The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, has met his commitment to buy another patrol ship, but the White Paper on Defence has downgraded the role of the Naval Service.
Details of new helicopters for the Air Corps are to be announced at Baldonnel airbase shortly, and it is expected that aircraft with medium-lift capabilities may be ordered to replace the short-range Dauphin fleet.
However, this may be subject to approval by a new committee, the High Level Civil-Military Planning and Procurement Group.
No provision has been made for the Joint Task Force responsibility of the Naval Service in relation to drug interdiction at sea under the 1994 Criminal Justice Act, while new international responsibilities for protection of the marine environment have also been overlooked. Up to half the current fleet of eight ships will be manned and equipped "primarily" for fishery protection duties, it says.
As stated in the draft text, which was widely circulated over the past month, the White Paper envisages no enhanced contribution by the Naval Service, ironically at a time when the State is seeking to extend its international boundaries in relation to oil and gas exploration. But it states that the vessels "carry with them unique characteristics as an expression of State sovereignty and political will at sea."
The White Paper does state that there are "important effectiveness and efficiency benefits" to be obtained through the single agency approach, and warns that departing from such a policy could lead to a duplication of resources. It says the emphasis will be on "utilisation and development of the Naval Service to contribute to the maximum to all of the State's requirements in the maritime domain."
However, it makes no provision for this responsibility. Key recommendations in the Price Waterhouse review of the Naval Service and Air Corps, including a £235 million reequipment plan, have not been allowed for.
A special fund of £5 million for the next five years to meet "urgent Air Corps equipment requirements" will not be sufficient to meet Price Waterhouse recommendations on purchasing four medium-lift helicopters for search-and-rescue.
The Minister intends to sign a contract for another naval ship with Appledore Shipyard in Devon, in spite of the recent setback involving one of four bilge keels on the latest vessel, the £22 million LE Roisin. Engineers from the shipyard were called in last week after it was discovered that part of the bilge keel had become detached from the hull.
The White Paper acknowledges that the second order from Appledore will be a replacement for the ageing LE Deirdre. It sets the fleet limit at eight ships, with an overall manning level of 1,144 personnel. This is a deviation from Price Waterhouse, which had recommended a strength of 1,144 and an additional crew for an eighth ship.
The Nautical Institute described the White Paper as a "lost opportunity" which did not in any way acknowledge Ireland's maritime responsibilities.
"A deal has been done on Defence Force numbers only, and there is no broader view in relation to this key area of policy," Mr Gary Delaney of the institute's Irish branch said yesterday.
"Every inch of our 12-mile limit is an international border, but there is no recognition of this. If half the fleet is to be relegated to fishery protection only, this will tie up ships when other emergencies arise," he said.
Capt Peadar McElhinney, former second-in-command of the Naval Service, has called for the establishment of an Oireachtas committee to examine policy on maritime defence and policing. The PriceWaterhouse review of the Naval Service and Air Corps had been "totally dismissed," he said.
"People in the service are voting with their feet and leaving because of this lack of clear policy," he added.
"Some 140 personnel left last year and 130 were taken in, so the Naval Service is barely stemming the tide."