Seanad Statement by the Minister for Defence, Helen McEntee TD

25 February 2026

I want to thank you for giving me this timely opportunity to update the Seanad on my priorities as Minister for Defence and to listen to the views of the Senators.

I believe that we need to have an honest debate in this country about defence and security and the role that Óglaigh na hÉireann will play in that regard.

That debate can, and indeed should, take place in various fora, but it is essential that the Houses of the Oireachtas debates issues around the security and defence of the State.

As Minister for Defence, I am determined to drive forward an ambitious agenda to continue the transformation of the Defence Forces into a modern, fit-for-purpose organisation capable of defending the State and its people.

In the last few weeks, I participated in a meeting of EU Defence Ministers and I attended the Munich Security Conference. It is clear from my engagement with my EU and international colleagues, that we share the same concerns about the complex security environment in Europe, not least because of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, but importantly, we also share the ambition for Europe to step up its investment in defence and security

Both of these engagements reaffirmed my belief that Ireland needs to be ambitious in delivering the necessary capability, infrastructure and personnel to meet the security challenges, not only of today, but also of the future.

I and the Government are fully committed to strengthening Ireland’s defence by increasing investment with a view to achieving a significantly enhanced capability by 2028 and, thereafter, moving as quickly as possible to develop defence capabilities that would match those of other small Western European countries.

Nobody doubts that the Defence Forces need greater investment, which is precisely why the Government is investing record funding, with €1.7 billion from the National Development Plan between now and 2030.

And we will continue to increase our investment in the Defence Forces, but I want to take this opportunity to highlight what we are doing.

In the period 2022-2026, the funding allocation for defence increased by €338 million (40 per cent) - from €836 million in 2022 to €1.17 billion in 2026. These funding increases have been delivered across Pay, Current Non-Pay and Capital spending categories.

Since 2022,

• The Capital funding allocation has increased by €159 million (113 per cent) to €300 million in 2026;
• The Current (Non-Pay) funding allocation has increased by €127 million (84 per cent) to almost €277 million in 2026;
• The Current (Pay) funding allocation has increased by €52 million (10 per cent) to almost €598 million in 2026.

However, as you all know, it is not just about funding. It is essential that we continue to reform the structures and culture of the Defence Forces and invest in members of the Defence Forces.

I recently announced the publication of the Strategic Framework 2026 and the Updated Detailed Implementation Plan for the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces which reflect my key priorities for Defence.

To realise this ambition, my key priorities as Minister are;

• Advancing an ambitious legislative programme including a Bill to remove the existing requirement regarding the Triple Lock and a further Bill aimed at strengthening governance arrangements and supporting workforce reform through amending high-level structures within the Defence Forces;
• Continuing to drive the implementation of reform and transformation in our Defence Forces, particularly with respect to culture change;
• Supporting Defence Forces personnel;
• Ensuring investment translates into real capability, with a focus on the greater use of new technology; and
• Progressing an ambitious policy agenda including the implementation of the Maritime Security Strategy and initiating a further Defence Policy Review.

I want to use this opportunity to address a number of these key priorities for me this afternoon.

As Minister for Defence, one of my driving forces is to deliver meaningful cultural change in the Defence Forces.

Transformative change in the Defence Forces’ involves structures, culture, capability and people management. To achieve this, it is necessary to institute reforms spanning primary legislation, capability development, HR and culture.

We are putting in place a number of crucial HR initiatives, which will bolster the progress that has already been made in this area.

Particular emphasis will be placed on enhanced career and talent management policies and practices, as well as revised access to promotion opportunities, a civilisation strategy and a Work Force Plan.

Recruitment and retention initiatives are a driving force for the success of all transformation efforts.

Improvements in recruitment policies and processes are beginning to bear fruit, with personnel numbers starting to grow again and interest in a career in the Defence Forces strengthening year on year.

My priority is to sustain this increase in recruitment, strengthen retention and support long-term career development for the women and men of our Defence Forces.

A key part of my priority to enhance the capabilities of the Defence Forces is the Military Radar Programme and good progress is being made. As an island nation we must be ambitious in terms of our air defence capabilities.

