Ireland is buying defence capability, without confronting what that actually requires

Ireland’s defence culture prioritises reassurance over coercion — a model increasingly misaligned with Europe’s deteriorating security environment

The 58th Unifil Battalion at Dublin Airport returning from a tour of duty in the Lebanon in May 1986. Picture: Independent News and Media/Getty Images

Ireland is now exporting its distinctive military culture into the European defence conversation. In a recent interview, General Seán Clancy spoke eloquently about preparedness, resilience, consensus, and urgency — themes that sit comfortably within Ireland’s long-standing approach to security. 

What went largely unremarked, however, were the elements that distinguish defence from reassurance: coercive decision-making, unified command under pressure, lethality, and survivability.