our defence forces while on service in Lebanon. We remember especially the late Private Seán Rooney and those injured in the horrific incident of December last year.
Over the years, the Defence Forces have built a strong and durable relationship with the people of Lebanon which serves as a strong foundation for all that serve with this mission.
You are following in the proud traditions of the thousands of men and women of Óglaigh na h-Éireann who have gone before you.
In my other capacity as Minister for Foreign Affairs, I am particularly conscious of the importance of this tradition as an essential component of Ireland’s foreign policy and your participation in UNIFIL illustrates the very positive and practical difference that small countries like Ireland can make in the world’s trouble spots.
Supporting the cause of protecting human rights and promoting peace is core to the mission of our Defence Forces and they have, in turn, brought great honour to our country throughout the world.
Let me take this opportunity to re-state and reaffirm that Recruitment and Retention of our military personnel is a key priority for me as Minister for Defence.
The government is committed to making our Defence Forces an even better place to work, and considerable progress has already been made.
Specific initiatives have included significant improvements in pay and allowances for new recruits, including extension of private healthcare to all members and extending service limits for Privates, Corporals and Sergeants.
There are other benefits too –a public service pension, opportunities for overseas travel, and the use of state-of-the-art facilities which we are rolling out in barracks around the country.
The allocation of €1.23 billion in Defence funding in Budget 2024 - an increase of €21 million in current expenditure compared to 2023 - will enable further progress on the transformation of the Defence Forces as outlined in the recently published Strategic Framework.
Particularly important to the transformation of the Defence Forces is the implementation of the recommendations of the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces.
When the Commission on the Defence Forces delivered its report, it recommended significant and wide ranging changes for the Defence Forces and Defence provision in Ireland including changes to high-level Defence Forces’ structures, defence capabilities, organisation, culture and human resources and funding.
It also set out in stark terms an urgent need for HR and cultural transformation in the Defence Forces.
As Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, I am deeply committed to the positive transformation of our Defence Forces into a modern, agile military force, capable of responding to increasingly complex security threats.
That is why the government approved a High Level Action Plan to progress the recommendations and to commit the State to move to Level of Ambition 2 with a commensurate increase of the Defence budget from €1.1 billion to €1.5 billion, in 2022 prices, by 2028.
We have followed through on this commitment by increasing our spending in Defence in Budget 2023 and 2024.
We have also been working on the development of a detailed plan to implement the Commission recommendations by 2028.
It has been a priority for me that this plan is both ambitious and credible, recognising that transformation efforts of this magnitude take time and are only successful if they are built on solid foundations.
I am pleased to inform you all that it is my intention to bring this Detailed Implementation Plan to Cabinet next week and to publish it thereafter.
This is a once-in-a-generation transformation. I am confident that we can and will build on the strong foundations developed and realise our shared ambition for a transformed, modern, forward looking Defence Forces.
You, the men and women of the 123rd Infantry Battalion are critical to that successful future. You have all worked and trained hard to prepare yourself for this day and for duty with UNIFIL.
You deploy to UNFIL under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Mac Eoin. Given his experience, with extensive overseas duty already completed, I know you are in capable hands.
Personnel travelling with the 123rd Infantry Battalion represent 25 counties across Ireland, with the largest contribution coming from Dublin.
For 85 of you, this is your first tour of duty overseas.
And, while the remaining members of the Battalion have all had previous overseas service, Sergeant Declan Higgins stands out for having completed the most tours of duty of all personnel within the 123rd Infantry Battalion with a total of 17 tours to his name. I congratulate him on his 18th overseas deployment as well as the other personnel on their commitment to service overseas.
Also today, I’m pleased to say we have twenty-three women who are ready to deploy as part of this Battalion.
The government remains committed to a policy of equal opportunity for men and women throughout the Defence Forces in order to increase capability and better reflect the society from which they are drawn and serve. The significant female presence in this Battalion is welcome progress in that direction.
Before I conclude, let me remind each of you in the 123rd Infantry Battalion, of the enormous pride which the people of Ireland take in your service as professional peacekeepers.
UN peacekeepers have long been the best chance for peace for some of the world’s most vulnerable people and while overseas in Lebanon, you will make a tangible difference in the lives of these people.
Finally, I want to wish each and every member of the 123rd Infantry Battalion, deploying to UNIFIL next month, a safe and successful mission under the leadership of Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Mac Eoin.
I am confident that your training, your preparation and the experience among you equips you for the challenge that lies ahead.
You will be in our thoughts throughout the duration of your tour of duty.
Go raibh míle maith agaibh go léir.