Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 April 2026
367. Deputy John Paul O'Shea asked the Minister for Defence the progress made on each of the individual Programme for Government commitments assigned to her Department; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [28654/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraSince the publication of our Programme for Government: Securing Ireland’s Future, in January 2025, a great deal has been achieved, including the following:
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Programme for Government Commitment |
Action taken by Department of Defence |
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Building on the progress achieved by the previous government, this government is committed to the ongoing transformation and modernisation of Oglaigh na hÉireann across land, air, sea and cyber domains. Continue to support the High Level Action Plan on the implementation of the Commission on Defence Forces, including the identification of HQ locations. |
54 of the Recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces were completed by end of Q1 2026. The actions contained in the Strategic Framework 2026, and the Updated Detailed Implementation Plan for the Commission on the Defence Forces will continue to be actioned throughout 2026. |
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The Government will preserve and protect Ireland’s policy of active military neutrality. We also recognise that while we strongly value our military neutrality, we are not politically neutral. We will continue to engage with international partners and we will reform the Triple Lock legislation whilst also ensuring that amendments to the legislation are in keeping with our values and policy of active military neutrality. |
The General Scheme of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2025 was published in May 2025. The purpose of this legislation is to consolidate and amend the existing legislative provisions regarding the Triple Lock, taking account of the changed geo-political environment in which the Defence Forces now operate.
The proposed legislation continues to preserve Ireland's policy of military neutrality, while affording the Government greater autonomy on the deployment or despatch of more than 12 troops overseas. It is anticipated that the full text of the Bill go to government for approval by the end of Q2 2026. |
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Continue to increase investment in Defence, providing the funding and political support necessary to achieve Level of Ambition 2 Enhanced Capability, and move as quickly as possible to Level of Ambition 3 with commensurate investment as appropriate. |
Following a record investment of €1.35 billion for the Defence Vote in Budget 2025, Budget 2026 provided a further increased allocation of €1.49 billion for the Defence sector. An additional €1.7 billion was also allocated for capital investment under the National Development Plan 2025-2030. |
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Deliver continued reform of the military leadership structures, including the changes necessary to establish a new Chief of Defence (CHOD) role. |
Approval to draft Heads of Bill on these complex legislative provisions was agreed in 2025. It is expected that the General Scheme of the proposed legislation to establish the role of Chief of Defence, in line with the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces, will be brought to government for approval in 2026. |
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Ensure full delivery of the new Joint Cyber Defence Command strategy published by the last Government. |
A dedicated Joint Cyber Defence Command has been established, led at a new senior position of Brigadier General rank, taking over cyber operations previously led by Communications and Information Services (CIS) Corps. Additional staff have been approved to resource this new Command in achieving its initial operational capacity. |
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Prioritise the regeneration and growth of Ireland’s Naval Service, including the Naval Reserve, with a focus on protecting our significant and expanding sub-sea data cabling infrastructure and emerging offshore energy sector. |
Following the establishment of a force design team for the Naval Service, work continues apace on the regeneration of the Naval Service, with targeted recruitment and retention campaigns executed throughout 2025. In addition, renovation works at Haulbowline are ongoing and have already increased the number and quality of accommodation available at the Base. The strength of the Naval Service grew in 2025 from 719 at the beginning of the year, to 784 personnel at year end. Finalisation and actioning of a Naval Service Regeneration Plan will take place during 2026. In June 2025, a contract was awarded to Thales France for towed sonar capability, which heralds new and growing opportunities for the Naval Service in the coming years. |
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Review our military intelligence structures to ensure that our intelligence services are optimised to protect national security. |
A General Scheme of a Bill is currently being drafted so that the roles and functions of Military Intelligence will be underpinned by legislation. The rollout of Defence Attaché network is being progressed. |
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Plan for the interoperability of specialist Defence Forces with specialist units of An Garda Siochana on national defence matters. |
