Our military needs should be seriously reassessed as there is no threat of war

SIR,

The Republic of Ireland (ROI) does not need an Army, Navy or an Air Corps. For a century the country has had no foreign enemies to protect against nor has it had any intention of attacking other countries. There is no reason to expect that situation to change except when neutrality is relinquished by being tricked into participating in an EU army.

By partaking in any way with the imperialist EU military, there is a high risk of acquiring enemies. The ROI should conduct a serious assessment of military institutions of the State, cloned from an empire from another era.

No need exists for the ROI to have a €71,000,000 warship armed with a 76mm guns picking up refugees in the Mediterranean when the LÉ Aisling sold for €110,000 including €16,000 of fuel onboard would satisfy the humanitarian need.

A reason given for the establishment of the European Economic Community was to prevent European nations from going to war. Europeans are still at it, not killing each other, but with ever-increasing military capability unleashing deadly weaponry on North Africans, Iraqis and Afghanistan’s.

Lies have been told to justify unjust invasions and attacks. Remember Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction? The protection of civilians in Libya?

The ROI does not need an Air Corps burning expensive aviation fuel shooting spectacular aerial photo snaps to be published in journals. Instead of an Army, the ROI needs a cost-effective National Guard, the majority of participants holding full-time civilian jobs whose purpose would be to back up the Civil Guards and perform humanitarian assistance in a national crisis.

Instead of the present Navy Service, there should be a fit-for-purpose Coast Guard Service with small fast boats to prevent smuggling and for the protection of Irish fishing and coastal subterranean natural resources.

A national priority is that the ROI should re-establish its neutral independence, take back its fisheries and natural resources. The ROI should exit the European Union, get well away from its ever-increasing imperial militarization.

The ROI should work towards disengaging from the EU, the Euro currency, PESCO, United Nations (Superpower’s ‘battering ram’) and the demilitarization of Shannon Airport.

The increase to two per cent (six billion euros) of GNP towards military spending promised by Taoiseach Varadkar to the EU and his declaration to contribute more when Britain leaves the EU would be better spent in solving the problems within the health service and national housing crises.

If the promoters of expanding the Irish military get their way (those advocating increasing numbers of personnel, promotions and pensions, of military hardware and service medals), there will be no end to achieving grandiose ambitions, an Irish Intercontinental Ballistic Missile System pointing nuclear warheads at imaginary enemies across the globe, an Irish submarine fleet patrolling the Indian Ocean, and like Thailand, a plane-less aircraft carrier on the inventory?

Sincerely,

Joe Terry

Blarney,

Cork