Why does Ireland need an army?

Question

With today's news that the Government is to spend €100million on two new naval boats, do we really need to have defence forces? Lichtenstein abolished its army in 1868 because it was deemed too costly.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/21/20100715/tuk-navy-orders-new-patrol-vessels-e1cd776.html

Answer 1

Every nation needs an army the same way every country needs a language.



Here are a few reasons why:



It was foolish of Lichtenstein to abolish their army, they are completely defenceless.

- ANY country without an army is utterly defenceless in the face of invasion/war or any form of national defence.



It would be foolish from an economic perspective, as detailed by several other answers here regarding the massive amount of illegal foreign fishing in Irish waters.



And as you all know, Ireland is prone to invasion - speaking of which, what was it that allowed Ireland to overcome every one of those invasions?

- A brave patriotic army.



WHERE would Ireland be without people to stand and defend it's land?

- Ireland wouldn't exist.



Don't just assume that in modern society, what with the E.U., U.N etc., that a western European country can't be invaded or be dragged into a war.



If such a notion of dismantling our national army was put foreward in times of national struggle for independance, that notion would of course be ridicule, and still is.



The answer to your question is: Yes, of course we need to have defence forces, for all the above reasons and more.







And to clear some shite up:



Ireland is not part of the British Empire; the British Commonwealth; or any ties with Britain other than Northern Ireland, and with the progression of the peace process, that will all be fixed.

- In the words of Iarnród Éireann: Were not there yet, But were getting there-

and in the words of the people of Ireland: Tiocfaidh Ár Lá.







@ You Do Not Know Me:

You really ought to choose your words carefully, and learn the truth before voicing your opinions about this.

Answer 2

Strange you are asking the question now............. the headline is iro to 100 million for two new ships for the Naval Service.As pointed out by an other comment we do not have a Navy we have a Naval Service.Three of the Naval ships are pretty much at the end of their operational lives, it will take about 2 years before the new ships are built, delivered and become fully operational.By that time several other ships will also be at the end of their lives.Failings by goverment have put us in a position that over the next 5 or 6 years millions of euros must be spent on a modernisationation program to keep up with the demands of providing such an asset to the state.The Irish Naval Service provides value for money iro to search and rescue,fisheries protection,polution control , drugs interdiction, and several other tasks.Do you realy think the Customs one vessal can cover the whole coast ? Bless the Army, but maybe it could be restructured and become smaller, but of course thats a hot topic,after all..........soldiers,sailors and airmen have a vote at every election too.

Answer 3

I don't believe Ireland needs a standing army - a reserve army along the lines of switzerland would be more cost effective. To be clear - the air and sea elements of the defence forces provide a return on investment in roles of air/sea rescue, national waters protection and drug interdiction. A role that would be better described as a coast guard. Ireland does not have the economic, logistical or domestic industrial capacity to wage a conventional war against any that have such a capacity to threaten the state. Thus funds that could be better used to develop a more practical resource for the state. Police capacity could be expanded to bomb disposal should the requirement be seen to exist.



In 1997 or 1998 an external auditor was hired by the state to evaluate the national defence profile - they said pretty much the same thing.

Answer 4

I am not from ireland but I will give you an example, the only reason I think why this question is asked is becouse of spending e100mln on two boats is ..a lot? We had same situation in my native country few years ago. Gov. wanted ( well, they dont "want" they just do it) to buy few F15 or F16 as our airforce was very weak, well it still is, dont think few f15/16 makes a big difference, many people then were asking if we realy do need an army at all? Our unemployment was very high atm so people were furius about it as money could have been spent on something else to help society advance rather than spent it to protect country from our enemies during war which..well, i dont think these f16/15 will last till next war if theres going to be one. Anyway, they bought it, unemployment lvl decreased, everything seems to be getting back to normal. My point is that things are going to get better/worse anyway with or with out boats. Ireland is realy great country which is giving a lot of opportunities to foreigns and own citizens for a better life. But i think that giving that much opportunities and easy access requires as well a lot of protection as country becomes ideal target for, as you all mentioned before, drugs/guns dealers. Which is already happening and unarmed Gardai wont stop them coming altough they doing realy good job. Sorry for my grammar;p

Answer 5

i was in the army and i agree that it is very costly but the army is there as back up to the police

if needed but there are only 4000 soldiers in ireland including navy and reserve.

if we ever get invaded again (highly doubtful) we will need an army

we cant depent on the british to protect us if something does happen

they have there own problems. we have a small army and that is all we need.

Besides, it has been over 10 years since the government invested any money

in the army and that was for uniforms.

Answer 6

Is this a trick question? Seriously?



Of course we need an army. As it stands we have one of the smallest if not the smallest armies in europe and practically we have no navy or airforce. Why do irish people always have to abolish everything to save money?



We seem to have a culture of miserliness and cutting costs here and there just to save some bit of money.



Im embarrassed to be irish seeing these types of questions on yahoo and other places.