Significant engagement was conducted between the Defence Forces and An Garda Siochana throughout 2025, with a focus on interoperability between Special Operations Forces and the Emergency Response Unit of An Garda Siochana. Agreement was reached on the continued alignment of processes and procedures between the DF and AGS. |
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Continue to drive forward modernisation and cultural change, fully supporting the External Oversight Board in its work, implementing outstanding IRG recommendations and making our military a modern, effective and attractive employer of choice |
The Department of Defence recognises the External Oversight Board as a critical element in driving the necessary changes in workplace culture and behaviour in the Defence Forces, and in increasing transparency and accountability. The Body oversees and monitors the management of human resources of the Defence Forces, by the Defence Forces, and provides advice to the Minister on any matters arising from these oversight functions. The External Oversight Board submitted its first report as a Statutory Entity to the Minister for Defence in July 2025. It published a public consultation on its Strategy Statement in Q3 2025. The Body appointed a Military Subject Matter Expert to support the work of the Body. |
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Cooperate fully with the Tribunal of Inquiry into Certain Matters relating to the complaints processes in the Defence Forces. |
The Tribunal issued Orders for Discovery against the Minister for Defence on 27 January 2025 and the Chief of Staff on 28 January 2025 requiring the discovery of documents held in the Department of Defence / Defence Forces which come within the Terms of Reference for the Tribunal. This significant discovery exercise, covering four decades of documents, was completed in Q4 2025. The Department continues to cooperate fully with the Tribunal of Inquiry. |
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Continue the process of improving pay and conditions for serving personnel, while also continuing to build on improvements in the recruitment process including a nationwide programme for Transition Year and Third Level students, with a view to achieving the target of 11,500 personnel and better representation of women at all levels of the Defence Forces. |
Following the significant progress that has been made on pay and benefits for the Defence Forces, the most recent pay increase awarded in August 2025 resulted in the application of the following starting salaries: (i) Recruits on completion of training are paid: €41,880 Year 1 (€14,121 or a 51% increase since 2019) (ii) A school leaver Cadet on commissioning is paid €45,795 (representing an increase of €14,911 or 48% from 2019). After 2 years, their pay rises to €51,184. (iii) The pay rate for a graduate entrant on commissioning begins at €51,184. All pay rates are inclusive of the Military Service Allowance. In addition, the following matters were instigated and continued throughout 2025: • The Service Commitment Scheme previously available to pilots in the Air Corps was extended to Air Traffic Controllers. • The extension of private medical care to all ranks in the Defence Forces. • A doubling of the Patrol Duty allowance, effective from 1 January 2024. • Extension of the Naval Service tax credit for a further five years. • The implementation of a payment to Officer Instructors in the Defence Forces (this was 2025). • The application of the Working Time Directive across the Defence Forces in January 2025 subject to certain exemptions. As of the 31 December 2025, the strength of the Permanent Defence Force (PDF) stood at 7,756 personnel; an increase of almost 200 personnel on the total of 7,557 recorded at the end of 2024 and 206 on the 7,550 end of year strength in 2023. The outsourcing of elements of the recruitment process for the Naval Service including the targeting of skilled individuals required by the Naval Service. 23 Direct Entry Naval Service specialists were recruited in 2025 as of 30 November, the largest amount in over 5 years. |
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Continue to examine incentives and structural changes to make a military career accessible to a wider range of candidates, and to encourage existing personnel to extend their military careers, including Rewarding Long Service and broadening eligibility criteria. |
Since the mandatory retirement age for Defence Force members increased from 60 to 62 on 19 August 2024, currently 20 officers and 83 enlisted personnel in this age group are still serving who would have had to retire at 60 under the mandatory retirement age regulations in place prior to that date. A further 19 personnel remained in service past the age of 60 since 19 August 2024, who since retired. Therefore, in total, 122 personnel availed of the opportunity to continue their careers after the age of 60 since August 2024. In 2023, 755 members retired/discharged from the Defence Forces, in 2024 that number was 674 and 583 personnel retired or discharged in 2025. A number of very positive retention measures have been introduced in recent years for members of the Defence Forces. The reduction in the numbers leaving is due to a multitude of factors. Given the numbers who are continuing their military careers past the previous retirement age, the increased mandatory retirement age would appear to be a contributory factor. |
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Establish a properly resourced Office of Veterans Affairs, based within the Department of Defence and working across Government to assist with the needs of our veterans. |
In line with this government's commitment in the Programme for Government, and the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces, the Department of Defence established the dedicated Office of Veterans Affairs in Q4 2025. |
