Commission on the Defence Forces Public Consultation Response Submission by Institute of Technology Carlow

Commission on the Defence Forces
                             Public Consultation Response

                    Submission by Institute of Technology Carlow
                                  18th March 2021
    1. Capabilities – In this regard, you may wish to consider future integrated capability
       development and the planning and delivery requirements to support a joint force approach
       in terms of new equipment, professional military education and training, maintenance and
       development of infrastructure, developments in military doctrine, and transformative
       concepts, including specialist capabilities, that prepare and support the Defence Forces for
       future operations.

This submission under the heading of capabilities is made by Institute of Technology Carlow and
is focused on the need to retain and to further develop the education of all ranks and all skillsets
of the Defence Forces (DF). It is allied with the area of staffing particularly in the areas of
recruitment and retention, career progression and indeed embedding organisational culture and
values. Through the training and education of its personnel, the DF will maintain and enhance its
capabilities in national and international spheres as a relevant and operationally effective
organisation.

Introduction

Defence policy ensures that the DF continues to contribute not only to national and international
defence but within that context must also make a significant contribution to the social and
economic development of the country.

Military capability is not just about the equipment of the organisation but primarily the skill sets of
the personnel whether in planning and leadership or in its use of this increasingly sophisticated
equipment. Providing this training and education not only provides a significant contribution to the
operational effectiveness of the DF but also provides a more effective contributor to society and
thus to economic recovery on the retirement of personnel from the DF.

While external threats to sovereignty have decreased, they have been replaced by the increased
threat of international terrorism which knows no geographic or virtual boundaries.

Contingency planning for such threats demands that DF personnel have the capability for critical
thinking, research and analysis and the agility to work with other organisations whether other
national armies or with national civil authorities. Such skillsets come from an educated workforce
and through this education provides a confidence not just within the organisation but also to the
partner organisations whether national or international.

Since 2004, the Institute of Technology Carlow is proud to have worked collaboratively with the
Defence Forces on a number of initiatives; all of which support the concepts outlined in the previous
paragraphs.

These have included:

    •   Developing with the Communications and Information Services (CIS) Corps, a Bachelor of
        Engineering in Military Communications Systems for its trainee technicians, which merges
        electronic engineering academic theory provided by the Institute with practical theory and
        practice using the equipment and staff of that Corps. This development has also drawn
        professional accreditation from Engineers Ireland under the Sydney Accord for associate
        engineer status. This was further enhanced through the provision of the Institute’s
        Bachelor of Electronic Engineering for serving technicians of the CIS Corps, Air Corps (AC)
        and Naval Service (NS). These all have graduated as technicians many years previously
        through a number of different technical training schemes. This programme brought the
        academic qualifications and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) of these technicians in line
        with new graduates of the Bachelor of Engineering in Military Communications Systems.

    •   Developing and providing, with the combat support and combat service support corps of
        the Defence Forces, Masters Degrees in:

            o   Ordnance Engineering for the officers of the Ordnance Corps
            o   Communications Technology Management for officers of the CIS Corps
            o   Military Engineering for officers of the Engineer Corps.

        All of the above Masters’ degree programmes are delivered using a combination of Institute
        of Technology Carlow and the relevant Corps’ lecturers and provided in-house by that
        Corps.

    •   Developing, validating and delivering a suite of programmes embracing all enlisted
        personnel training and education and work-based learning with the highest award of a
        Bachelor of Arts in Leadership, Management and Defence Studies.

    •   Provision of technician training for the Ordnance Corps in the areas of:

            o   Electronics technician training aligned with the Bachelor of Electronic Engineering
                programme at the Institute, and
            o   Mechanical engineering technician training aligned with the Institute’s Bachelor of
                Mechanical Engineering programme.

    •   Developing and delivering shorter continual professional development programmes
        (microcredentials) leading to special purpose awards in the areas of Health and
        Safety, firefighting, refrigeration and aircraft maintenance management systems for
        Defence Forces personnel.

    •   Developing undergraduate and postgraduate research projects in conjunction and within
        the framework of DF capability development in advanced security technologies through our
        EngCORE research group.

