Defence Forces: Motion Seanad Éireann — 2026-01-21 ============================================================ Diarmuid Wilson (FF), Administrative Panel I started off the debate by saying to the Minister, Deputy McEntee, that defence debates in this place are rational, informed and grounded in the realities of today's world and that I had no doubt but that this would be the case again today. I am glad to report that this has been an excellent debate on defence matters. I thank each and every one of my colleagues who contributed to it. I acknowledge that we benefit here from the expertise of people who have practical experience of membership of the Defence Forces, at different ranks, and in one case membership of two armies. That is very helpful in this discussion. I acknowledge those who have experience of the Defence Forces through service in the Reserve Defence Force, including Senator McDowell. I understand the Senator was a very rigid and stern member of the military police. I found it hard to believe that he would be that stern. He played a vital role in the military police of the Reserve Defence Force, on which I congratulate him. Without repeating everything said, there has been a welcome for the progress made on pay and conditions, recruitment and retention. There has been universal acknowledgment of the dedication and commitment of the women and men of our Army, Navy and Air Corps at home and abroad. We make no secret of the fact that there are challenges ahead. These have been addressed in our motion and mentioned by colleagues today. As members of the Government party, it is our intention to see those concerns addressed as quickly as possible. I agree with Senators McDowell and Craughwell and others that we must get to level of ambition 3 immediately. It is vital to the development of our Defence Forces. I pay tribute to the members of the Reserve Defence Force. Senator Joe O'Reilly mentioned Commandant Kiernan, who was recently promoted. The commandant, whom Senator Tully also knows, is a prominent member of the Defence Forces and plays an active role. Very relevant points have been made on the Reserve Defence Force. It is a vital cog in our defence and should be promoted throughout our communities. As has been pointed out here today, it is not just about appearing in uniform and providing cover for the Permanent Defence Force. There are other roles that Reserve Defence Force members can assume. These are crucial, particularly in cybersecurity. This should be considered and progress should be made on it. On Senator McDowell's remark on having a Minister for Defence, we have a Minister for Defence, and that is Deputy McEntee. We do not have a Minister for Defence who holds that position alone but we have a Minister for Defence. I wished her well. She is newly appointed, as we know, and I wish her well in what we know, given all the comments made on the worldwide challenges that face us as a small democratic island, is a crucial role. I pay tribute to the women and men of our Defence Forces and the representative organisations that represent them daily and communicate with each Member of the Oireachtas. Defence is integral to national resilience, economic security and, increasingly, the protection of our democratic institutions. That is worth bearing in mind. I thank everybody for their contributions this afternoon. --- Source: Houses of the Oireachtas. Licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). The Official Report is revised after first publication; the fetch timestamp below identifies the version quoted. Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-01-21/debate/main Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:31+00:00 Sitting date: 2026-01-21