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Ensure the further development of our Reserve Defence Force, ensuring that the newly established Office of Reserve Affairs and the Regeneration and Development Plan is fully resourced and equipped and take all steps to increase the number of reserves. |
The Department of Defence continues to implement the initiatives contained in the RDF Regeneration and Development Plan, which was published in 2024 and has already resulted in positive changes for the RDF. The Department is carrying out a review of the Reserve Defence Force, which started in Q2 2025 and will continue through the first half of 2026. This includes a review of the relevant legal and policy frameworks. Specialist recruitment for the RDF continues, with increased upper recruitment and mandatory retirement ages introduced, the implementation of new and improved onboarding and induction processes and initiatives aimed at female participation among the changes implemented. |
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Implement the ‘Civil Defence – Towards 2030’ policy, including delivery of a new centralised volunteer and equipment management system. |
Each of the 28 Civil Defence Units across the country carried out a review of its Development Plan throughout 2025 for the current multi-annual planning process. The Civil Defence also continues to invest in the online Volunteer and Equipment Management System, which brings together all key Civil Defence volunteer, duty and equipment management information on one platform. |
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Ensure effective implementation of the Working Time Directive. |
The blanket exclusion of the Defence Forces from the Organisation of Working Time Act 1997 was removed, subject to the derogations permitted by the Working Time Directive. |
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Deliver enhanced radar capability for the country, with an integrated Monitoring and Surveillance System across Maritime, Land and Air domains. |
In line with the assessment of the joint civil-military Project Team, a Government-level approach was deemed to be the most effective way for Ireland to develop the required radar capabilities. This approach guarantees the use of the experience and knowledge of a trusted partner country which cannot be provided through any other option, particularly as we need to procure a new capability in order to develop a complete Recognised Air Picture. The Preliminary Business Case concluded that the French proposal substantially fulfils Ireland’s capability requirements under this Programme and provides a high level of confidence in their overall ability to deliver across all aspects. The first phase of the Military Radar Project is currently being rolled out, including the acquisition of Counter UAS capabilities in advance of Ireland assuming the Presidency of the EU. |
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Upgrade the military transport fleet, deliver additional Air Corps capacity, and deliver next generation radio communications and signal equipment. |
Air Corps capability was strengthened considerably with the following additions to the existing fleet: A third C295 aircraft was delivered in October 2025, which is capable of troop transport, as well as maritime patrol operations. The Strategic Reach Aircraft was delivered in December 2025, providing greater range (in distance and mission type) for the Air Corps. |
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Progress the Naval Service Vessel Renewal and Replacement Programme, replacing secondary armament across the fleet and enhancing our subsea capabilities |
2025 was the first full year of operations of the L.E. Aoibhinn (P71)- one of two Inshore Patrol Vessels purchased from New Zealand, and commissioned in 2024. This increased the Naval Service patrol and monitoring presence in the Irish Sea. The programme of works for the midlife refit and upgrade of the P50 class vessels, the LÉ Róisín and the LÉ Niamh, has been completed. Both ships are currently in operational reserve. A contract was signed with Thales France to develop Ireland's subsea capability in June 2025. |
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We will continue to develop our maritime support infrastructure, investing to future proof Haulbowline Naval Base, and establishing an additional East Coast Base for the Naval Service. We will audit the existing military estate and examine the feasibility of developing new accommodation on the estate for military personnel. |
Building on the Infrastructure Development Plan, the Government approved the development of a series of Masterplans for each military installation in the state, including Haulbowline Naval Base. Each masterplan will: - identify the future development of Defence sites - future proof infrastructure to achieve LOA2 and LOA3 - identify the need for any restrictions on areas in proximity to installations.
In addition in 2025 the Upgrade of Block 4 Accommodation in Haulbowline Naval Base was completed providing accommodation for some 74 personnel and the refurbishment of Block 9 at a contract value of over €9m continued with a projected completion in mid 2026 |
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We will continue the transformational investment in the military estate and the upgrading of barracks across the country, including major upgrade of Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel. |
The Airside Masterplan for Casement Aerodrome was completed in 2025, with development options equivalent to over €200 million in investment. By end of year 2025, eight capital investment projects had been completed at Casement Aerodrome, with a further project under construction. |