To answer your question Yes we need an army. Most people in the world take pride in their national armed forces because without them your country cannot claim independence as it could be walked over by any other army if you had no armed forces. You would have nothing to stop internal disorder in the country or a complete breakdown of law and order. If you look at countries like mexico and pakistan the only thing holding those countries together is their armed forces. Can you imagine what would happen if there were no armies to restore law and order or even help out in times of national disasters or major emergencies.



Think about it.

Answer 7

Wow,



There really are some illiterate, and pig ignorant people out there. There are also some well educated answers, and good points. Of course Ireland need an army, and for all the reasons mentioned, a Navy for protecting our fish, for stopping the importation of illicit drugs, and also to assist in maritime emergencies. We need an Air Force for search and rescue, and for flying diplomats. We need an army as an armed back up for the Garda, for their bomb disposal expertise, for national emergencies and for cash escorts. We also need to represent Ireland in peacekeeping missions abroad, and they do that very well.



Ireland's armed forces are a force for good, for humanitarian and peacekeeping roles at home and abroad.



And no, Ireland will never invade England, nor will England ever invade Ireland. We all have enough problems as we are.

Answer 8

Lichtenstein has a population of in around 35,000. Irelands capital city Dublin has a population of around 500,000. I think there is quite obviously a difference.

As far as people saying the Armed forces don't do anything, Ireland has one of the largest peace keeping forces in service around the world.

From a political standpoint, Ireland has an obvious need for an army. It is still technically under occupation in the name of the Queen. I'm not trying to start a big republican rant, but while that is still an issue, the country will always need an army. Don't forget, its only been a quick 36 years since a bombing attack on the capital by British aided terroists.

Answer 9

Participate in UN programs

To protect against attack or invaders

If not army - who would assist us if attacked - why should another country with an army assist Ireland when in need if we are too cheap not to invest in an army

Assist another country if attacked - eg NATO

Ireland is not neutral - so need to participate like other countries in defence and democracy building - why should Ireland get a free ride and leverage off the coats of countries such as USA?

Answer 10

Of course we need an army, for a number of reasons.



As some of the other answers suggest, when the Gardai threaten to strike, the army are on standby.

But also prison officers, fire brigade, bin collectors, to name a few. The army have covered all these proffessions when on strike over the last few years.



Our navy might not be big, but if you follow the news, you would see how much they do in regard to patrolling our seas keeping illegal fishing vessels away, but more importantly, a large number of drugs have been seized before they reached our shores.



Lastly, and probably most importantly, the army bomb disposal teams have never been busier. Criminal gangs are at war with eachother using pipe bombs and many other devices, and the fact that we do not hear too much about it shows how good of a job they are doing.



These are just a few examples, so please dont be so naive, of course we need an army!

Answer 11

Without any question of doubt.....YES....we might be a poor Country ....God help us....but the very day that someone in power decides to disband the Irish Army....we are as good as gone back to the days of cavemen....people seem to forget the floods and snow of December 2009 and January 2010 and who were the 1st on the scene of disaster....Spend the €100 million on the Naval vessels. if they keep the drugs out of Ireland by patrolling the coastal waters, then spend even €200 million and get all the latest technology put into them. All the latest bomb threats recently where the Army were called in to defuse....who else is gonna do it...Brian Cowen and co...I bloody doubt it.

Answer 12

The Defence Forces are there principally as an aid to the civil power, which covers a multitude of jobs from cash escorts to security of prisons and other vital installations .Ireland is also committed to providing troops for overseas missions with the UN and EUFOR. We are also committed to playing our role in the defence of Europe by providing troops for the Nordic Battle Group, this came withthe Nice treaty who most people voted yes for .

If we are looking to make cuts in spending we should look at all the money spent on Quango's set up by this out of touch government.We should also have a look ath the money we give to so caled Refugee's and immigrants like Roma Gypsies whose only occupation seems to be stealing and im not tarnishing the traveller community here.lets not mention the Nigerian fraudsters that roam freely here too , scam artists. Lets also look at the money that goes out of this country from child benefit to preposedly foreign children that have never set foot in this country.Then theres the Seanad what a waste of money.. So anyone who thinks we dont need an Army have a good look around you and look elsewhere for the cuts to save money. Big deal so the Navy is getting two new ships , its what they need to protect this country from drug smugglers and to ptotect our fish stocks .If anything we need to increase our Defence Forces in size and play a bigger role in the International War on Terrorism that is taken place right now. Grow up you shower of arseholes.

Answer 13

First of all the Navy is not part of the Army they a both part of the Defence forces. The Navy does a complete different job than the Army. Second of all parts of the Defence forces pay taxes and at that pay high ones. Unlike every ones else they can not strike if they pay is cut or frozen. As for the Navy it is about time that they got some new ships to replace the old ones that they have, some of them are hitting 30yrs old would you like to go to sea in one of them. The defence forces not like the gardai, nurse or any other state paid workers they do not get shift allowance or any other out of hours pay. They get a flat rate for duiteis or time spent at sea, even after that they will pay around 50% tax on it. Take the armed cashe escorts that they do, a Gardai memeber wil get may be 5 to 6 times more for over time than the Arm personnell on the same job. As for the Navy they have to spend 2 to 3 weeks of every month at sea if they are attached to a vessell. When they are not at sea they have to perform there normal working duites, all with may be doing 1 to 2 24hrs duties on board the vessell. On av they may spend 20 to 30 weeks at sea a year. They only get around 21 days leave a year. When they do get paid for sea going patrols they may come out after tax around 100 euro extra for a sea patrol. Not good pay is it.

