Any attempt by the Government to further "downsize" the Air Corps would be a false economy and a breach of its commitments on defence, Labour leader Pat Rabbitte said today.
He was addressing the annual meeting of the Air Corps section of the defence representatives' association PDFORRA in Baldonnell this morning.
Mr Rabbitte said that following the cancellation of the Government's planned order for five medium lift helicopters, any further cuts would also be in "clear breach" of White Paper on Defence published in 2000.
He said he thought it fair to say the Air Corps was de factothe junior service in the Defence Forces and most likely always would be.
"Now obviously we have to be concerned with value for money in respect of public expenditure. However, 'downsizing' the Air Corps - if such a move is in contemplation - to my mind would be a false economy. It also would be a departure from and a breach of the White Paper," he said.
Mr Rabbitte said there was a certain "minimum scale of operating capacity" below which an organisation such as the Air Corps could not be shrunk without undermining it entirely.
Shrinking the Air Corps or reducing its internal engineering and maintenance capacity could "seriously damage the organisation as a separate body", he said.
Criticising the Taoiseach's economic policy, Mr Rabbitte said Mr Ahern's thinking was precisely the sort that had led to the "casting aside" of defence commitments in the White Paper.
Mr Rabbitte also said that work on a new Defence Forces' Strategy Statement for 2003-2005 appeared to be running behind schedule.