This programme will include three elements

• Land based Long Range Primary Radar;
• Ground Based Air Defence (GBAD) systems, to include a Counter-Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) capability; and
• Maritime (ship-borne) Radar.

When fully delivered, the Recognised Air Picture will incorporate this suite of military radar systems which will have the capability to detect all aircraft traversing our airspace.

Full delivery of the Programme will be complex; roll out will commence this year and has been prioritised with a target delivery date of 2028.

Elements will be rolled out in phases, including the delivery of counter-drone technology in Q2 this year.

Another key priority for me is the Defence (Amendment) Bill, which aims at revising how we deploy our Defence Forces overseas is continuing and I expect to bring the Bill to Cabinet for approval as soon as possible following the conclusion of the drafting process, and to subsequently progress it through the Oireachtas.

That Bill will also make amendments to the Defence Acts to provide for the suspension, in certain circumstances, of a member of the Defence Forces, as well as associated matters.

With regard to the triple lock provisions, it’s time to face facts - the legislation currently in place allows members of the UN Security Council, by means of a veto or indeed threat of same, to bind this country's hands in its international peacekeeping engagement.

Recent vetoes by a UN Security Council member on a proposed resolution for a full and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza last June and September, as well as the challenges evidenced last summer with regard to the extension of the UNIFIL peacekeeping in southern Lebanon, are ample evidence of this.

With regard to the latter particularly, in the event that the UNIFIL mandate was not extended, Ireland would have been in the position of having to plan to withdraw its Defence Forces personnel from UNIFIL immediately following the expiration of the mandate.

The extension of the UNIFIL mandate until the end of this year permits the continued deployment of Defence Forces personnel to the Mission, however, they must be withdrawn from then.

Both I and Government believe therefore that it is untenable to continue with this policy. Any considerations on international peacekeeping engagement should be within Ireland's exclusive sovereign control and decision-making on this should be purely within the remit of our Government and our Oireachtas.

I want to make it absolutely clear that the Government has no desire to alter our policy of military neutrality. The amendments proposed will do nothing to change Ireland's traditional position of military neutrality, which has always been characterised by Ireland's non-participation in military alliances.

Our engagement overseas will continue to be firmly grounded in the principles of the UN Charter and international law and will, of course, require the consent of the democratically elected representatives of the people of Ireland.

The National Maritime Security Strategy, published this morning, is a significant initiative, the first time for this strategy in the State.

In the context of a challenging geopolitical landscape and given the considerable threats and risks currently faced by the country, the Strategy concentrates on securing the maritime domain from threats related to national security and defence.

This Strategy and accompanying Action Plan provides a roadmap over the next five years to safeguard Ireland’s sovereign maritime interests, ensure safe and secure seas and support international legal order in the maritime domain.

My immediate ambition is on implementation and action, moving to deliver a new, whole-of-government approach to protect the security of our maritime domain, along with developing the concept of a national maritime security centre.

A particularly important aspect of the Strategy is to ensure that Ireland cooperates with regional partners and international institutions. This will include cooperating closely with our near neighbours on new initiatives and exploring the opportunity for Ireland to host or partner in a regional cable monitoring hub for the EU in the North Atlantic.

From all of my EU and international engagements, it’s quite evident that few if any countries can address the multitude of challenges facing them, without some form of international collaboration.

One specific action, therefore, falling out of the Strategy is the pursuit of opportunities to participate in JEF+ activities, which supports non-NATO members participating in certain activities of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) on an ad-hoc basis as long as no members of the grouping object.

The JEF was established in 2014, and is a coalition of ten nations comprising high readiness military prepared to respond rapidly to crises.

I anticipate, for example, that participation in JEF+ could enable personnel from our Naval Service participating in training and exercises to learn and bring back best-practice to Ireland and increase our ability to counter the maritime threats that we face.

Cathaoirleach, there is much more that I could say about the significant progress that has been made across a number of issues in the last few years and the ambitious agenda on which I intend to be laser focused for the next few years.

All of the individual measures, when taken together, will have a demonstrably positive impact on the Defence Forces and on the security and defence of this country and its people.

I look forward to returning to Seanad Éireann to take-up this debate again and to report on the further progress that I am certain we will make between now and then.

Thank you.