The attacks and machinations against Irish neutrality by the coalition government, arms companies, security think tanks and the military establishment continue to gather momentum. Barely a day passes that there is not another attack and attempt to undermine neutrality—newspaper articles, discussion on radio and television spreading rumours of imminent threat from Russia and China to the Irish people.
At the end of February, the Minister for Defence Helen McEntee launched the government’s Maritime Security Strategy (MSS), a five-year National Maritime Strategy to give the Irish Naval Service new powers. It will be pushed through the Dáil and enacted as a priority by this summer recess and before the commencement of Ireland’s presidency of the European Union.
The MSS is the first of two major documents to be presented and adopted as part of the government’s broader National Security Strategy, being driven by the Department of the Taoiseach and shaped by the needs and strategy of the EU/NATO.
Under the pretext of “defending sovereignty,” the new bill will specifically empower the Naval Service to safeguard and protect Ireland’s sovereign rights in Irish territorial waters and the 420,000km² Exclusive Economic Zone that stretches far out into the Atlantic.
One of the key objectives of the MSS, as outlined by the Minister for Defence, is that Ireland will have to cooperate with regional countries, with specific emphasis on cooperation with the British and French—both members of NATO, both nuclear powers. The Minister outlined that this new initiative includes exploring the opportunity for Ireland to host or partner in a regional cable monitoring hub for the EU in the North Atlantic. The Minister also stated that there would be greater cooperation with international institutions—not yet specified, but it is clear the government means NATO. The UN does not have a navy; only NATO has an aggressive naval capacity.
Irish defence spending has reached record levels in 2026, with €1.5 billion allocated, which represents an 11% increase over 2025 and a 35% increase since 2022, with plans to increase it to €1.7 billion by 2030. This coalition is one of the most openly pro-imperialist governments and is determined to shed all aspects of neutrality since the foundation of the state.
The government also announced that it was going to spend up to €1 billion to purchase hundreds of armoured vehicles from French arms companies Thales and KNDS—to defend us from the carefully constructed myth of a land invasion. But rather, this further spending serves to align with EU/NATO military strategy of enhanced cooperation.
Who is going to mount a land invasion of Ireland? Are we not being told something? Not an ounce of evidence has been produced to back up the claims that the Irish people are under threat from China or Russia or any other country. It is all part of the psychological pressure upon the people to agree to a massive increase in government spending and growing militarisation and co-operation with the EU and align ourselves with NATO. They continuously push the false claim that the undersea cables are under threat from the “Russians.”
One has to ask: where does our responsibility to protect these cables begin and end? Does it begin in Irish waters and end off the coast of North America? Does it end in the middle of the Atlantic? If it does, who will protect the rest of the cables? It is simply not possible to protect every inch of the cables. Most cable breaks are the result of accidents, with cables being caught up in fishing nets—most of which come from our “partners” in the EU.
In addition, they will be advocating greater cooperation with neighbouring states and “international partners,” including Britain and France, and enhanced engagement with the EU and NATO.
The growing spending on the military and greater military cooperation and integration with the EU will only grow over the years. Experience shows across the capitalist world that increased military spending comes at the expense of social spending like health, housing, education and building sustainable community development.
We need to continue to build the forces to push the government back. To defend the Triple Lock. The Irish ruling class—political, economic, military and the upper echelons of the state—are committed to ending neutrality and emasculating this state within EU/NATO military strategies.