Answer 14

To put an end to this stupid questions here's the really answer!



IRELAND DOES NOT HAVE AN ARMY! Presently Ireland has a Defence Force of 8500 personal, which are the offspring of the Irish Republician Army first set up when the state was formed. Turely the Irish Defence Forces are part of our culture and history. Not only are they well trained and ready to respond to the need of the state ie bomb disposal, bank escorts, prision escort, explosive escorts, Garda and prision officer stricks, flooding, natural disaster, chemical fallout etc, etc,. The defence forces are also ambassadors of Ireland bring peace and security to people all over the world, instill the mentality of the Irish people in local communities where they serve. In conclusion the money, which was spend on the revamp of equipment for the defence forces was rasied by the closing and selling of army barracks all over the country. If you want to save money and desire to point the fingers of blame for the present economic problem, please point it where the problem really lies. The Goverment and the greed Banks! Not the security forces of our country!

Answer 15

every country needs a defence force to protect it against invaders, u stupid people whoever u are to question with such foolishness of a wicked evil heart, an irelsnd is no exception, why the hell do u think the likes of the british an the fools of the government in northern ireland, hold ireland to ransome, with the power of their armies from scotland and wales an london ect, its because they think they can rob a country an many other countries like ireland of their heritage an be justfied in their tyranacle behaviour an not owe a debt to the dammage they hav imposed upon such ionicent an weak governments such as the south of ireland, let them try it on the americans an see what would happen, u fools, think about it fools.

Answer 16

Yes ok we need an army but do we really need the army to have an equitation school that go out to compitions and each riders has to have 2 grooms because god forbidd they have to get there own horses ready and buying or leasing horses not to mention the top of the range horse lorry they have and mitshbishi jeeps, trailers etc. now that's a waste of the tax payers money !!!! I know it was set up to exhibit the best of irish horses but in the current ecconomic climate I think the money would be better spent elsewhere

Answer 17

A small standing army could be reserved for rapid response. However in the interest of true freedom I would prefer a well armed citizenry who would have the choice(no military draft) to defend their country but who would almost certainly refrain from any foreign campains. The right to bear arms and the means to defend oneself should not be a privilege to be bestowed by any government as this would only lead to oppression. Also to address that last point, the standing army should have substantially less power than the combined force of the armed citizenry even if this poses a few problems.



In the words of Thomas Jefferson " I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it. "

Answer 18

I think a lot of people aren't aware of what these boats actually do, at present the Irish navy and coast guard have 1 boat patrolling the south/west and west coast of Ireland for drugs, guns, and other illegal activity's it's not about the fear of us being invaded or anything like that it's about the protection of our waters from the drug smuggling scum of this world. No one remember all that coke that was found in the water near Cork 2 years ago??

Answer 19

What a total narrow minded point of view from misselec below.The naval service is vital to this country,ie,fisheries protection,Drug prevention,search and rescue,defence ect..We are an island nation with the biggest area of sea to patrol in the eu yet we have the smallest navy?If anything 4 new ships should have been ordered,not 2,as 4 ships are coming up to their 30th year.They're not adequitly equiped for today,even fishing trawlers are better equiped than our navy these days.

Answer 20

The Navy boats are necessary for a number of reasons:



They protect Irish Waters from boats illegally entering Irish waters and clear our waters of fish.The Fishery Industry brings a lot more than €100 per year and these boats will probably last 20+ years.



Also if our coast was not properly patrolled it would become a very easy access points for importing drugs into Europe.



The Army as some people mentioned already provide emergency cover for the Gardai, assist with dangerous prison transports and can be called upon in a national emergencies.



Ireland's political standing is vastly improved by having an Irish Army for peacekeeping duties around the world and as a neutral country they have the trust of locals in area's of unrest.

Answer 21

Of course we need to have a defence force. The defence forces have improved so much in the past few years to become a much more professional service. That is not to take from the service of those who have lost their lives in the past. I would like for the army to become more like the US marines. Use more helicopters, ship based operations, etc. We are an island nation, so having more ships would be good.

I'm not sure if it's true but during last years floods and freezing conditions it was reported in the press that the army felt frustrated that they were not allowed to do more to help the public. Wouldnt it be great if the army/navy/air corp were used more to help in disastor relief efforts. Fair play to the defence forces, gardai, fire brigade, coast gaurd and others who risk their lives doing their jobs!

