Thread for Irish defence matters.
Plus the fact that being a EU member and neighbouring the U.K; in the extremely unlikely event the Republic of Ireland faced a external threat; it would receive external assistance.It being an island should make it easier.
Yes, which means others won't be very accepting of a situation of one sided support. At least not for long.Plus the fact that being a EU member and neighbouring the U.K; in the extremely unlikely event the Republic of Ireland faced a external threat; it would receive external assistance.
As I said, it's doublethink. "I'm in favour of Irish reunification but not the consequences of it". Northern Ireland has a £10 billion deficit in its public services, so Dublin would be obliged to pick up the tab because it's the central government. Making Northern Ireland cut £10 billion from its spending would cause extreme civil unrest.Also not sure not wanting to pay for Northern Ireland reunification is not really the same thing. I can see why people would want to reunify but not pay more tax.
Certainly I doubt they feel they're deficient. However, from my limited understanding I think the general public's view on defence - if they have any - is that the defence forces are only required to deal with terrorism and a limited amount of civil unrest. The idea of anyone rolling tanks into Ireland or firing missiles at it is unthinkable for most.my guess is they probably believe the defence forces are more capable or in a better place than they are
There might be more discussion over it, but I don't think there's any momentum to see real change. I think it would take something like loss of life to cause a real change, e.g. an Irish fishing boat being rammed and sunk by a Chinese or Russian ship.All it takes is one or two incidents for questions to be asked about whether Ireland is spending enough. Are the chances of an incident increasing?
Possibly not, but so long as the government papers over the cracks and refuses to increase borrowing/taxes they'll just have to make cuts.Also, Is there a question about whether they can afford their current force structure with the current budget?
Actually they are Lake Class I am going to disagree. It has been a mix up since the beginning... I remember seeing documents before they were built calling the Lake Class back then and even the names of them... replacing the old IPC's Lake Class with the newer IPV's Lake Class.@Mikeymike The RNZN IPV that the Irish looked at were two Protector Class IPV not Lake Class patrol boats. The Lake Class were British built patrol boats that were in service from 1974 - 1991. They weren't fit for service in NZ waters and were known as bone breakers. Yes I am aware that non NZ sources refer to the Protector IPV as Lake Class, but that they are not by NZDF.
Jeez didn't realise that. the documentation I had been using was the overall Protector project documents, so made the presumption that they were all Protector class. That'll teach me. Thanks for that.Actually they are Lake Class I am going to disagree. It has been a mix up since the beginning... I remember seeing documents before they were built calling the Lake Class back then and even the names of them... replacing the old IPC's Lake Class with the newer IPV's Lake Class.
HMNZS Canterbury is a Protector-fleet amphibious and military sealift vessel.
HMNZS Otago & Wellington Protector Class OPV's
But the IPV's have always been "Lake Class" from the very beginning. Every one else started calling them "Rotoiti Class" the "Protector Class" when the RNZN and NZDF called them Lake Class...
On the Navy Website they are called "Lake Class" (and was "Lake Class" on their old website as well) Pretty sure they know what the class their vessels are.
Just sayin ;-)
Governments like the Republic of Ireland's, which have not faced any significant external threats for an extended period of time, will struggle to convince their electors of the need for defence spending when the electors have more immediate and pressing interests (such as health, education, employment etc). The first call on any increase in the Irish defence budget will be to cover an improvement in pay and conditions which currently are causing manpower issues.Will be interesting to see what ends up happening as it seems clear there are capability gaps as shown by the inability to monitor the Russian exercise and UK covering the air QRA requirement. Government may decide they are happy with the status quo but there seems to be signs that may not be the case as the strategic situation looks to be going in the wrong direction.
Agree. Something for @StingrayOZ to put on his to do list.Governments like the Republic of Ireland's, which have not faced any significant external threats for an extended period of time, will struggle to convince their electors of the need for defence spending when the electors have more immediate and pressing interests (such as health, education, employment etc). The first call on any increase in the Irish defence budget will be to cover an improvement in pay and conditions which currently are causing manpower issues.
Mods - should this thread be merged with the existing Irish Defence Forces thread?
The Minister concluded by saying “Given the significant recommendations contained in the Report, a process to allow for detailed consideration of the recommendations will now commence. This will involve significant inter-departmental consultation. I also intend to seek the views of key stakeholders. Following that engagement I intend to return to Government with a proposed response to the Commission’s recommendations and a high-level action plan. I anticipate that this process will take at least four months.”