Numerous international review panels have recognised the distinctiveness, successful outcomes
and quality of ethos together with the student experience and teaching, learning and assessment

methodologies provided collaboratively by the Defence Forces and Institute of Technology Carlow
in these programmes. This has been reinforced through:

    •   Shared lecturing coupled with linked provision and programme management focused on
        the three key layers of: strategic, quality assurance and enhancement and ongoing
        programme monitoring and review.

    •   Ongoing staff professional development for instructing staff of the Defence Forces through
        a series of non-accredited and accredited activities.

The model employed by the Defence Forces and the Institute has been held as an exemplar for the
wider public service through shared activity in Our Public Sector 2020 (OPS 2020) Action 14
(Professional Development) and further recognised and awarded in 2019 by the Department of
Education and Science.

Analysis

This development of education opportunities for all personnel of the DF is in line with the National
Strategy on Education to 2030. In his opening comment to the report, Colin Hunt, the Chairman of
the HE Strategy Group stated that the group believed that higher education was central to future
economic development in Ireland, and that there were broad social and cultural advantages to
widening participation in higher education. In particular, the report stated that:

 “In many professions and occupations there is already a requirement for continuous professional
 development, and this creates a demand for part-time and short courses at any time of the year,
 on any day of the week, at any time of the day...People want to pursue education in parallel with
  employment, so that their path to any particular educational goal could be considerably longer
  than that of a full-time student and people want to progressively build on their knowledge and
                     experience, and want their achievements to be recognised”.

The DF education structures as outlined above with IT Carlow but also in place with other higher
education institutions provides such a lifelong learning model where promotion opportunities are
now linked to education opportunities resulting in a more skilled and ultimately a more motivated
workforce. The NCO career courses are the main vehicles for Institute of Technology Carlow awards
but a further sixty DF courses contribute to the modules that make up the programmes leading to
awards. Thus the training recognised for the awards is both wide and inclusive no matter what arm
of the DF the solider is employed. Significantly a strong emphasis is placed on experiential learning
which is captured through the completion of a work-based learning portfolio by all new entrants of
the DF and which sets the scene for critical analysis informing future education.

Pooling of resources is as important to the DF as it is to any other national public service provider.
Through the creation of the training programme for its technical Corps, the DF gain the expertise of
the academic excellence of Institute of Technology Carlow lecturing staff without the requirement
of developing and sustaining its own lecturing staff thus allowing them focus on developing the
practical maintenance and research and development skills of their technical support structures.
Institute of Technology Carlow for its part gains a cohort of mature students with practical life
experiences which both enhances the programme for all its electronic engineering students as well
as enhancing the overall student experience within the Institute.

Providing an accredited ‘technical’ programme for all personnel in Corps such as the CIS, Engineer
or Ordnance Corps is a method of ensuring that the right quality personnel are available to recruit
into these Corps as well as a motivating factor for the graduates to remain knowing that their
academic and technical development needs are being catered for by their employers. This
competence may be further enhanced through research activity enabling opportunities for
knowledge transfer and innovation with academia and industry.

The development of asymmetric warfare through terrorism attacks across national and virtual
boundaries has highlighted the need for a highly educated army of all ranks. This army must be
capable of free thinking and working outside normal warfare parameters. Institute of Technology
Carlow considers that the development of the Leadership, Management and Defence Studies suite
of programmes for enlisted personnel is a very significant move by the DF to develop this critical
thinking as well as giving the recognition of the lifelong and work-based learning that these
personnel acquire throughout their careers within the DF. Through this lifelong education of all
ranks the agility of thought and action required to respond to new security threats is nurtured and
developed. The leadership skills distributed throughout the DF are recognised. These awards
provide a formal structure to the training carried out through all stages of an enlisted person’s
career identifying leadership skills that heretofore went often unrecognised.

Across the multiple iterations (now in its tenth cohort) of the BA in Leadership, Management and
Defence Studies, the quality of dissertations that have been submitted by the Senior NCOs on this
programme has been commended by international experts in their roles as external examiners.
These dissertations provided the ethical and academic standards necessary in the context of effort,
product and submissions. They further enabled the students to address all elements of leadership,
management and defence studies, developing their critical thinking based on academic research.

