Defence Forces
Dail Éireann — 2026-06-09
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Martin Daly (FF), Roscommon-Galway

I welcome the investment in our defence capability. It has grown by 35% in the past three years and by 11% in the past year. We need to continue to invest to meet our international obligations but also to meet our own obligation as a sovereign nation and to protect our borders and the seas that surround this island. It is extremely important that we be strategic as a small country in the investment we make. It is true that we have lagged behind other countries of similar size in Europe, possibly through complacency because of our position on the edge of Europe, but that has changed now. I welcome the investment but I also hope that full consideration will be given to an Army headquarters in Athlone, which is at the centre of the country, geographically strategically located, with all the services that a headquarters would require.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-06-09/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-14T01:01:05+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-06-09