Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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Under Section 3(1) of the Defence (Amendment) Act 2006, a contingent or member of the Permanent Defence Force may, with the prior approval of and on the authority of the Government, be despatched for service outside the State for the purpose of filling appointments or postings (S.3(1)(a)) and conducting or participating in training (S.3(1)(b)). Dáil Éireann approval is not required for the despatch of such personnel.

In January 2023, the Government approved participation by the Defence Forces in the German-led EU Battle group 2024-25 on this basis. This is the eighth occasion where the Defence Forces will take part in an EU Battle group, and the first since 2020.

The decision to participate in an EU Battle group does not presume any further decision in relation to participation in an actual Battle group operation. Any such decision is subject to national decision-making procedures which in Ireland’s case, currently means the triple lock of a UN Mandate and Dáil and Government approval. As such, notwithstanding any agreement on participation in a Battle group, Ireland continues to retain the absolute right to determine for itself, on a case-by-case basis, whether or not to participate in any particular Battle group operation.

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 156 and 157 together.

Ireland has been a member of Partnership for Peace (PfP) since 1999, at which time the Government and Dáil Éireann approved Ireland’s participation, with the foremost priority for participation being cooperation in peacekeeping. Ireland's participation is tailored so that it reflects our national priorities, and is fully consistent with Ireland’s policy of military neutrality, which is characterised by non-participation in military alliances. Participation in PfP does not involve any commitment to NATO’s common defence arrangements

Co-operation is the cornerstone of Ireland's engagement in PfP, and to-date, we used our engagement with NATO through PfP to primarily cooperate on the training and skills needed for peacekeeping and crisis management operations.

Heretofore, the framework for cooperation under PfP between Partners and NATO was conducted through the Individual Partnership Cooperation Programme (IPCP) and the Planning and Review Process (PARP). A streamlined framework for cooperation, namely the Individually Tailored Partnership Programme (ITPP), was developed to incorporate both the IPCP and PARP. Streamlining these processes into one is an effort to minimise the administrative burden for both NATO and Partners.

At the Madrid Summit in 2022, NATO Allies agreed and recognised the importance of partner relations with countries and organisations around the world. It was also recognised that co-operation with partners, based on mutual respect and benefit, contributes to global security, enhances resilience and upholds the rules based international order.

The ITPP allows for cooperation in respect of enabling Defence Forces capability development and interoperability, attaining best practice in relation to military standards and contributing to force protection measures. The ITPP also allows for greater cooperation in efforts to tackle cyber and hybrid threats, enhancing resilience, maritime security as well as in work to address the impact of conflict on women and girls through the women, peace, and security agenda.

The ITPP is for a duration of four years, 2024-2028, after which a revised framework will be developed taking into account possible further Partner-led goals based on their identified capability development requirements and the security environment at that time.