This suite of validated programmes ensures the recognition of the skillsets of all enlisted personnel
and will enhance their employability on their departure from the DF. There is no doubt that the
ongoing provision and enhancement of this structure will result in the:

    •   development of critical thinking of all personnel thereby increasing the operational
        effectiveness and capability of both the individual and the organisation
    •   development of an increased appetite for progression within the organisation,
    •   increase in employment opportunities for those retiring from military service
    •   injection into society of qualified competent leaders
    •   provision of opportunities for professional and personal development of the individual both
        within the organisation and externally.

The DF and Institute of Technology Carlow signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
in March 2013, which formalised the commitment to both deliver the validated programmes as
collaborative partners and to work together on future opportunities. This has been subsequently
renewed in 2018.

The process to validate these programmes involved a significant learning curve for the DF which at
a most basic level required the training of designated staff in how to convert all military syllabi into
the standard language of the National Framework of Qualifications and the associated bodies. This
work was carried out in a constructive, cooperative manner with Institute of Technology Carlow
and resulted not only in clearly written academic documents but also led to the establishment of
the Academic Council, the appointment of a DF Registrar and the development of several policy
documents dealing with quality assurance and programme management.

That energy to recognise the training and education of its enlisted personnel coupled with the
education of technical officers added to its other relationships to recognise officer training
provides the DF with the platform to take its place at any table, national and international, in a
strong interoperable and multi-agency role. It is this that must be continued to be supported to
develop the capability of the Defence Organisation.

2. Structures – In this regard, you may wish to consider the most effective high-level Command
       and Control (C2) structures within the Defence Forces to ensure an agile and balanced
       approach that can function across all domains at home and overseas.

        Additionally, you may wish to address appropriate future force structures for the Army
        (including its brigade structure), the Air Corps, and the Naval Service, individually as
        component services and collectively as part of an integrated joint force approach.

        Furthermore, you may wish to address the changing nature of reservists, which presents an
        opportunity for the Reserve Defence Force to further integrate and support the Permanent
        Defence Force through the provision of enhanced collective and specialist capability across
        all domains.

This submission under the heading of structures is made by Institute of Technology Carlow and
proposes the further development of two new key areas:

    a. The extension of the International offering of Irish Defence Forces Education and Training

The first of these areas builds on the successful work undertaken by the Defence Forces and
Institute of Technology Carlow to develop the education of all ranks and all skillsets of the Defence
Forces (DF). Through the training and education of its personnel, the DF maintains and enhance its
capabilities in national and international spheres as a relevant and operationally effective
organisation.

It is in this context that consideration should be given to the offering of the modules and
programmes currently provided by the Defence Forces with their higher education partners to
appropriate international militaries and defence organisations. The development of this capability
within the Military College and the wider Defence Forces Training Centre will serve as potential
boon for the regional economy of South Kildare.

Examples already exist of training and education opportunities being provided to officers and other
personnel of other nations’ armies attending different training courses with the Defence Forces.
Indeed Institute of Technology Carlow provide recognition for one such programme delivered by
the Ordnance Corps – the Certificate in Counter-Improvised Explosive Device/Device Disposal
(Special Purpose award at Level 9 – 10 credits).

Such a structural development would not be dissimilar to models seen internationally including in
Cranfield University in the UK. This would build on Ireland’s and the Defence Forces’ track record
in education and Defence Forces capabilities in diverse areas in science, engineering and technology
from cyber security and digital warfare to robotics. Allied to Ireland’s trusted position as a neutral
country, the development of an international military education structure offers opportunities to
connect governments, armed forces, industry and security services around the world.

b. The Establishment of a Security/Defence Agency to be embedded in Institute of
       Technology Carlow

Ireland’s Peer Nations Security/Defence Support Agencies

Some of Ireland’s peer nations have long established security/defence agencies ranging from
Security Analysis Provision to Security Intelligence, Procurement Agencies to Research, Technology
and Scientific agencies that support their wider security/defence planning and organisation. For
example, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands all have small materials agencies whose role is to
develop, provide, and retain the specialist knowledge required to support defence procurement
and technology development. The Commission should therefore examine whether such a
standalone agency, reporting to the Department of Defence/General Staff/Science Foundation
Ireland, for instance, would enhance the ability of the DF to fulfil its roles, to enhance development
of military/civilian dual use technologies, and to increase commercial export opportunities. Dual
use technologies development does not infringe on Ireland’s stated policy positioning on
international peace and security issues.

