Irish Examiner View: Funding our defence forces cannot be an afterthought

Naval vessel LÉ William Butler Yeats at berth in Cobh, Co Cork. Picture: David Creedon / Anzenberger

The three arms of our defence forces have been run down for many years.  A lack of investment, and respect too, has brought us to a sorry pass. 

So much so that our navy's leaders may spend more time organising repair work on our modest fleet rather than taking that fleet to sea to patrol our coastline.