Page 28 - Signal Winter 2019

| JOHN LEECH |
A Tradition and A Future
SIGNAL talks to Lt Cdr (Ret’d) John Leech about his career within the Naval Service, his subsequent work with the Water Safety Ireland and what his views are on the current challenges facing the naval service.
I joined the Cadet School in 1979, following some time in the FCA, and shortly afterwards was sent to Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth to be trained as a Midshipman. I spent almost two years training with the Royal Navy, with excellent experiences.
I spent over fourteen years of my 21 year Naval Career at sea and in charge of the Naval Diving Section, serving as Gunnery Officer, Navigator, Training Officer, Executive Officer I was fortunate and honoured to Command both L.E. Aisling and L.E. Orla. Whilst ashore I served as Harbour Master at the Naval Base. Highlights or memories not easily forgotten were the sinking of the “Sonia” off the south east coast, believed to have been carrying weapons and/or drugs, the arrest of the Gun runners on the Fish Vessel “Marita Ann”. Rescue and recovery of the Japanese fishing vessel Taisei Maru, 240 miles off the west coast.
Following my retirement, I was fortunate to serve on the first line reserve at sea every year until the Government stopped it in 2009. My service at sea as a Watchkeeper and training officer on the First Line Reserve allowed other officers time off patrol ashore with their families. Every properly functioning Defence Force (DF) in the world has an operational First Line Reserve and I certainly would be an advocate for its continuation and thankfully it has been reinstated, however age catches up with you and rules out opportunities!
What is your current role and how do you look back on your military career?
On completion of my Naval Career I took up the appointment as CEO of Water Safety Ireland (formerly Irish Water Safety). It is the Statutory Body established to promote water safety and drowning prevention. I have been in this appointment for almost 19 years. When I joined the average drowning each year was 150, it is now 124 with a lot of progress yet still to be made.
I was most fortunate to have had an interesting and challenging career which equipped me with a broad range of skills and experiences easily transferable to my current appointment and very useful in terms of managing a National Organisation with over 5,000 members.
I look back on my military career with great pride, fondness and 28 | | WINTER ‘19 |
gratitude to the people who instructed and mentored me. As they say ”It was the making of him”. I am very proud of our current personnel who have completed some excellent operations since I retired both in home waters and in the Mediterranean.
What are some of the greatest skills that a career in the military provided you with?
A positive and confident attitude where everything is possible and all realistic goals achievable. A career in the military is about being responsible, listening, understanding, planning & preparation, problem solving, clear communication skills, judgement, decisiveness, delegation, interpersonal skills, a strong work ethic and flexibility in all aspects of management, particularly attitude. This makes change management more achievable.
What is your perception of the current state of the Naval Service in terms of operational effectiveness and being fit for purpose?
The Naval Service is the States principal seagoing agency with responsibility to meet contingent and actual maritime security, safety and defence requirements. There is little doubt that the whole maritime sector has changed (for the better) since I retired. That in itself has put added pressure on the Navy.
I feel that it was a retrograde step that Government took to remove the Minister for Defence from the Cabinet and run with a Minister for State at the Department of Defence. It appears to me that our Defence Forces generally have suffered since then and demised over the years.
In addition not having a fair and proper voice at the negotiating table in terms of the welfare of our soldiers, sailors and airmen has left them behind other public and civil servants who could strike, or threaten strike or be infected with various forms of flu. Most important of all, they could negotiate. RACO & PDFORRA do a very good job representing their members, but representation is totally different from negotiation. A Conciliation and Arbitration Scheme is too limiting in its scope and hence why our Defence Forces have suffered over the years, where other public and civil servants through negotiation gained much more for their members.
Our waters extend far beyond our coastline, an area more than ten times our land mass, we are limited in terms of development on our land mass, but we have extensive opportunities to develop our waters in terms of offshore renewable energy to help arrest climate change, there are opportunities for development in aquaculture, carbon capture and storage, tourism and energy transmission. If these are to prosper then they need to be monitored and policed.
I congratulate the Government in drafting up a National Marine Planning Framework, it is a sign that we are maturing as a nation to the realisation that we are an island with enormous ocean wealth potential off our coastline. Anybody with an interest in the development of our waters should make a submission to msp@ housing.gov.ie by the 28th of February 2020. The more views,