Ireland's Inability to Defend Itself

Post by Animats » Sat, Dec 06, 2025, 9:27 PM UTC

TulliusCicero wrote: post #4

jmclnx wrote: post #2

My first thought was "defend itself from what ?", but in this new ages of drones, I guess it could be an issue. IIRC, doesn't Ireland pay the UK for some type of defense ?

> defend itself from what ?" The article addresses this unfortunate attitude: the whole premise of your question is, "well they'd have to go through these other countries first, so not our problem". It's a bit like if Kansas refused to pay anything towards the defense budget because any hostile powers would have to go through all those other states first. But, as the article also notes, air and sea power are things.…

Post by dralley » Sat, Dec 06, 2025, 9:28 PM UTC

reorder9695 wrote: post #14

osiris970 wrote: post #5

Ireland having 0 military capabilities, and being completely dependent on NATO, while being extremely opinionated, on how and what NATO does, always irked me deeply.

Ireland doesn't have 0 military capabilities, they have enough of a military to conduct peacekeeping missions elsewhere, which they don't need to do. They just don't have the ability to defend an invasion, but they do certainly have a military that does good in the world.

Post by Spooky23 » Sat, Dec 06, 2025, 9:28 PM UTC

TulliusCicero wrote: post #4

jmclnx wrote: post #2

My first thought was "defend itself from what ?", but in this new ages of drones, I guess it could be an issue. IIRC, doesn't Ireland pay the UK for some type of defense ?

> defend itself from what ?" The article addresses this unfortunate attitude: the whole premise of your question is, "well they'd have to go through these other countries first, so not our problem". It's a bit like if Kansas refused to pay anything towards the defense budget because any hostile powers would have to go through all those other states first. But, as the article also notes, air and sea power are things.…

Post by AlexandrB » Sat, Dec 06, 2025, 9:30 PM UTC

_dain_ wrote: post #12

sonofhans wrote: post #9

You know, there’s something to be said for Ireland’s attitude. The other islands (ha!) and the continent have treated them as second-class chattel for centuries, while competing amongst themselves for global hegemony. Better to stay out of that game and sort their own business, many of them think.

>Better to stay out of that game The Russians are making incursions into Irish waters and airspace, it's just a brute fact. So either they play the game, or Britain plays it for them. They don't get to sit aloof above it all, that's not how reality works. They are a protectorate in all but name, it's disgraceful.

Post by osiris970 » Sat, Dec 06, 2025, 9:33 PM UTC

dralley wrote: post #23

reorder9695 wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ireland doesn't have 0 military capabilities, they have enough of a military to conduct peacekeeping missions elsewhere, which they don't need to do. They just don't have the ability to defend an invasion, but they do certainly have a military that does good in the world.

Their "peacekeeping" missions are somewhere between utterly impotent / useless and actively counterproductive. Playing dumb and doing nothing while Hezbollah uses you as cover to launch missiles over the border from a couple hundred meters away is not keeping the peace.