Defence Matters: Statements
Seanad Éireann — 2026-02-25
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Tom Clonan (IND), University of Dublin

Okay. We do not have a defence strategy published and therefore, in the context of this plan, will the Minister explain to the House why she is spending €600 million on armoured fighting vehicles to equip, I am assuming, mechanised infantry formations and mechanised armoured formations? What threat is that going to meet? What is the Minister's concept of that threat? Does she expect a land or ground invasion of similarly equipped mechanised infantry? If not, what is the purpose of that? Is it fit for purpose in the 21st century, based on all we have learned since Russia's invasion of Ukraine? Is that where we should be spending €600 million? I would be curious to know.
The Minister stated that it is "essential the Houses of the Oireachtas debates issues around the security and defence of the State". I agree with the Minister, but we cannot have an informed debate here if we have no parliamentary oversight of defence and security. We are the only country in the European Union and among our neighbours in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland that has no parliamentary oversight of defence and security. We are the only country in the EU where security is dealt with by the primary intelligence agency of the State, namely, An Garda Síochána. The Minister is not allowing the defence and national security committee to examine, oversee, discuss and interrogate Ireland's national defence and security by imposing extremely narrow parameters.
Does the Minister support expanding the scope of reference for the national defence and security committee because without that oversight and governance, we have no idea what is happening? I and other members of the committee have no idea, for example, why the Minister is spending €0.6 billion on armoured fighting vehicles. We have no idea why she signed a memorandum with the French or by what process that was negotiated and involving whom. We have no idea about so many things because we do not have a strategy. This is a community of decision-makers who over the last three decades have allowed our defence to go down onto its knees and have made poor decision after poor decision to the extent that we now have no defences – no credible or meaningful defences – in the maritime, ground, air or cyber domains. Does the Minister think it is acceptable that decision-makers across the Departments of the Taoiseach and Defence, the Defence Forces themselves, the Department of justice and An Garda Síochána should not be amenable to oversight, questioning and discussion from members of our committee and these Houses of the Oireachtas or should it remain opaque and unseen? We know in Ireland that when something lacks oversight or governance it always ends in tears. I have grave concerns about our national security and intelligence architecture and infrastructure because I see no evidence in any of the statements that there is an actual understanding of what the key challenges are that confront us both internally and externally. It is all very vague. To what end and to whose benefit are we going to spend €0.6 billion on armoured vehicles?
On the points the Minister made about the triple lock, she stated,“With regard to the triple lock provisions, it is time to face facts” and then said something that was not factual, namely, “The legislation currently in place allows ... members of the UN Security Council, by means of a veto or, indeed, threat of same, to bind this country's hands”. That is not the truth. The UN Security Council permanent members do not care whether we deploy or not. The reason we have the triple lock is that it was a sovereign decision of the people through these Houses of the Oireachtas, reinforced by sovereign commitments and statements made in Europe. It is a decision of the Irish people not to deploy without a UN Security Council mandate. It is not the decision of Russia, Trump, Putin or Xi Jinping. It was a decision of the Irish people. That is an inaccuracy and a false narrative that is being repeated over and over again. When the Minister says that I will not say she is misleading the House or the people-----

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2026-02-25/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:41+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-02-25