Ireland defences ‘not good enough for UK’
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BRITAIN has been urged to increase its military presence in the North because of the Republic’s lack of proper defence.
A report by an influential think tank accuses Ireland of freeloading on other country’s defence capabilities .
It calls for Royal Navy ships and RAF aircraft to be sent to Northern Ireland because of the increased threat from Russian activity off the north west coast of the two jurisdictions.
It says: “The combination of Republic of Ireland’s flimsy security and intelligence apparatus, unwillingness to acknowledge these threats and soft border with Northern Ireland poses a grave back-door security risk to the UK.”
The report by the London-based Policy Exchange think tank says the area off the coast of the Republic and
Northern Ireland is becoming increasingly important and Ireland is not doing enough to protect it.
It continues: “The Republic plays very little part in European defence cooperation.
“Its forces, especially maritime, need rapid strengthening to be capable of defending against today’s threats. The UK should certainly encourage this.
“But the current threats to our own security are growing and urgent.
“What the [British] government should do immediately is to rediscover the vital strategic importance of Northern Ireland and fortify this weak spot in our own security.”
And it adds: “The unavoidable fact is that the Republic of Ireland grounded its security upon the transatlantic-european economic and security order, whilst freeloading off the significant investment of others in protecting it, absent any Irish desire to play a constructive part in
the broader Atlantic security system.”
Ireland has come under increasing pressure internationally about our defence capabilities, with outgoing Taoiseach Leo Varadkar recently being grilled about it at an EU meeting.
We have no combat jets to protect our skies and we now only have the capability to put one Naval Service vessel out to seat at a time because of staff shortages.
We also rely on a secret deal with the RAF to send combat jets to help us in an emergency.
Policy Exchange now says Ireland’s porous defences are a direct threat to UK security.
The report added: “The Republic of Ireland’s avowed neutrality, chronically insufficient Defence Forces, and porous security state render it an unreliable strategic ally.”
The Department of Defence has been contacted for comment.