Answer 22

For a start this is the worst question yahoo has posted and should be embarrassed of themselves why as a nation they obviously dont think alot of us? do they realise alot of people or hero's lost there life to give us a free state nation and a free state army.



well to answer ur stupid question briefly of course we need an army or defence forces for

1- internal security i.e cash patrols, bomb disposal {do we want gangs or even irish mafia to control or county}

2- aid to civil power i.e public strikes, flood damage or helpin local council in extreme weather conditions all of this has been evident in recent years.

3-aid to garda as they ar not armed on occasions they do need armed assistance i.e prision escorts or check-points.

4- as for the naval ships they do a fantastic job patrolling irish seas for illegal fisheries, drugs and

arms trade do we really want or country swamped with even more drugs, weapons or used as the gateway to europe for these gangsters.



And lastly the irish defence forces have a terrfic rep world wide for there overseas work in places like africa and the middle east and as a nation this is something we all can be proud of.

Answer 23

I have just read most of the reviews from the people below, i have to say this. 99% of the people who have answered this topic are totally illerate or just plain pricks. If they bothered to take a few mins to study the history and realise just how much money the army saves the state, i.e. cash escorts, prison proctection , fisheries etc etc, and to say its a waste of tax payers money.... 9500 defence force personell pay into the tax coffers every week and still get screwed by the gov, If people dont know what they are talking about they should just stay quiet.

Answer 24

Do we need a Army, ? what we need is a active security unit comprising of Defence, Customs, Guards and Inteligence, we are at the mercy of a new enemie, drug traffictures on a scale unknown as we are the back door to the UK and Europe, people trafficing, internel drug gang killings, and as a member of Europe oblidged to take in forign unkowns, pedofiles, rapist, drug people trafficurs and the odd fish pocher from Spain etc, have you ever known such crimes in our Country before on such a scale, and a Goverment that only cares for profit and taxation. Ime not a Bible thumper or preacher but a wise Man wonce said" I AM THE LORD YOUR GOD, YOU SHALL NOT NOT HAVE FALSE GODS BEFORE ME" we seem to have bean herded into the " I WANT IT NOW" society, have we as a nation ever suffered so much pain and not been able to blame it on a forign nation, what would Michael Collins have done, God bless Ireland.

Answer 25

Well, Ireland would need defense forces less if United European Christendom, or perhaps better stated, Críostaíocht Aontaithe Eorpa, were actually united. In such case all of the security and intelligence forces of its member states could be placed under a single joint command. David

Answer 26

A number of recent events have reflected very poorly on the public perception and reputation of the Defence Forces, particularly on the army.

The most recent was the ludicrous ‘little prick’ case, where a spat between two senior and apparently mature officers resulted in a court marshal and the dismissal of the more ‘junior officer’. This despite the fact that he was highly experienced and had an excellent service record.

Secondly we had the equally ludicrous situation where Army personnel were not allowed to cut the grass in the Curragh on ‘health and safety grounds’!

Sometime ago we had the resignation of ‘Major General’ Willie O’Dea for shooting himself in both feet with both barrels, metaphorically speaking, of course.

Currently there are rumblings about Army officers buying illegal arms.

We all remember the army deafness claims, the poor old taxpayer is probably still paying for that fiasco.

Surely in these constrained economic times, it is both necessary and appropriate to review and debate the raison d’être of the Defence Forces in general, and particularly the army.

In a nutshell, do we need an army of in excess of 10,000 personnel with one officer for every 10 soldiers?

Do we need a separate Department of Defence, an expensive minister and a rake of public servants?

Do we need a massive defence budget of 1 billion Euro largely to run the army: to buy expensive armaments, which we will probably never really need?

What is the point in having over 10,000 highly trained and intelligent personnel almost permanently confined to barracks?



In over 60 years, I don’t recall a single occasion, when we had to call on the army to defend ourselves from foreign invasion or to intervene in any internal issues of note, apart from an odd bus strike.

Peacekeeping, while laudable, is not necessary in the present economic climate. The army has no plans for further campaigns.

I would suggest that a serious review should take place immediately with a view to reducing the army to 1000 crack troops that can be quickly mobilised if and when necessary. This reduction could be done through natural wastage and voluntary redundancy over a 5-year period.

In the light of increasing drug problem that is slowly but surely destroying an unacceptably high proportion of our youth, I would also suggest that those highly trained officers and personnel who decide to leave could be quickly retrained and subsumed into An Garda Siochana in some form. Their role could be to focus on and swamp the illegal drug trade making it impossible for dealers to operate.

Resources should be also redirected to the navy and air corps again specifically to stop the continual and increasing ingress of drugs through our coastline.

Another role would be to supplement Garda resources in controlling excessive speed and help reduce the appalling carnage on our roads.

This review should not be seen as in any way denigrating the army and the many excellent people proud to have served and proud to be serving therein, but as an urgent and creative adjustment to the current political, social and economic climate.

