Report claims Defence Forces Admit ”They Cannot Meaningfully Defend Ireland”

Did anybody really think the Defence Forces actually had the capability to meaningfully defend Ireland?

The cost needed to develop our military to the point that it could meaningfully defend Ireland would be staggeringly astronomical.

I can see the need for radar to see what's going on in our territories, and more ships to patrol our waters, but in reality, any force that makes the decision to attack/invade Ireland, in light of our membership of the EU, and relationships with the USA and UK, would likely have the power to wipe us out...in which case surely they have bigger fish to fry.

"What's the point..."

As I said in another thread, disband the Defence Forces so.

Give the ships and airplanes to the coast guard, Civil Defence can help out with things like flood relief and the Rangers can be part of the anti-terrorist response in the Gardai.....

Sure we had to sponge rides for our citizens out of Afghanistan too. Another embarrassment as Coveney had to go begging others. The usual. Couldn't even send one aircraft like every other country because we don't have a single heavy lift.

Never mind the fact it would have helped Irish citizens in Afghanistan, Libya and elsewhere it's also just degrading to go about our business sponging like that.

There is no practical, moral or reputational benefit with other countries when you can't be arsed doing the bare minimum.

And then we turn up looking for help...

Apparently, it's grand!

Normally neutral countries have a good military because they don't have an alliance with anyone, so they can be truly neutral.

We are neutral in the sense that we don't want to spend anything on the military and sponge of the security NATO, the French and the UK provide us.....

So, if people were genuinely worried about our neutrality and want us to maintain it, then we should be spending more..... but tbh, we are codding ourselves. A part-time nation.

It’s acceptable in my book. We didn’t have anything to transport citizens home from Afghanistan is big fcuking deal territory for me. The English or some other country will do it for us and we’ll pay them. Better than purchasing the structures to do it ourselves and only needing them once in a blue moon.

Ireland has no army really, not in the normal sense of why countries have armies. That’s fine with me.

No expert but they do seem to be ringing some more/louder alarm bells that they can't do their job properly as it is, and will reach a point where that will become (even more) the case in a few years if nothing changes at all. Will be interesting to see if it is listened to/what happens.

By "job", I don't think they mean defending Ireland from a theorectical invasion by global powers who are armed to the teeth with all sorts and have military manpower on scale of our whole population (as discussed over course of edit: the other thread on the Russian exercises!), or the Aliens out of Independence Day!

It does seem be more down to earth and prosaic than that.

Nephew was in the DF. He left after basic training as he tried and failed to get on any training courses. Placed just weren't available and he got sick of just sitting around the barracks

So we should just disband the defence forces so and stop trying to pass ours off as one so. At least we should be honest about it.

Neutral countries invaded in WWII: Denmark, Latvia, Lithuania and San Marino.

This country can be used as a base to attack/control Britain.

Ah in fairness there were some posters on this forum stating that we should have invaded the North in the 1960's..... Walter Mitty types on crack!

Wouldn't have to be about some material gain for an aggressor.

Attacking even briefly targeting key infrastructure would lead to a huge crisis on the EU and UK's door that they'd have deal with.

"some unknown attacker"

Russia have now shown us - specifically *us*, the Irish in Ireland - that if a world war breaks out they - the Russians - can hop over and invade if they want to.

No wish on my part to offend anyone but it is obvious that in a world war the danger comes from Russia and China who will fight the Western countries (all of them, I'm guessing, which means us also).

Yes there will never be the appetite or the budget to pay to defend the country but that doesn't mean we won't ever be attacked or invaded by anyone.

Name changes are a form of disorientating corporate restructuring achieving nothing except perhaps demoralisation from the breaking down of traditions.

I'm not sure we have to spend that much in fairness. Even a few bits and pieces could go a long way and certainly would not be 20 billion.

One heavy lift transporter is about 20 million for example.

The UK have a nuclear deterrent which is Trident, which is hugely expensive. Ireland wont and does not need that.

Apples and Oranges.

Along with aircraft carriers and f35 jets ,

Maybe some sonar and radar capability as well, as we have none.

To be honest, your list is not all that much, but looks a lot because we are almost starting at zero.

'Diplomacy is our best defence anyway.'

Yeah and laughter is the best medicine so we don't need any penicillin.

I dont blame him on leaving, heard the pay is terrible, morale is low, only 1 ship on patrol due to staff shortages in the Navy.

Same in the Air corps, not sure what they do all day, one or two helicopters and some turbo prop pp9;s. Its embarrassing.

No military radar in Ireland and we have to ask RAF to assist when Russian Bear TU-95 are flying off our west and north coast.

Defence capabilities != ability to successfully repel any potential invasion

It's about having enough of a defence capability to act as deterrent - if the losses they would incur would make it not worth doing even if they won, then you have a good defence capability. Currently any potential aggressor could walk the country with little to no resistance, a joke

why do we need any of that?

Disband it at this stage.