Simon Coveney (Cork South Central, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Consequently, we must have that discussion and we must recognise there are serious capacity issues with our own defence. That has been exposed very bluntly in the commission report and we should not brush that under the carpet. We must respond to it. We need more capacity, larger Defence Forces and increased resources for defence in Ireland. That is not about capacity for going to war or anything like that but about core defence and the ability for Ireland to contribute to international peace and security. I hope the Government will be able to make decisions to support that approach, as I said, over the next two weeks, and I am pretty confident it will.