Answer 27

of course ireland needs an army!!,we need the entire defence forces more than ever,with terrorist activity getting more and more vicious and organised,are we irish still living in la la land that we think we're not a target,what happens if the uk goes to war and we dont go along like in ww2,do you think the uk would'nt invade ireland to protect there own shores if we didnt help them,they strongly considered it back then,come on,really.

ireland is a gateway to invading the uk more so than france would be,our military is one of the best trained forces in the world,we have great personnell in our military, now what we need is real world class firepower,we are more at risk now than ever and in my opinion if there was to be another great war it would be caused by religious fanatics whoever they would be and we would be dragged in,we are a soft touch in the world,and would be one of the first to be picked on,we are a great nation,a great people and what we need to do to protect our nation is to arm our military with the best fire power there is out there and increase our security in our seaports and airports,the whole idea of a defence force is to defend yourself if some day you have to,our military is full of world class soldiers and strategists we cant send these great people to slaughter because we didnt spend the money on equiptment,we as a nation have had a great battle to defend our way of life and to gain our independence and if we want to keep all that we fought hard for we need to stop pissing about and do what needs to be done.

Answer 28

Of course Ireland needs a standing army. They do stellar work while on peace keeping and peace enforcing missions abroad and they get the height of respect from foreign commanders under whom they might serve and from the local communities they are there to protect. Irish men have fought with distinction in every war which has occurred in Europe and in the United States. We have a long and very distinguished military history which we should be extremely proud of.

Ireland has no problem at all accepting European Union money to advance our country and should the European Union need Irish soldiers for missions, then we should send them.

Answer 29

Because the Army earns a lot of money for the Irish economy when it is deployed as part of UN Peacekeeping Forces across the globe.



The new ships are required to combat illegal imports - drugs and guns - and the naval branch of the services have proved very successful in this endeavour in recent years (see the Examiner archives, and Court Records).



The ships will also be used to protect what is left of Ireland's fishing grounds, and the new oil rigs due in the next few years.



Finally, Ireland is at peace at the moment, this situation cannot be guaranteed to continue. Being prepared is better than being invaded/destroyed.





On a lighter view point:

Lichtenstein is about the size of Dublin and doesn't have a sizable part of its population trained in the use of War Clubs, sorry, I meant GAA Hurley Sticks, and the Leinster rugby crowd.

Answer 30

Naval and Air services are required for fishery protection. Otherwise a ranger battalion of 500 front line troops with necessary support would be adequate. Costa Rica abolished it's armed forces in 1948 and has an excellent free health service for nationals.

Answer 31

From my understanding and UN mandates a country can only deem itself neutral if it has the capacity to defend itself. Look at Switzerland and Sweden, mandatory service for two years and authorised holding of weapons. If Ireland wants to remain in the neutral stance it MUST have an army that can defend our country. Whether or not it really can is a different story altogether though................................

Answer 32

of course we need an army we might be a small nation but we have the rite to defend our nation from any country that think they can rule us again. this question is like asking do ni need a police force. and we do need more navel boats as we only have 3 at the moment that patrol a large coastal line around our country

Answer 33

why not disband the f.c.a and save money. As a nation we have a lot of respect around the world thanks to our defence forces. In the 80s when the isrealis invaded lebanon the irish were the only army that stood there ground. And what about all soldiers who lost there lives peacekeeping did they give there live for no reason.

Answer 34

For many reasons, firstly it's the last line of defence in any democratic country. We still have a very immenent threat from dissadents both republican and unionist, Ireland has always been to the fore when it comes to providing troops for deployment in war torn countries in the committment for world wide peace. Furthmore will the Gardai, Prison Service or Fire Brigade be expected to take to the streets when there is a bus, bin, petrol, hospital etc etc strike. Get real.

Answer 35

Ireland, like any sovereign nation has its own as well as international obligations. Its own include supervision of fishing in its waters, the entrance of all peoples & goods at recognised entry points for proper supervision & in times of emergency the added search & rescue capacity to help those in need. It may also be used to keep civil order where the peace of the citizens & their government is under internal or external threat.

Internationally its army represents Ireland in peace keeping efforts at various hot spots & may also be used for international emergencies if it should develop skills particularly needed at that time.

Answer 36

Yes of course we need an Army ! We need the new vessels to patrol our costs to stop foreign countries stealing our fish stocks, smuggling drugs and weapons into the country. The gardai are not armed so we need the army for protection on bank runs etc

If the Gardai went on strike the Army would have to step in again, we also do huge amount of work as peace keepers in the likes of Chad etc

Answer 37

no they do not need an army. and as for the navy-coastguard getting two new boats . they should use all the boats they have already first . i live in cobh across from the navy base in haulboline and at any one time there is at least 4 boats tied up out of 8 . so in other words there is only 4 boats patroling the whole irish coast . so why do they need two more boats to tie up.

Answer 38

Yes .how many peace mission did we do with pride to how country and lost good men and women

we provide a search and rescue service we cover most of the services when they strike not by choose ie bus bin fire strikes and other things.we are a neutral country and if we ever have to protect Ireland we are trained to do so with good men and women from all branches of the defences forces.