The New Zealand Defence Technology Agency employs some eighty staff, mainly from a scientific
and technical background. Some retired military officers, military PhD candidates, and ‘subject
matter expert’ serving personnel are also employed. They horizon scan for the security/defence
sector, work collaboratively with the research/industry sectors, and address challenges faced by
government agencies including the police and intelligence services.

Creating an equivalent Agency for Ireland and locating it at Institute of Technology Carlow, for
reasons outlined below, would sustain a significant number of high paid knowledge-based careers.
Due to our limited size, Ireland would benefit from amalgamating a number of functions in this one
agency. The agency could house defence science, technology, innovation and research expertise
under one umbrella. The fledging Defence Science, Research, Technology and Innovation (D-STIRA)
cell housed currently in the Department of Defence could be subsumed into this new agency and
grow into this role.

Institute of Technology Carlow and the Defence Forces

As detailed in the National Development Plan, the headquarters location of new state bodies and
agencies is an important signal of the Government’s commitment to supporting more balanced
regional development. Consequently, in the case of the establishment of this proposed agency, its
headquarters should be located outside of Dublin. Any new agency would likely need satellite
offices in multiple regional urban areas with access to existing academic and research universities
and agencies.

The current provision of the Defence Forces with Institute of Technology Carlow has been detailed
above under the introduction to our capabilities.

As well as these formal courses directly related to the training of military personnel, Institute of
Technology Carlow has developed and hosted upgrading courses in Supply Chain Management for
officers and NCOs involved in logistics operations enabling the achievement of Higher Diplomas and
Masters of Business at levels 8 and 9 of the National Framework of Qualifications.

Institute of Technology Carlow has long recognised the potential research capabilities of the
Defence Forces. With dedicated Centres of Research and Enterprise (CORE) within the Institute in

the areas of science, engineering, humanities and design, and geographic proximity (30 miles) to
the DF Training Centre at the Curragh, it has been in a position to facilitate DF graduates to continue
their thesis studies from the degree programmes described above to the next academic levels
whether in leadership, humanities, science or engineering.

In addition, the Institute offers the DF the facilities to carry out its own research in its laboratories
and workshops and conducts shared research for the DF using our undergraduate and postgraduate
students.

The development of academic/ research skills for the DF is limited only by imagination. What has
been achieved to date is of a high order but it is only a fraction of the ongoing requirements of these
DF Corps. Each Corps has both academic skills/research development requirements, most of which
have not yet been fully considered. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) usage, container tracking,
drone usage, fitness development, training/education, mechatronics as examples, all require
development, incorporating both military and academic expertise.

Tapping into those requirements would be empowered by a specific section at DF level, similar to
the Extended Campus in Institute of Technology Carlow, who are dedicated to working with the
Corps of the DF to identify and package their needs. The development of a Security/Defence Agency
at Institute of Technology Carlow would have a significant multiplier effect for the DF, research and
development in Ireland, Irish industry, the Irish economy, and its international prestige. It would
also ally with the ongoing work of the Institute as it prepares for technological university
designation.

Furthermore, the engagement in research, knowledge transfer and innovation such as that
evidenced by the supported research activity of the Institute’s EngCORE builds from the expertise
of the DF and contributes to initiatives such as those supported by funding agencies such as
Enterprise Ireland. The tripartite engagement of industry, academia and the Defence Organisation
can only contribute to economic recovery as well as enhancing Ireland’s reputation in this field.

3. Staffing – In this regard you may wish to consider the HR policies that support the
       requirement for an agile and adaptive modern military force. You may wish to consider
       issues such as recruitment and retention, organisational culture and values, gender and
       diversity, career progression, and industrial relations machinery.

Reference is made in section 1. Capabilities which overlap with this section.

4. Any other comments you may wish to make in relation to the Defence Forces having
   regard to the Commission’s Terms of Reference

   Institute of Technology Carlow would welcome the opportunity to meet with and/ or clarify
   any of the points made above with the Commission.