Ireland 'will be taken advantage of' by hostile states if it does not invest in defence and security

US ambassador to Nato said neutral European countries, like Ireland, Switzerland, and Austria have 'all the benefits' of the Nato alliance but none of the deficits, as in they 'don’t have to contribute'.

The US ambassador to Nato has said Ireland has “all the benefits” of the military alliance but doesn’t pay towards it.

Speaking in Dublin, Matthew Whittaker said if Ireland did not invest in its own defence and security, it “will be taken advantage of” — either by hostile states or hostile groups.

Mr Whittaker, a lawyer and prominent supporter of US president Donald Trump, was speaking at an event in the US Embassy in Phoenix Park to mark the 250th US Declaration of Independence.

During a lengthy talk with security analyst and former Irish soldier Declan Walsh, Mr Whittaker also took a number of swipes at the EU — both its institutions and politicians.

He accused European politicians of “undermining” the Nato alliance and US-EU relationships by criticising President Trump.

He said this was a “popular” thing to do in Europe and that European politicians were playing to their domestic audiences.

Mr Whitaker did not comment on the impact of statements and social media posts from, and behaviour of, President Trump on Nato allies or EU member states.

There was no reference either to the impact of threats from President Trump to take Greenland from EU and Nato member Denmark.

He criticised the EU’s attempts to regulate social media giants, saying this breached the US’s understanding of “free speech”, and complained this was being done because “delicate little ears can’t handle” robust dialogue.

Mr Whittaker described the EU as “pretty insidious” and said EU officials wanted to “control everything”. 

He said the EU’s regulation of plastic caps on bottles “encapsulates” what was wrong with the union.

In relation to neutral European countries, like Ireland, Switzerland, and Austria, he said they have “all the benefits” of the Nato alliance but none of the deficits, as in they “don’t have to contribute”.

He said he recognised Ireland contributed to international peacekeeping and said he witnessed it in Kosovo with KFOR, a Nato-led mission operating under a UN mandate.

But he said in the current security environment, “if you are not investing in your own defence and security you are inviting vulnerabilities”.

The US has repeatedly called on Nato countries to increase their defence spend to 5% of GDP.

Ireland, which is a partner, but not a member, of Nato, has the lowest spend in the EU, at about 0.2% GDP or 0.3% GNI (excluding multinational profits).

The average spend in the EU in 2025 is 2.1% of GDP.

Mr Whittaker said Ireland was a “critical” country in the global economy and “certainly” with the US, and said communication infrastructure and undersea cables “has to be protected and defended”.

He added: “If you are weak and vulnerable you will be taken advantage of. It could be a state actor, it could be a non-state actor.” 

He warned threats “don’t wait for you to be ready”.

The ambassador said despite the political divisions between Nato members, the military relationship between members “could never be stronger” and that, if need be, they could “fight tonight” together.

But he said it was now for European countries to lead the defence of Europe and increase their expenditure — something he said Germany, the Baltic states, Poland and Romania were leading on.

He said he spent a lot of his time “calming everyone down” in Europe about this and added it could be a 10-year project.