Need for army, navy or airforce?
Dear Editor, Much huffing and puffing and opinion shots across the bow have recently taken place in the print media regarding Russian naval exercises and the soon to be published ‘Defence Forces Commission’ report.
The make up of the ‘Defence Forces Commission’ is flawed. Foreign agents should have no place on neutral Ireland’s ‘Defence Forces Commission’. Of the fifteen commission members, selected by the Government, two-thirds are pro EU ex-military men and officials in favour of expanding military spending, people that benefit from enhanced career opportunities, have self interest in remuneration, careers, promotions, salaries, pensions and medals, resulting from an enlarged military budget allocation. The list of members does not represent the citizens of Ireland in a balanced way. Was the setting up of the commission and inviting public consultations a covert exercise designed to rubber-stamp the Government’s pro-EU/Pesco/ UN/NATO militarisation expansion agenda?
Does the Republic of Ireland need an army, navy or airforce? Certainly, Ireland does not need military institutions copied from a country ruling an empire in another era. Instead of an army, wouldn’t it make more sense to have a cost-effective National Guard, the majority of participants holding full-time civilian jobs whose purpose would be to back up the civil authorities and perform humanitarian assistance in a national crisis? No need exists to have a €71,000,000 warship armed with a 76mm gun 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.
Instead of a Navy, Ireland should have a fitfor-purpose Coast Guard Service, having small fast boats to prevent smuggling and for the protection of Irish fishing and coastal subterranean natural resources. Does it make any sense for Ireland to have fighter aircraft to ‘ shadow’ Russian bombers with Irish pilots, before returning to base, exchanging friendly waves with Russian pilots?
A reason given for the establishment of the European Economic Community was to prevent European nations from going to war. European countries are still at it, not killing each other, but with ever-increasing military capability, unleashing deadly weaponry on North Africans, Iraqis and Afghanistans.
In the past, lies have been told to justify unjust invasions and attacks. Remember Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction and the protection of civilians in Libya? Ireland should have no truck with the likes of those escapades. Sovereign Ireland should re-establish its neutral independence, take back its fisheries and natural resources, get well away from European ever-increasing militarization.
If the promoters of unsustainable military weaponry spending get their way, there will be no end to grandiose military procurements; an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile System pointing nuclear warheads at imaginary enemies across the globe, a submarine fleet patrolling the oceans and, like Thailand, a plane-less aircraft carrier on the inventory?
Joe Terry,
Blarney, Co Cork.