Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I have to disagree with the Deputy fundamentally because our military neutrality has always been defined based on non-membership of a military alliance. We are not members of a military alliance. We are not members of NATO. That is the definition of Ireland's military neutrality. We have never been politically neutral. We have joined the European Union and have been a member since 1973. We have been involved in battle groups since 2001 onwards. Participating in battle groups in themselves does not commit to any particular theatre of either peacekeeping, peace enforcement or any such thing. All such decisions would have to come back to this House, back to the Government and be UN mandated in terms of peacekeeping and Security Council resolutions. In no way does participation in a battle group undermine Ireland's military neutrality. When I was in Lebanon, we worked with the Polish troops, for example, and with some Hungarian troops. It makes absolute sense that there is interoperability on such missions otherwise it would be far more dangerous.

See this speech in context