A call has been made for the Defence Forces to acquire an aircraft for the protection of Irish soldiers in the event of emergencies in the forthcoming UN mission in Chad.
Fine Gael defence spokesman Jimmy Deenihan said the Defence Forces would be dependent on others to provide back-up and therefore there was a need for a special transport aircraft as back-up, because the troops would be based 1,500km inland in isolated terrain.
Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea said, however, he would get an aircraft if the Department of Finance financed it, but "we work within our budget". He acknowledged that the mission would be isolated and the terrain was barren, but the military authorities had advised him that "our need for this sort of facility is so rare that it does not justify the cost".
During his first question time in the defence portfolio, Mr Deenihan called for the use of a long-range aircraft with a 50-seat capacity for the mission which the Government has supported in principle, to protect refugees in Chad who have fled the conflict in war-torn Darfur in neighbouring Sudan.
Once Dáil approval is given for the UN's proposed year-long mission, up to 350 Irish troops will be involved in the protection of some 240,000 Sudanese refugees in 12 camps.
The Kerry North TD said the Irish base would be about 1,500km inland and "we have no air-carrying capacity to support our own mission there". He said that "we rely on others to provide back-up, such as the medical back-up service and to transport our troops in and out of their locations". He was concerned that "in between, if emergencies arise we must rely on others and their availability to service the Irish mission".
He said the aircraft "could also be used for humanitarian purposes and rapid reaction", and he called on Mr O'Dea to consider the possibility of acquiring such an aircraft, "to enable the Air Corps to provide this service, whether for a mission abroad, for humanitarian reasons or rapid reaction missions".
The Minister said the Defence Forces had stand-by arrangements in place, mainly involving commercial suppliers. Mr O'Dea, agreeing that the mission would be isolated, said "the terrain is barren and the deployment and sustainment of the troops must be done mainly by air. That will involve putting in airstrips and so on, which we are discussing with the French, pending the final decision on the mission."
He said: "Without wishing to be flippant, I would procure anything if the Department of Finance gave me the money to do it." Purchasing such an aircraft "would be expensive and difficult to maintain" and "would not be used enough to be cost-efficient".
