If being an unaligned country with a large army is no deterrent to Putin's ambitions is it time for ROI to join Nato?
We certainly need a bigger army ; in fact we should have become a people under arms generations ago.
We should have guns at home like in America.
This thread should be like shooting fish in a barrel for mods.
I dunno... I've met people abroad who were more aware of the Irish peacekeeping efforts than I was.
You'll have to make do with them Russians - collaborator
Incorrect.
There are pros and cons of being part of any military alliance. There are pros and cons of being non aligned.
People get too focused on the "why would x invade us", when really they should be asking "what happens IF". Realistically, the "why" doesn't matter.
People believe x will protect us because of x. Well, there are no guarantees. And why should they?our defence is our responsibility.
Being part of a military alliance is contentious for a lot of people. Mainly ones who never or would never put a uniform on if a time warranted it.
We are the militarily weak link in Europe. We are a strategic geographical location in western Europe. IF someone for whatever reason wanted to make a big boy point without suffering many consequences, Ireland could be the target.
We are soft, we are unprotected, we are not part of a military alliance who are obliged to come to our aid. We provide fcuk all for fcuk all, when the balloon goes up.
IF we we faced an external threat, it could be the case that other countries respond the way we do. In a limited fashion, not to offend their sensibilities or step on any toes. Heres some plasters, aren't we great lads, just play the game there boss.
Here's a few iodine tablets lads.
I would observe that a reputation for peacekeeping and a nominally capable military are not mutually exclusive concepts. Ireland routinely partners with Sweden or Finland to make joint battalions on UN missions, both are somewhat well equipped.
We should pay the army we have more, not increase its numbers unnecessarily.
As for arming every citizen, yes, let’s give guns to every nationalist nutter.
In principle, yes, I would favour joining NATO.
However, the practical details around equipping and upskilling the Defence Forces are such that I can't envisage it happening for a couple of decades and who knows whether it would be a good idea by then.
🤣
The Ukranians are accepting foreign volunteers.
Feel free.
Feel free to do what? Take my 50+ yo fat ass over to Ukraine to be a hinderance to their defence? LOL
Feel free to take up arms against the occupier - your enemy.. get off the armchair like
Germany is not occupying Poland and the UK has not been beaten to a pulp by the US fir occupying us. See the difference?
Nope.
An EU army led by the US?
You do a good impression of one though you have to admit
Rubbish.
I like teaching you history 😉
Try and deal with the issue and cut out the playing the man.
The issue is that the old rule the ancient Romans also applied still exists: If you want to avoid a war, you need to prepare for one.
I think Ireland should have an honest debate about NATO membership, not a historical debate on British oppression, 1916 and the Black and Tans.
Worked for John Wick.
Yeh, the difference is that went Vegetius said, that the Roman world, as he knew it, was in constant violent struggle. That was because it was an Empire that went around ravaging every country it could and during Vegetius' time the Romans were under continuous attack from her former conquests.
Ireland doesn't do that and has been a neutral country for a 100 years. We don't need to "prepare" for a war because were not in any real danger of being in one.
Well, next time out when a cyber-attack hits the nation and puts our public services on its knees, we can all pat ourselves on the back and say, "We are a neutral country".
What exactly would joining NATO do to stop something like that?
May act as a deterrent
May share technology
May share tools
May share intelligence
Regardless, the status quo of our defence is untenable. Something has to give.
Norway, Iceland, Denmark, Portugal are members of NATO, hardly war mongering nations....
It wouldn't do any of those things.
I'm all for investing in our defensive capabilities but joining NATO, or an EU army, can get to ****.
No, you are wrong on that.
We already share intel on DDOS prevention with other nations. Joining NATO wouldn't mean anything in that regard and it's a pretty poor reason to do so.
It's our own infrastructure that makes us vulnerable to a DDOS attack. Not our membership of NATO.
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