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31 DF PODCAST: MINISTER FOR DEFENCE SIMON COVENEY TD decision to make an increased contribution to new demands for peacekeeping, it would certainly take 3-4 years to train and equip for those new environments. Mr Coveney added: "Of course the Defence Forces are a resource for the State in terms of domestic security but from an Irish perspective they are an extraordinary resource in terms of Irish impact and influence in other parts of the world. When our Defence Forces in uniform are abroad, they are soldiers, they are warriors, they are peacekeepers, but they are also diplomats." Minister Coveney praised the work of the Defence Forces in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and said this was really appreciated by the general public. "I know there is a public appreciation of the work of the Defence Forces", he said, "I visited Pairc Ui Chaoiimh and City Hall in Cork recently, two of the big COVID vaccination centres and the Defence Forces were involved in both. When you speak to doctors and nurses there and the HSE management and listen to how they talk about the structure and organisation and discipline the Defence Forces bring to the operation, you would be pretty proud to be Minister for Defence." As well as other vaccination centres around the country, he pointed to the use of Naval Service vessels for quayside testing and the role of the Army in the mandatory hotel quarantine operation, saying: "People don't mess around in mandatory hotel quarantining facilities when there is someone there in uniform." "This is why we have the Defence Forces. When a country is in trouble you are the last line of defence. You provide confidence, professionalism, consistency, predictability. When you ask the Defence Forces to get something done, you don't have to ask a second time. That for me is the value of the Defence Forces in a national crisis like this pandemic has been. " While he understood that this had put a strain on the Defence Forces with people having to come out of training cycles etc, "I would like to think people welcomed that challenge. That is why you joined the Defence Forces. You joined because you want to be a valuable asset to the State when the State really needs that resource. The Defence Forces will continue to play a very significant role as we move through what are hopefully what are the final stages of this pandemic in terms of its impact on society." On recruitment, Minister Coveney said he would encourage young people to seriously look at a career in the Defence Forces revealing that he thought about joining the Naval Service when he was younger. "To young people, look at it seriously, you won't regret it. The Defence Forces is a career that has made an awful lot of people very proud with an enormous amount of job satisfaction, support and camaraderie. For a lot of people that should be a very attractive career choice. I thought seriously about joining the Naval Service at one point; I couldn't make up my mind and I didn't in the end. it's not for everybody but for a lot of people it can really build and mould someone's personalities in a really positive and rewarding way." He acknowledged there had been tensions in some of the debates around defence and recruitment and retention problems and challenges and concerns around pay rates but said: "We are really working hard to try to deal with areas that have been contentious and that have undermined the capacity to recruit at the pace we need to." There was also the issue of headhunting and the attraction of other careers. "Talented people in the Defence Forces get targeted by the private sector who are offering them more money, possibly less hours in terms of work. But I would say potentially a lot less job satisfaction and opportunity for adventure and reward. And don't forget, ultimately this is about national service, this is about taking an oath to the State which very few people are willing to do but those who do it matters to." Mr Coveney pointed out that regardless of whether the economy is booming or collapsing, the Defence Forces gave people career certainty, income certainty, and opportunities for adventure and personal development. "For a lot of people that should be an exciting option and I hope the current recruitment campaigns will be as successful as we are hoping and expecting they will be. Because we are 1,000 people short – and when you've only got 8,500 that's a lot of people. We need to get those numbers back up." His job, he said, was to make sure people who are courageous enough, and who are looking for opportunity and adventure and personal development that comes with joining the Defence Forces, are paid fairly and that they have the opportunity to be promoted and progress in their careers." Hear the full interview on: www.military.ie/en/members- area/social-media-links/df-podcast/ v Minister for Defence Simon Coveny TD alongside the COS at the time Lt Gen (Retd) Conor O'Boyle and Maurice Quinn who was the Seceraty General to the Defence Forces back in 2015, attending the Launch of the White Paper for Defence in 2015

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