Senator Gerard P. Craughwell: I thank Ms O'Brien. I have two questions on the points made by Dr. Berry about evacuation operations, counter-narcotic operations and diplomatic missions. Decisions in these areas are usually made at very notice. As an example, I am delighted our Naval Service captured €30 million worth of drugs today. All the witnesses have commanded. To make a decision to deploy for a drug interdiction or for that matter getting people out of Kabul and out of the way of serious harm quickly, if the triple lock applies and all we can send is 12 troops, what impediment does a commander experience when only being able to send that number?

Ms Maureen O'Brien: If I may answer that, 12 troops is not enough to do anything. You cannot prepare properly and you cannot execute an operation properly when you only have 12 people. At the very least, 50 people are needed to plan, operate and execute a mission.

Mr. Kieran Brennan: Can I add to that? Within the military framework we have a structure stretching from section to platoon to company. People are trained to operate within that structure. A figure of 12 seems to be pulled out of the air. In regard to the minimum figure we would need for any kind of operation, for example Kabul was a platoon-level operation with supporting elements. That is where I see the wisdom of inserting that particular stipulation of up to 50 people, at the discretion of the Government, to deal with issues, even a simple thing like a sporting fixture. A number of years ago we had to try to get a hurling team to play a hurling match in London and we had to go through hoops to get the team to London because of this figure of 12. It impacts not just on operational matters but on social and sporting matters.

Mr. Colm Doyle: If you talk about figures, when we talk about a platoon it is the smallest military unit we normally have and consists of 34, 35 or 36. When we talk about a figure of 12 it has to be borne in mind that for those 12, a certain amount of back-up will be needed. What type of transport will be used? What security will be provided? Of the 12, only a fraction of those would be operational because the others would be in an administrative or support capacity. The figure of 50 is the figure that is reckoned. If we send a platoon some place the entire package has to be more than the strength of that platoon. It is reckoned that a platoon of 35 with a back-up of another to make up a total of 50 sounds very reasonable to me, as a soldier.

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