Micheál Martin: Triple Lock gave authoritarian Putin a de facto veto on how we deploy our troops and has to go

Earlier this year, I convened a Consultative Forum on International Security Policy, which took place across four days in June in Cork, Galway and Dublin. In convening this unique forum, my aim was to build a deeper public and political understanding of the international security environment facing the state, and to generate a fact- and evidence-based discussion of the policy options available to us. I believe that we were successful in this endeavour.

Across the four days of discussion at the Forum, there was an enormous variety of views and depth of knowledge provided by the contributors. We saw 80 people moderating or speaking on 18 panels, all of whom had considerable expertise. They included many Irish people with on-the-ground experience of peacekeeping and peace building all over the world, both civilians and military, as well as academics, experts from NGOs, and Irish people working in the UN, EU, OSCE and Nato.

The Forum was ably chaired by Professor Louise Richardson, who brought her extensive academic expertise to bear and managed the proceedings with grace and skill. Professor Richardson’s report was published a number of weeks ago and I would very much recommend anyone who has not read it to do so.

Importantly, the Chair’s report makes clear that there is a striking degree of consensus on many aspects of Ireland’s international engagement. It is often all too easy to highlight divisions, encourage polarisation and play politics with foreign, security and defence policy issues. However, these issues, at this time, are far too important for that.

Having now considered the report, there are a number of reflections that I would now draw from it and from the discussions at the Forum.

Firstly, a theme that came through very strongly was that Ireland should continue to be active in maintaining international peace and security by supporting the global multilateral system, with the UN Charter at its heart; and by continuing to vocally defend international law, particularly international humanitarian law, and human rights.

Our values-based foreign policy must hold true and be applied equally to all crises, whether the conflict in Ukraine or the current war in the Middle East. We must also continue to contribute to peace building efforts internationally, building on and reflecting our own experience on this island.

With this in mind, I have recently established a new Peace and Stability Unit in the Department of Foreign Affairs to develop and sustain our partnerships in peace building and conflict prevention across the globe.

Secondly, a further area of widespread agreement at the Forum was the need for investment in our defence forces. I am deeply committed to the positive transformation of our Defence Forces into a modern, agile military force, capable of responding to increasingly complex security threats.

This is reflected in the Government’s approval of a High-Level Action Plan to progress the recommendations of the Commission on the Defence Forces and to commit the state to move to Level of Ambition 2, with a commensurate increase of the Defence budget from €1.1 billion to €1.5 billion, in 2022 prices, by 2028.

Last Tuesday, I published the Detailed Implementation Plan on the Commission’s report. Through this process, I am confident that we will realise our shared ambition for a transformed, modern, forward-looking Defence Forces, with investment in its people, infrastructure, capabilities and culture.

Thirdly, we also need to reflect on the reality of the world we face today, including the systemic challenges facing the UN Security Council, which directly impact on our role in international peacekeeping.

This is most apparent in how difficult it is to agree or renew UN peacekeeping mandates, with not a single new peacekeeping mission authorised by the Council since 2014. As matters stand, however, the ‘Triple Lock’ provided for in our own domestic legislation effectively allows the five permanent members of the Security Council, like Russia, to bind Ireland’s hands in our international engagement.

I believe there’s something morally wrong in giving an authoritarian and aggressive imperialist power like Putin’s Russia a de facto veto on how we, as an independent republic, deploy our troops.

It makes sense to amend existing legislation to allow us to respond to crisis situations with more agility, and where in making these important decisions we are not surrendering our sovereignty.

I have therefore instructed officials in the Department of Defence to prepare legislative proposals that would govern the future overseas deployments of our Defence Forces.

Any deployment of Defence Forces personnel abroad will always be within the parameters of international law and the UN Charter and will always be a decision for the Government and the Oireachtas.

Fourthly, in spite of the scaremongering and rhetoric from some, this Government and I have absolutely no intention of altering our policy of military neutrality or of joining Nato. This is simply not on the agenda. Where there is broad agreement, however, as borne out by the discussions at the Forum, is that we should broaden and deepen our engagement with our international partners, whether through the EU’s Common Security and Defence Policy or Nato’s Partnership for Peace, which we have been a member of since 1999.

For a country of our size – and especially for a country that has always been outward-looking and whose foreign policy is based on partnership – it makes sense for us to cooperate with others, particularly in tackling new and emerging threats in the cyber, hybrid or maritime domains. Indeed, the cyber attack on the HSE in 2021 offered a salutary reminder of the need for close cooperation with international partners.

Fifthly, and finally, it is also timely for us to take a clear look at our national security arrangements and ensure they are fit for purpose in an increasingly complex and unpredictable world. We will therefore build on progress made in certain areas, such as in the development of the National Cyber Security Centre, by enhancing our national security institutions. In this context, the Government is committed to the delivery of a National Security Strategy that will set out the threat environment and the systems and structures to address these.

There will also be a clear focus on agreeing a new maritime security strategy, with a particular focus on sub-sea infrastructure.

Ultimately, it is clear from the extraordinary public engagement with the Consultative Forum that there is a real interest and diverse range of views on Ireland’s international security policy.

As Tánaiste and both Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence, I am committed to taking the steps necessary to preserve our peace and security, on this island and around the world.

Micheál Martin is Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence and leader of Fianna Fáil