Disposal of Defence Forces vehicles
Deputy Burke asks whether retired armoured vehicles can be tendered for sale or donated for humanitarian work in Ukraine; the Tánaiste outlines their withdrawal and confirms support for Ukraine while addressing the disposal process.
As the Tánaiste is aware, the Defence Forces have confirmed that they intend to dispose of armoured personnel carriers. These are vehicles they no longer require. Has a decision been made in respect of inviting tenders to be submitted to facilitate the sale? Would consideration be given for a charitable organisation to acquire same, to be used for humanitarian purposes? One of the groups interested has already sent over 200 all-terrain vehicles to Ukraine, providing support to people who are injured and getting them out of the war zone. What is the process in relation to the tender and will serious consideration be given to making those vehicles available for use for humanitarian purposes?
Comment on this
I thank the Deputy for raising this issue. Obviously, we want to do all we can to support Ukraine and stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. In that context, we have what is called a light tactical armoured vehicle fleet. It was procured through a competitive process and provided an important operational capacity to our Defence Forces from 2010 until its withdrawal from service in 2023 at the end of its planned service life. There was a detailed technical assessment on its withdrawal from the service and the Defence Forces concluded that the fleet could be made available for donation for potential restoration and operational use by the armed forces of Ukraine for the humanitarian purpose the Deputy highlighted. The Ministry of Defence of Ukraine expressed its sincere gratitude and thanked Ireland for its continued support but ultimately on that occasion, it did not accept the vehicles. That was an operational decision for the Ukrainian authorities.
However, the future of the fleet will now be considered by the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces. A board of survey will be convened by the Defence Forces in accordance with the Defence Forces regulation and it will make a recommendation on the future disposal of the vehicle.
Preparatory work for the board of survey is currently under way. We need that to do its work first, and that will come up with various options. I can confirm that any proposals received regarding it will, of course, factor in our Department's assessment of the options that are available.