The decision by Finland and Sweden to join Nato in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine may leave Ireland more isolated within the EU on the issue of military neutrality, officials at the Department of Defence have warned
In a departmental briefing prepared for incoming Minister for Defence Simon Harris, which has just been made public, the officials suggest the Ukraine war, the proximity of several member states to it and growing uncertainty regarding the scale of the commitment of the United States to the defence of Europe may harden attitudes within the bloc.
“Hitherto this, Ireland’s position, and those of other militarily neutral states, has been accepted. However, the changing geopolitical climate, the accession of the previously militarily neutral states of Finland and Sweden into Nato, and the resulting increased focus on defence industry and wider defence matters will likely result in a lower tolerance or understanding of this position into the future,” the briefing says.
“The US’s strategic pivot towards Asia, as indicated by the 2018 National Defence Strategy and the Biden administration’s priorities, allied to concerns around the incoming US president’s commitment to Nato, suggests potential limitations in US support for European defence, reinforcing the need for an autonomous and cohesive European defence approach, as regularly voiced by France, which has regularly pushed for the EU to be strategically autonomous in the area of defence over the last number of years.”
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Finland officially joined Nato in 2023 after receiving unanimous approval from the member states, as is required to join the alliance. Sweden became a member in March 2023.
“Ireland is due to take the presidency of the Council of the European Union in the second half of 2026. Planning and initial policy development has commenced centrally and sectorally, and in the defence sector, this will require a delicate and nuanced approach,” the officials say.
The document outlines some of the measures taken in support of Ukraine in its war against Russia including the training of personnel along with the provision of some 10 tonnes of ready-to-eat meals, 200 units of body armour and military equipment including 30 military vehicles and mine flails, which are vehicle-mounted devices intended to detonate explosive devices to help establish safe routes through mine fields.
It says arrangements are currently being finalised to donate a number of specialist bomb disposal robots while the feasibility of donating various other equipment including an existing air defence radar system is being assessed. Then minister for defence Micheál Martin indicated late last year the purchase of a new air defence system was being explored.
In the briefing for Mr Harris, the department says new ways of supporting Ukraine are being looked at but suggests delivering on the value of Ireland’s €400m commitment to the European Peace Facility, a fund which has been extensively used to support the country’s war effort, has proven difficult because of Ireland’s policy of not supplying lethal aid.
“In line with the previous Programme for Government, all of Ireland’s EPF contributions to date have been directed solely towards non-lethal assistance, though it has proven challenging to spend the commitments in this regard given the overwhelming need of Ukraine for defensive aid of a lethal nature,” it says.
The document notes the Department of Justice has committed to establishing a National Security Authority tasked with creating a plan for the development of a statutory system of personnel and facilities security clearance, the absence of which, the officials say, has been putting Irish tech firms active in the defence sector “at a disadvantage”.
The issue was previously raised by the IDA with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.
In the Department of Defence briefing, officials say the “absence of this statutory system has also created a difficulty for Irish enterprises accessing European Defence Fund (EDF) funding opportunities”.
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