Mr. Kieran Brennan:

While I know the other Deputy did not agree with me, I gave the example that since 1958, there have been more than 120 conflicts and the Government has been very careful about where it deployed. I am talking about the period between 1958 and 2002, when the triple lock came into force. There were approximately 120 conflicts, both interstate and intrastate. The Government never made any kneejerk reaction during that time in getting involved in any kind of conflict. The conflict in the Balkans in the nineties is one such example. I still make the point that a mature Government would continue to exercise constraint in this regard.

This comes back to the military advice and the maturity of the military commanders who bring that advice to the Government. It is always based on risk and the danger to the troops involved, as well as the environment they are going into and whether we have the capability to deliver the outcomes that may be required. These are all considerations. The Deputy’s fears are not well founded. That is my opinion.