Minister for Defence, Michael Smith
Track record
He inherited a Defence Forces in some disarray and somewhat in disrepute over the vast amount of hearing compensation claims. He leaves his term in office overseeing a re- formed military structure that is better equipped and accommodated than ever before.
His abiding and repeated wish is to see the Republic play a greater role in international peacekeeping; for the military to put its experience with the UN to use wherever it is needed. During his term of office, he extracted the UNIFIL battalion from Lebanon, which achieved peace in May 2000 with the Israeli withdrawal. He set about finding new tasks for the Defence Forces, who are now serving in smaller, more needy missions in East Timor, Kosovo and Eritrea. He has also delivered on his promise to have all the savings made from payroll reduction (when the Defence Forces were reduced from 13,500 to 10,500), plus money from the sale of barracks, spent on new equipment and barracks.
The capital expenditure on equipment has been unparalleled in the history of the State. When Smith came to office, the Army had only two armoured personnel carriers (APCs) and it could not serve in dangerous peacekeeping missions unless the UN provided it with protection. By the end of this year, it will have 40 top-of-the-range Mowags with another 25 to come. The Air Corps is getting new training aircraft and medium-lift helicopters to replace its increasingly obsolete fleet. Two new ships, costing €25 million each, have been bought for the Naval Service.
At the outset of his tenure, he set out to deal with the issue of the Army hearing claims, which were not only an embarrassment but a huge financial liability. When he arrived the average payments were around €46,000 to €48,000 and the State faced claims that could have reached €1 billion if they had continued at the same rate. The average payment is now around €10,000. Army hearing claims are no longer a major liability.
Main achievement
His tenure in office is the period in which an ageing, poorly equipped Defence Forces was transformed into a younger, modernised and better equipped version. He also controlled the spiralling deafness claims.
Biggest failure
The initial uncertain handling of the Defence White Paper in 2000, portrayed by the military as a duplicitous excuse for more numbers and cost cuts, affected Smith's standing. But he eventually won this fight as well. There is now an acceptance that the State needed a Defence White Paper to spell out exactly what the military was for and to map out its future.
The controversy over the purchase of the new helicopters after political lobbying on behalf of the Sikorsky bid was an embarrassment, but not of his making.
Prospects
He has expressed an interest in moving to Agriculture after Defence. His wide experience in Cabinet and successful performance in Defence should help.
Jim Cusack, Security Editor
OPPOSITION PERFORMANCE
Fine Gael
Billy Timmins
Billy Timmins draws on his own Army experience when dealing with Defence questions. He joined as a cadet in 1977 and was commissioned in 1979. He served at home and overseas before standing down to replace his father, Godfrey Timmins, in the Dáil. His knowledge of Army matters is obvious, but he has yet to make a significant impression as a Dáil performer. However, time is on his side.
Labour
Jack Wall
His low-key, dogged style is suited to the Defence portfolio, which rarely makes headlines. He gives the impression, however, that he could handle another brief as capably as some of his more colourful colleagues.
Although not a deputy to contravene lightly the rules of the House, he was suspended from the Dáil in November 2001 on an issue unrelated to his portfolio. He was asked to leave by the Ceann Comhairle when he persisted in referring to the dispute at Irish Sugar plants.
M. O'R.
