Gerald Nash (Louth, Labour)
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4. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence further to Parliamentary Question No. 18 of 25 June 2025, if he will provide further details, specifically, to name the range of stakeholders involved in discussions; if he will provide a timeline as to when the “active development” and report review will be completed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37987/25]

Catherine Callaghan (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fine Gael)
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5. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the number of military attachés from foreign armed forces accredited to Ireland; the number that are military officers; the number that are civilian; when Ireland’s first military attaché will be accredited abroad; the length of time the project to plan for this proposal has been in train; if there are barriers to implementation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38283/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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I propose to take Questions Nos. 4 and 5 together.

The 2015 White Paper on Defence, which set out a long-term approach to defence provision in Ireland, recognised the need for the Department of Defence to continue to engage in developing and deepening bilateral relations with potential like-minded partners to secure Ireland’s position in current and future international crisis management operations. The Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces which followed in 2022, reinforced this view and recommended the establishment of a Defence Attaché network. Following this, a joint civilian/military project team was formed in late 2022 and tasked with examining options in this respect, with a project formally initiated in May 2023.

This project aimed to explore the benefits to Ireland of establishing a Defence Attaché network, to look at the potential appropriate composition (civilian or military) and duties of the role of a Defence Attaché, and to consider how such a network could build on existing bilateral relations. The project also explored the potential for the deployment, as a pilot, of a Defence Attaché in one of the Irish embassies of strategic value and importance to Defence and Foreign Policy goals, where strong engagement exists on defence matters.

The general purpose of Defence Attachés is to facilitate necessary and appropriate bilateral contacts and exchanges between countries’ respective military authorities, and , at military level, they have tended to commence in rank from Lieutenant-Colonel (or equivalent) upward. There are currently sixty foreign defence attachés accredited to Ireland, including two who are based in Dublin on a resident basis, while the remaining fifty-eight operate on a non-resident basis from London. Defence attachés accredited to Ireland are listed by country on the Diplomatic List as maintained by the Department of Foreign Affairs and which is available to view via the www.ireland.ie website. In some cases Policy Advisors are also part of the diplomatic team who are focussing on security and defence matters. However, a full breakdown of the civilian numbers across all the embassies is not possible to obtain.

It should be noted that Ireland does already have civilian defence attachés working alongside their military colleagues in the Permanent Representation to the EU in Brussels and in the Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York. Having both policy and military experts working overseas in the same team has proven to be a highly successful model which brings value to both the military and to the Departments of Defence and Foreign Affairs and Trade.

In terms of Ireland’s Defence Attaché considerations, consultations have taken place with a range of stakeholders in this regard including with the two resident military attachés based in Ireland as well as with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade who are the key stakeholder in this matter.

Consultations with the latter are ongoing currently and with the Military. The launching of a pilot project in an embassy overseas requires full analysis both from a foreign and defence policy perspective to ensure value in terms of expenditure and in terms of policy and bilateral relationships for the Department of Defence, the Defence Forces, and Government more widely.

From the military perspective, it will also be critical to ensure that the establishment of a military attaché network does not impact on capacity in the Defence Forces to deliver on its sizeable transformation efforts, including the implementation of the Commission on the Defence Forces' recommendations as well as to deliver on its current overseas commitments.

I will undertake to keep the House appraised of any developments in this matter.