Colm Brophy (Dublin South West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

Before I conclude, I would like to have an engagement on a particular aspect of the discussion. Unfortunately, we have very little time so I will try to be brief. My question has nothing to do with Ireland in the context of individual aspects of neutrality or issues around foreign policy. A key aspect of what we wanted to engage with the witnesses on here today is the principle of European Union- versus NATO-led defence. We have not had a chance to hear from the witnesses on an overview of the European side. We do not like to talk about it because we do not want to say there is a difference of opinion, but there are two political philosophies at play.

NATO is a north Atlantic treaty organisation. Whether we like it or not, and allowing for the strains in recent American administrations, it is an American-led European security framework. There has always been a different viewpoint, coming primarily out of France, that as the European Union has evolved from the European Coal and Steel Community, through the European Economic Community to the EU, the framework for co-operation should be led primarily by the European Union and the involvement of NATO should be different or it should take a secondary role. While I do not want to put the witnesses on the spot, I am interested whether they think the strength of European security co-operation is best led through that EU vision - let us call it, for want of a better description, the French vision - or, as a Continent and collection of western countries, our long-term security is still best led by a NATO-based approach to co-operation. I will start with Dr. Fitzsimmons and then move to Mr. McNamara.