Answer 39

First of all.....most army members are not fat as described below. The army have to pass a rigorous fitness test every year or it would leave to non renewal of contract unlike the gardai. Unlike the majority of the gardai, the army are armed and are our line of defence. They carry out security in prisons, are armed escorts on cash in transits (did you ever hear of an army cash escort being robbed....i didnt)!!! Bomb disposals as mentioned....who would do that otherwise? Not to mention the peacekeeping they carry out over seas

Answer 40

Ireland does not need a such big army and far to much money is spent on it. Major cuts are needed to cut back on costs.

Answer 41

Of course we do.Any decent country needs an army.We should be proud of our men and women who choose to dedicate their lives to a career in protecting our country and coastlines.Any fool who who thinks we do not need an army is completely ignorant to our irish history.

Answer 42

the irish army function is to protect the state. not the people rest assured if it came to war the politicians and most our army would most likely flee.

the army should be dismantled and the soldiers of the defence force from then on would be volunteers paid nothing but Penny's for their service unless actually ever needed in this country or the defence of the country.

and all this overseas peacekeeping crap should be stamped out. don't need to keep the peace or save countries in the middle east. i mean what do they have that is off use to anyone. eh sand i don't think so. not like we are protecting oil fields or anything its basically ridiculous wasting money and risking lives for no good cause. africa yes send troops to protect oil forests mines and food plantaions that export to our countries. it is off value to us like its worth spending money on to protect

Answer 43

yes, we need to be prepared, as well as this it will give safety at sea and keep the chinese out from hunting our fish ect, ect, also watch out for drug shippments and of course subs.



I have been in the spanish navy grounds and seen first hand how the are prepared if their country were to be attacked and in one of their subs that was on the Irish shores a few times.



This will also create jobs for more Irish people.

Answer 44

An absolute yes - we have the lowest if not the third lowest spend in Europe on defence per capita (after Luxembourg and Malta - http://www.eda.europa.eu/defencefacts/) and in return our defence forces punch well above their weight on the international stage (NB - the Chad international EU FOR contingent led by our own General Nash.) Our defence forces are an extension of our sovereignty as a nation and the work they carry out overseas in a UN or EUFOR capacity is one of saving lives and bringing peace (not of war!) - they are the best ambassadors we have and they are internationally perceived as such - in the Lebanon, Chad , the list goes on. Our Rangers are amongst the best elite units in the world - on a par with the SAS, Delta Force, Seals etc.. In short the Irish tax payer is getting an exceptionally good product for their tax Euro - well done defence forces and department of defence!!!

Answer 45

Derek ( Who claims to be ex military ???????)

Firstly, the defence forces are 3 ( Three) brigade strength. Not one as you seem to think !

Secondly, A brigadeer is of general rank ( Brig general !!!!!!!!!!! ) And there is one per Brigade in the defence forces. And a further one serving in Defence Forces HQ.

For an ex soldier you are seriously misinformed.

regards



A serving soldier ( 20 years service)

Answer 46

we certainly do not need a standing army. the ranger wing is sufficient for anything we may need. however we do need a naval service for fisheries protection, smuggling etc. as an ex soldier I am amazed how many generals we have to command a force which is only brigade strength. which in the british army is commanded by a brigadier. (not general rank)

Answer 47

lichtenstein is landlocked and very small. ireland is surrounded by water. Therefore we need an army especially navy. why? To keep scumbag drug dealers and there drugs away from this country. we are the gateway to europe for these kind of people.

Answer 48

my opinion is that, I would copy Costa Rica, they did away with there army in 1949, they spent there money on Hospitals, Schools, and developing there national forests, they rebooted there Police force, in order to handle this change and it seems to work well for them, they seem to love there country`s resources and take care of them well, instead of wasting money on , WHAT IF,

to me the only reason why we have an army, is if the people get fed up with the rich man taking from the poor and hoarding all this

money, that we mite Wake Up, and have a revolution, the army is there to kill us, and thats all they are there for, I would prefer this money to be spent on our Accident and emergency, my friend spent 8 hours in Tallaght Hospital, with her 6 year old little girl, to be told her injury was too bad she had to go to Crumlin and wait 5 hours, we should have more Nurse`s and Doctors, not sargent majors, shouting at some unfortunate soldier, training him to go to Syria, to kill unfortunate people there, so the rich can get richer, I would rather train our children to be Nurse, Wake Up People, did you no that the UN army killed over 1 million people in Iraq, 570,000 were children, and the rich get richer, I have been a tax payer in Ireland since 1979, and the only thing that the defence forces have done for me was drove some oil tankers,in 1980`s when the guys were on strike,so I could get petrol,yipee, I think it would have been better if the rich oil company had of sorted there own dispute, not the tax payers. If any country tried to attack our country, our little army would have no chance against most other nations, so it would be up to the people to deal with it. and we would, no one will attack us any way, we just sold our country to the imf, so they won't send the UN to bomb us, and the rich get richer. as for other nations stealing our fish, you will find that its the big companies that decide who takes what, in Costa Rica this is part of the Police force, so this would still be Policed, as for the Drugs coming in and out of our Country, well simply end the stupid war on Drugs, as Portugal did in 2001, they treat there Heroin and cocaine addicts as a medical issue so they help them, not punish them, as for medical Cannabis, its up to the person to decide on what he puts into his body, as long as he is not harming any one or anything else, the way it should be, especially from a nation of smokers,drinkers and i see the new killer in town obesity from there processed foods, so the Police in Portugal actually work on real crime instead of wasting money on the stupid war on drugs.

myself and other parents do work at our childrens school, painting, paving , while I enjoy this, it would be better if the Government would give the schools enough money to do these things but they dont, its crazy, we are wasting so much money on the army/ navy/ air force, and the Drug squad, please Google, Costa Rica, in south America, and Portugal 2001, they have proven that there system works great for the People, and for there Countries resources. so thats my opinion.

