Commission on Future of the Defence Forces to be established in new government

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A Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces is to be established under a commitment contained in the Programme for Government.

Sources connected with the talks have said there is also a plan to have a permanent review body to examine Defence Force pay and conditions once the Commission has concluded its work.

In recognition of the significant difficulty in retaining members of the forces, Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and the Greens have made a significant commitment to try and address the shortfall.

Agreement on the Commission and the pay review body is seen as a win for Fianna Fáil which had campaigned for it during the election.

The establishment of such a commission will look at issues of pay, retention and conditions of service, sources have said.

The Programme for Government commits to a comprehensive external and independent review of Irish defence policy and the Defence Forces.

It is anticipated that this would be similar in scope to the Commission on the Future of Policing in Ireland undertaken in recent years.

Such commission should contain external military expertise from countries similar in size to Ireland and, also from states that like Ireland are non-aligned militarily. The terms of reference for such a commission are to be finalised within a matter of weeks and it is likely it would be established before the summer recess with a mandate to report comprehensively within twelve months.

It is understood that once that report is delivered, it will clear the way for a permanent review body on pay. It will be for the Commission to figure out how this review with sit in relation to the wider public sector pay talks process.

“There is a need for a permanent and independent Defence Forces pay body to be established which would reflect the unique nature of military service in the broader context of pay and allowances,” sources said.

Fianna Fáil in the talks argued that in the United Kingdom there is a statutory pay review body that is specific to the defence sector.

The committee has access to the highest levels of Government, including the Ministry of Defence and its general staff, and of course all the members of the armed services in the UK.

This review will also see if affiliate membership of ICTU by members of the Defences Forces is possible.

It is important that military leadership is satisfied that this application is done without jeopardizing the State security or the ability of the Defence Forces to assist the state when there are prolonged national disputes.

Meanwhile, all Government departments will have to adopt a Green focus in the future as a central focus of their operations.