Too many questions to answer in a single tweet, so I'll thread my reply.

Firstly, I will ask what is your interpretation of #neutrality?

I have to ask because Irish neutrality is subjective

It is not a written policy, nor is it recognised officially by any other nation or body
Actually, the latter point isn't strictly accurate, as @NATO acknowledges Ireland's "military neutrality" (note: they spelt out what it means to them).

Beyond that, there's no legally binding defined statement of Irish neutrality.

It does not exist.

nato.int/cps/en/natohq/…
"Military Neutrality" is meaningless, the term is a self-licking lollipop.

Unless the country is run by a Junta, the military doesn't have a say in where it gets deployed. As an instrument of political will, it is completely indifferent.

Politically, Ireland is far from neutral
This "overwhelming support" you speak of isn't necessarily true

Yes, the pro-neutrality lobby is vocal, but ultimately Irish people are practical & identify strongly as European

Polling & public narrative suggests Irish favour more security cooperation.

newstalk.com/news/irish-neu…
The myriad of threats to Ireland IMO are:

Threats to internal security through malicious info ops leading to violent outcomes. Subversion. Sabotage to critical infrastructure through physical & logical means. Climate change. Second order effects from conflict on the continent.
That list can go on.

And before you ask me "who would do that to us?", ask yourself, before you lock your door at night, do you consider leaving the door unlocked and ajar thinking "sure, who would harm me?".

We should protect our interests, because it is in our interest.
I believe it was a Swedish senior minister said "neutrality was incompatible with being in a union" (I would need to find source)

The reality is that being in a union shouldnt be a pic'n'mix of contribution. We should shoulder all responsibilities in solidarity with our partners
We certainly shouldn't be letting our partners shoulder our own responsibilities for us

Such as the RAF defending Irish airspace

As a @sinnfeinireland supporter @SMacB, I would expect you to be against that

Yet, SF have no counter air defence policy 🤔

m.independent.ie/irish-news/sec…
On SF & EU, whenever there is an EU vote, SF come out with the anti #EUArmy tropes

An EU Army is structurally, politically, & functionally impossible. It will never happen

It is an emotive bogey man to strike fear into voters

We should cooperate with our EU Partners on defence
To demonstrably prove that Irish neutrality is incompatible with being in a union, Ireland sided with its partners in expelling Russian diplomats, on numerous occasions.

🇮🇪 joins its partners in sanctions on other countries too

That's not a neutral act

irishtimes.com/news/ireland/i…
Because Ireland has positioned itself on the UNSC, it is obligated to take sides on conflict, further eroding the veneer of "neutrality" it claims.

So much so, it's own diplomats are being expelled.

apnews.com/article/europe…
You asked for benefits of abandoning a policy that doesn't really exist

First and foremost, is guaranteeing the safety and security of our citizens not enough?

Then there's the economic benefits from confidence in our security

The #StateofVulnerability policy isn't good enough
One last thing to consider as a @sinnfeinireland supporter

🇮🇪 neutrality doesnt exist. Northern Ireland membership of NATO does

A United Ireland may require certain security guarantees to be achievable, something the current Irish State cannot provide

Neutrality may have to go
When it comes to neutrality, Ireland cannot have its cake and eat it.

All we are achieving through weasel words and maintaining a weak military capability is protecting ourselves from the consequences of our own actions, at the expense of being exploited by foreign actors.

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More from @RobGilbey

12 Jan
Cutting a cable may not constitute an act of war, but that doesn't mean the cable isn't a military target.

What are the implications of subsea fibers being considered military targets?

What @naval_service capabilities should we have to protect this critical data infrastructure?
Firstly, severing a subsea fiber isnt as simple as it sounds. Breaking a cable is one thing, severing it, is quite another.

Fiber optics are lightweight glass products, but propagating light across oceans requires power, so the cable is more a power cable as it is a fiber cable. Image
What's worth noting is that as the technology evolves, the form factor of subsea cables start to change.

More fiber cores are being pumped into small cables, means longer cables can be spooled onto cable laying ships.

But that presents a challenge

There is no one size fits all Image
Read 15 tweets
10 Jan
Is neutrality a hill worth a United Ireland dying on?

Hypothetically, if a #UnitedIreland was conditional on the State applying for @NATO membership, would it be worth surrendering the undefined policy of #neutrality?

@sinnfeinireland
@fiannafailparty
@FineGael
@labour
To get as broad a viewpoint as possible, any retweets of the poll would be appreciated.
Read 4 tweets
11 Mar 21
The last line is telling.

THREAD

The @IRLCoDF need to be seen to do something on #Cyber because @IRLDeptDefence offloaded general #CyberDefence responsibility onto @Dept_ECC & @ncsc_gov_ie.

But The National Cyber Security Strategy doesn't cater for defensive & offensive Ops.
So how can the @IRLCoDF build that capability into the @defenceforces as part of it's recommendations?

SPOILER:

It can't all sit with the Communication and Information Services (CIS) Corps.
1st, the @defenceforces needs an Intelligence Corps.

One that has career structures built to develop talent in the field of technical and military Int collection, collation, analysis & effective dissemination.

We need to be capable of making big data driven decisions fast.
Read 16 tweets
14 Feb 21
Irregular warfare has and continues to be a feature of modern conflict.

Should Ireland have an Irregular Reserve as part of an Irish Resistance Operating Concept?

It's not as dramatic as it sounds.

At <0.3% GDP spent on Defence, Ireland can't afford to build a mass of professional part time combat arm Reservists.

The current model of relying on individuals to be professional military standard volunteers has failed.

So if armed volunteers is the policy, how can it work?
Conscription or National Service in Ireland?

Given the discourse around EU Armies, I sincerely doubt that either be acceptable to the public without some existential driver behind it.

Conscription is typically viewed through a 20th century lens.
Read 13 tweets
17 Dec 20
Thread:

"With regard to the RDF, the Commission will consider a wide range of options and will make recommendations to better leverage the capabilities of the RDF in their supports to the PDF and to make service in the RDF a more attractive option."

Let's unpack that.....
Thankfully, the "Abolition of the Reserve" wasn't considered an option in the Terms of Reference as it was in the DoD's 2012 "Value for Money" Review of the RDF.

I would link the source, but the DoD have opted not to host it despite it informing the 2015 White Paper Policy.
The 2012 Steering Committee comprised of Civil & Military (but not a single Reservist) personnel saw no role for the Reserve as the "PDF could meet all day-to-day tasks".

8 years on, & DF capability is limited due to a crippling retention crisis as a result of DoD mismanagement.
Read 30 tweets
26 Nov 20
This is a significant step forward for @dfreserve

"The decision to join or stay in the Reserve should be informed by a more ambitious approach to its role" -@simoncoveney responding to @davidstantontd

Special thanks to @BerryCathal for his proposals for Defence Act amendments
@simoncoveney - "I will be encouraging [The Commission on Defence] to be ambitious & if necessary, quite radical to reflect the future defence & security challenges"

"I think we're in a good space here"

@BerryCathal "What the Minister has proposed has exceeded my expectations"
Solid foundations are being laid for what might well be a very progressive set of recommendations by the Commission on Defence.
Read 11 tweets

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