Ireland draws up ‘record’ $1.5 billion defense budget

BELFAST — Ireland has announced a “record” €1.35 billion ($1.49 billion) defense budget for 2025, offering funding for ongoing air surveillance radar, subsea awareness, force protection equipment projects and recruitment of 400 additional armed forces personnel.

“The record allocation of €1.35 billion in Budget 2025 demonstrates this government’s commitment to Defence and those who serve our State,” said Micheál Martin, Irish deputy prime minister and defence minister in a statement.

He also said that the 2025 budget will “allow the Air Corps to take delivery of the new Airbus C295W [military transport configured] aircraft,” after Dublin received a second of two C295 maritime patrol aircraft in October 2023.

“This level of investment is critical in the current geopolitical situation,” added Martin.

The uptick in spending comes after decades of underfunding and amid accusations from some quarters that Dublin is failing in its responsibility to help defend Europe following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, not to mention an acute domestic military recruitment and retention crisis curtailing ambitions. Ireland does not supply Ukraine with military aid, but since the Russian invasion it has provided Kyiv with approximately €380 million in humanitarian assistance, according to figures from the President of Ukraine website.

To overcome high-profile problems, the small, militarily neutral nation, is committed to transforming its defense forces by 2028, based on implementing a series of recommendations made by the Commission on the Defence Forces.

Specifically, Dublin is working off the Commission’s Level of Ambition 2 (LOA2) concept, aimed at strengthening capabilities “to address specific priority gaps in our ability to deal with an assault on Irish sovereignty and to serve in higher intensity peace support, crisis management and humanitarian relief operations overseas,” according to a government statement.

Ireland is incapable of intercepting unauthorised or hostile aircraft within its own airspace because it does not operate an air surveillance radar and for political reasons has attempted to keep details secret about an agreement with the UK which allows for Royal Air Force fighter jets to deploy over Irish airspace should such interceptions be necessary. Some lawmakers have even demanded the Irish government share details of the pact to ensure it does not breach the country’s neutrality, according to Sky News.

The project to acquire its own air surveillance radar has an estimated value of €300 million and “will likely” involve three sites, reported The Journal, an Irish online news website.

Elsewhere, Ireland’s 2025 budget includes €469 million for armed forces permanent staff pay and €8 million for Air Corps fleet maintenance, alongside “airfield and training costs.”