Answer 49

Because the Irish people like any other nations in the world should be free and have everything they need rather the army is the power of the country to protect the land from others who believ's Ireland is part from UK.

Answer 50

Everyone has their on opinions but you ask any member of an garda customs or prison service do we need an army and they,ll all say Yes!!!! because when you need the Irish army they,ll be there and lets hope we never do need them because thats when everything else has failed !!!!

Answer 51

Both philosophically and practically the state needs a Defence Force and they provide a loyal, highly professional and internationally recognised service to our state both at home and abroad. 85 members of our Defence Forces have lost their lives on overseas service since we first deployed a large troop number overseas in 1960 to the Congo.



The Irish Defence Forces is recognised as one of the key physical manifestations of Irish foreign policy internationally and one of the four recognised pillars of national power i.e. diplomacy, information, economic and military.



The Defence Forces provide excellent value for money to the state and are widely recognised by both independent review and political leadership as being a model for Public Sector reform and rationalisation, downsizing and closing barracks over the last 10 years having closed 7 barracks and reduced in strength by over 3,000 in that period.



Ireland’s spending on Defence as a percentage of GDP is by far one of the lowest in any Western country whilst still providing a loyal, professional military force recognised as punching above their weight on the International Stage and always responding to all requests to Aid to the Civil Authorities and Civil Power at home.



The Defence Forces carries out wide and varied tasks in internal, national and international security i.e.:



drugs interdiction at sea hundreds of miles off our coastline,

national asset protection (maritime and cash transit etc),

Bomb Disposal (67 viable, potentially leathal, devices make safe in Ireland last year),

High Risk Prisoner and Explosive escorts,

Emergency Air Ambulance,

Crisis intervention (flooding/Snow & ice),

International Crisis intervention (Chad/Darfur Region) to name but a few.



What contingency would the state have in times of crisis without the Defence Forces?

How might the state mitigate the obvious increase in threat if left without a military?



The Defence Forces is an organisation of the people and for the people and they stand ready to serve at all times.

Answer 52

yes we do, who would escort the money to the banks. who would get people air lifted out of there flooded homes. Ireland would be in a bad way without the army.

Answer 53

every country in the world needs an army or a defence force which is the proper name for our army.....even our reserve defence force is needed......the army (defence force) is there for us so we are protected from being invaded. they go into war torn countries to piece keep or if needed inforce...

Answer 54

course it needs an army id love ta get people that think we dont need one and show dem irelands past ...just pure ignornce of people and have no idea of the job the men and women go through on a day to day basis ...pure ignornce

Answer 55

Yes, they do. The Irish navy (for whom the vessels are for) protects Irish coastal waters from illegal fishing and other activities. The Army at home maintains internal security and is a significant and respected contributor to U.N. peacekeeping operations.

Answer 56

We need naval boats to protect fishing grounds ,stop smuggling, stop illegal immigrants coming to our shores and of course drugs. I personally think they should buy six I wouldn't mind paying extra taxes if it meant more prisons, more garda on the streets, better customs and navy , people are just thick to think we don't need these

Dublin is a wash with heroin addicts ! Too Many immigrants are starting to come here 5000 or so a year fine but Dublin is getting mad half the taxi drivers are Nigerian , Should be cops on the street in every major busy spot at night and a zero policy on drugs and begging ! people fu(k up to often send them to prison for good bye bye like the US three strikes and your gone !

Fish here is so expensive compared to the med why ???? When we are an island ?its because of Spanish , Russian and Japanese boats raping Irish waters of stock we need the boats bad

Answer 57

A lot of people have seemed to cover this question very well. But if we dropped our army, who's to say we couldn't be taken advantage of by other nations?

Answer 58

I would rather see our money going to the Irish Army than to all the foreigners that come in and send it out of this country..





Recession huh.. Now how did that happen..

Answer 59

We need an army to respond to national emergencies if the Gardai can't cope , when there was talk of the Gardai making an illegal strike over a pay dispute the Government warned it would give the army special powers to arrest and detain and keep law and order in the country.



Also , you need army bomb disposal experts to deal with dissident bomb threats whenever they arise , or the army may need to be called in in times of widespread flooding , especially when it happened last year.



Every country should have an army

Answer 60

We don't need an army plain and simple

Answer 61

Who is the fool that says we should scrap our neutrality?????



And support America in the Middle East!!!!!!! Muppet.



