An Cosantóir

7 Dear women and men of the Naval Service, To begin, I would like to thank all past and present members of the Naval Service for their service and to acknowledge your tremendous work in support of the national agenda over the past 75 years. In particular, the past 18 months have been extremely challenging and the professionalism, dedication and commitment of all members of the Naval Service has been recognised at a national level in a number of fora, not least your support of the national response to Covid and your sea fisheries role during the tumultuous months when a Brexit deal was being finalised and came into effect. I know that implementing Covid protocols on our ships has been extremely tough on all of you and your families. I would like to applaud you all for your perseverance and recognise your efforts working on the front line to protect the people of Ireland – thank you. I have lived beside the sea most of my life in Rush, North Co Dublin (apart from 16 years inland in London). So I was delighted to visit the Naval Base in Haulbowline for the first time in October 2020. The drive over the long bridge to the Island was simply wonderful and a great start to a day's work. I was hugely impressed by the warm welcome, the levels of expertise and the vast array of roles which the Naval Service are capable of providing. The security role of the Naval Service, a role that by its nature can often go unrecognised or unacknowledged, is one that I would highlight, but this role is vital to Ireland's national priorities and interests. The versatility of a Naval Ship and her crew on patrol are displayed by the ability to adapt; from a day-to-day fishery protection role to operations such as search and rescue, diving operations, drugs interdiction as well as many more. This is a testament to the varied skills maintained by each and every one of you. Given the Covid restrictions, I wasn't able to board the Ships but I very much look forward to being able to do so in the near future. We are facing challenges and will continue to face challenges, however with the drive, ambition and agility shown by Naval Service personnel I am sure these challenges will be met head on. The Commission on Defence Forces are currently reviewing all areas of the Defence Forces, including the Naval Service. This valuable process will assist all of us in guiding us towards the next 75 years. As Secretary General for the Department of Defence, I am in the very privileged position to be able to congratulate the Naval Service on the outstanding progress made in your first 75 years and I very much look forward to working with you during my tenure. I hope you all enjoy these much deserved celebrations marking this important milestone in the history of both the Naval Service and the State. Jacqui Mc Crum, Secretary General, Ard Rúnaí, An Roinn Cosanta, Department of Defence JACQUI MCCRUM, SECRETARY GENERAL, DEPARTMENT OF DEFENCE MESSAGE TO MEMBERS OF THE NAVAL SERVICE ON THEIR 75TH ANNIVERSARY SECRETARY GENERAL DOD

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