Leo Varadkar (Dublin West, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

There is no hidden agenda here. I have told the Deputy exactly what we intend to do. We intend to increase and improve our Defence Forces and defence capability. We are founder members of PESCO, which is European foreign and security structured co-operation. For more than 20 years, we have been part of NATO’s Partnership for Peace. Interoperability is there to protect our troops and make sure they are safe and can act effectively in peacekeeping missions, being able to use the same equipment and to engage in joint operations with countries such as Poland and Estonia, which we do in Lebanon. There are no secrets here. We are very clear about our policy. We will not be joining NATO or any other military alliance; we will be investing in our Defence Forces. We are founder members of structured co-operation at a European level in security and defence and for more than 20 years we have been a NATO partner for peace.

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