America and it's Foreign Policy,in particular its unwavering support for Israel and its Apartheid regime is the single biggest cause of grief in the Middle East.



You would have our troops put their lives on the line for what exactly?



Yes-we need an Army,but purely as a defence force and peace keeping duties.. Not to galavanting off and siding with the Americans in an unjust and provocative presence half way around the world that has bog all to do with us.



If anything,we should ship them off to break the blockade on Gaza. After all,with our history,it is something we should all be able to emphasis with.

Answer 62

I recently bought this system http://www.goobypls.com/r/rd.asp?gid=563. It teaches how to protect yourself and your family in case of violent situations or unexpected attacks from thiefs. Sometimes having a gun is just not enough.

Answer 63

some dumb asses need to wake ,we do need an army.im a soldier and im rightly pissed of with some of the comments dopes left.without us there would be a lot more deaths on our streets and a lot more cash waggons hit,as for the bomb disposal teams they save lives every day of the week,who else would do that?

Answer 64

If we didn't have an army we would be bent over with our hands and feet tied to the ground.

Answer 65

Yes of course we need an army, who put this stupid question up anyway... every country needs one just incase!!!!!!

Answer 66

yes of course Ireland need an army and navy to protect us and we are also one of the most respected forces in the world on peace keeping missions

Answer 67

Not all of Ireland belongs to the UK,



Only Northern Ireland.



You can never take too many risks. England might be caught up in a major war with about 60-70% of their troops deployed, and if Ireland was attacked in that time, the other 30% of the British army will go defend Ireland, but that still leaves the Irish army to be the bulk of the fighting.



And Ireland is closer to the Western coast then England is, maybe their watching the seas.





EDIT: I mean, Ireland doesn't need to spend a HUGE amount on an army or worry too much about it, but I think they should be there in case.

Answer 68

I am convinced that Ireland is confused of everything. she does not know what she is doing.

Answer 69

yes my husband in army 20 years have to say yes

Answer 70

I do not think we need an Army, I mean the European union is keeping a good eye on possible threats but why waste money on something we might not need when we still need to pay out banks. It is a waste of money and the government knows it.



And You Don't Know Me, Ireland is not part of the UK only Northern Ireland is, get your facts straight. Only Northern Ireland belongs to you, not the Republic

Answer 71

Ireland is no longer Neutral. We are now part of the New World Order.The Nice and Lisbon Treaties proved this. New World Order would not accept Ireland,s NO.

Answer 72

BEATS ME THEY ARE A LOAAAAD OF WASTERS, lol.

Seriously i know a few people in the army and they do **** all most days. sometimes they might go on little exercises and that, at the expense of the taxpayer of course.

I read once that the (dumbest kids) bottom ten percent of a class group end up in the army.

Ha ha. The army are a waste of money.



If anybody wanted to take over this country the Irish army couldnt do much about it lol.

Answer 73

WE DO AFTER ALL THE GARDAI NEED THE SUPPORT OF OUR ARMY AS THE CAN NOT HANDLE MOST SITUATIONS ON THEIR OWN

Answer 74

Who would deal with the 10,000 angry soldiers who just lost their jobs? You?



Take a look at the ARW. They'd make ya proud.

Answer 75

http://www.rte.ie/news/2000/0130/kildare.html



http://www.rte.ie/news/2007/1118/ahernd.html



http://www.rte.ie/news/1999/0829/kosovo.html



http://www.rte.ie/news/2009/1119/weather.html



http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/1106/corkdrugs.html



http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0108/liberia.html





These are just a few of the things we do every day as soldiers in the Irish Army! It also provides 10000 jobs for people who also pay tax! Stop undermining what we do and take a bit of pride in your country's defence forces.

Answer 76

Add to that . Why does Britain ?

As a interfering & warmongering nation , When is the last time our forces fought in defending our country ?

Even ww2 we declared war on Germany

What Minister does army come under Ministry of defence

If we are to retain an army then can it not come under . Ministry of offence

Answer 77

no - why waste the money. It's basically there for show anyway. In terms of World armies we're like the tv show Dad's army.

Answer 78

OF COURSE WE DO BOMB SQUAD NEEDED AND PROTECT OUR SHORES FROM OVER FISHING AND DRUGS

Answer 79

It's the only thing stopping the brits coming in again. You mark my words. If we abolish it we'll be looking at another 700 years of oppression from "them across the water".

Answer 80

I agree with Slickcinderella. they are a total waste of money and the people in the army I know are all a bunch of scummy arseholes.

Answer 81

are you joking .. have you seen that lot, they could not save stamps

Answer 82

The British Empire is no longer... the Irish fast saw to that!

Answer 83

We dont need one. theyre useless. Most of them are fat.

Answer 84

no. education and hospitals

Answer 85

we dont but its all about politics and wanting too look good, thats why the go for the average joe for taxes and cuts, its all about keeping up with the jones, but then again brian cowan on more money than barack obama. that says enough greed grrrrrr

Answer 86

You are right Ire;and does not need to be wasting money on a army. Ireland belongs to the British Empire.