Sir, - My letter on the Defence Forces and Nice (July 24th) evoked interesting responses. Some writers made the point that since the £250 million being spent on buying new equipment for the Defence Forces was generated by the sale of Army property, it must, therefore, be spent on military hardware. I find this an extraordinary argument. It suggests that the Government as a whole has no say as to how such money should be used.
I see no reason why the Government shouldn't decide that money raised from the sale of Department of Defence property should be spent on improving our appalling health service, or on education, for example.
Another common thread in the responses was that the spending of this £250 million on military equipment was necessary for UN peacekeeping activities in the future. Jim Cusack, in his article of July 16th, informed readers that activities to be undertaken by Irish soldiers in their next UN mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea will consist of VIP transport, communications and security duties at UN headquarters. Such activities would hardly necessitate the spending of £250 million on new equipment.
Cusack went on to say that participation in the NATO-linked European Rapid Reaction Force (ERRF) had now become the main focus of Army training. This, I believe, is the nub of the issue, revealing that Ireland's military agenda is being set, not by our own needs, nor by the needs of the UN, but by the hierarchy of the ERRF and NATO.
It must be remembered that participation in the ERRF was a key issue in the Nice Treaty referendum, which was rejected by a significant majority of voters. The question is: will the Government adopt the same duplicitous attitude as it did in relation to membership of NATO's PfP, or will it respect the will of the people and suspend preparations for participation in the ERRF? As argued in Afri's position paper, Ireland is not a military power and should not aim to be.
We are better equipped to concentrate on the promotion of conflict resolution and preventive actions through bodies such as the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the UN. Irish diplomatic skills, as well as peacekeeping skills well honed by Irish soldiers, should be drawn upon for these purposes rather than a military prowess that can be attained only at considerable cost.
If we go down the ERRF/ NATO road, I have no doubt £250 million will be only the beginning of arms expenditure, given that this is an industry with an insatiable appetite, consuming massive resources in a world riven by poverty and hunger. - Yours, etc.,
Joe Murray, Afri, Lower Rathmines Road, Dublin 6.