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

On Deputy Coppinger’s question, the €3 billion will be some time off. The immediate target is LOA 2. The programme for Government commits that after that a move to LOA 3 but we are some distance off because of procurement and so on. The Deputy spoke of increases but we are one of the lowest spenders. We have very low spending on military and we are coming from a very low base. Procurement capacity has to be built up and so on. The fact is, Europe is exposed in the world today and Europe feels exposed. Those on the eastern flank and the Baltic states in particular feel an existential threat from Russia – nobody else but Russia. There is a general view across Europe now that Russia represents a very significant threat to the long-term security of Europe and because of geopolitical developments that Europe will have to become more self-reliant in respect of its own security and defence. That is the view. Europe’s ultimate goal is to engage peacefully. Europe wants peace and wants to maintain peace and wants prosperity but sometimes the only way to maintain that is to have some strength that would deter people from encroaching and violating Europe’s borders or the borders of member states of the European Union. It is a very unsettling and uncertain environment in which we are currently living but those are the facts of the situation. There is a lot of worry about the place.

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