Ireland needs own defence sector, says Andrews

Speaking ahead of a launch event in Dublin for a new paper on the Future of Irish Defence, Barry Andrews MEP has called on the government to boost the Irish SME defence sector:

In response to Russian aggression, defence spending in Europe is booming; this should be a huge opportunity for Irish SMEs working on dual-use military technologies and equipment who could partner with other European defence firms and tender for these valuable public contracts,” Andrews said.

“However, our defence SME sector is lagging far behind mainly because of a historical lack of government investment and support. Despite being one of the richest countries in Europe, we still have the worse levels of defence spending.

“Chronic under-investment has resulted, in some areas, in non-existent defence capability. We need basic capabilities to uphold our sovereign rights and enforce our laws within our own jurisdiction on land, sea, in the air and online. This should not be controversial. It is simply a basic requirement of any modern democracy.

The Fianna Fáil MEP said “as an island nation, critical sea-bed infrastructure, like gas pipelines, electricity interconnectors and fibre-optic data cables, are essential for our energy and economic well being. Yet the Irish Naval Service is completely under-resourced.”

“The lack of anti-drone technology is of particular concern. Unchallenged drone incursions into our airspace highlight the mismatch between the threat posed and our military capacity to counter it.”

“Defence spending to protect ourselves is essential to support our traditional policy of non-military alliance neutrality,” he said.