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Ireland–NATO relations

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Ireland and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization have had a formal relationship since 1999, when Ireland joined as a member of the NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme and signed up to NATO's Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC). To date, Ireland has not sought to join as a full NATO member due to its traditional policy of military neutrality.

Ireland-NATO relations

NATO
Ireland

Recent history of NATO–Ireland relations

Irish Army soldiers as part of Kosovo Force receive the NATO Medal for Kosovo (March 2010)

Ireland had been willing in 1949 to negotiate a bilateral defence pact with the United States, but opposed joining NATO until the question of Northern Ireland was resolved with the United Kingdom (see The Troubles 1968–1998).[1] Official NATO–Ireland relations began in 1999 when Ireland became a signatory to NATO's Partnership for Peace programme and the alliance's Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. Since then, NATO and Ireland have actively cooperated on peacekeeping, humanitarian, rescue, and crisis management issues and have developed practical cooperation in other military areas of mutual interest, under Ireland's Individual Partnership Programme (IPP) and Individual Partnership and Cooperation Programme (IPCP), which is jointly agreed every two years.[2] Irish cooperation with NATO is centred around the country's historic policy of neutrality in armed conflicts, which allows the Irish military to deploy on peacekeeping and humanitarian missions where there is a mandate from the United Nations (UN Security Council resolution or UN General Assembly resolution), subject to cabinet and Dáil Éireann (Irish parliament) approval. This is known as Ireland's "triple-lock" policy.[3][4]

Ireland participates in the Partnership for Peace (PfP) Planning and Review Process (PARP), which aims to increase the interoperability of the Irish armed forces, the Defence Forces, with other NATO member states and bring them into line with accepted international military standards so as to successfully deploy with other professional forces on peace operations overseas.[5]

Ireland supports the ongoing NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) and has done so since 1999, and supplied a limited number of troops to the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan (2001–2014), as these were sanctioned by UN Security Council resolutions. The ISAF counter-IED programme in Afghanistan was largely developed by senior officers from the Irish Army Ordnance Corps. Previously in 1997, before Ireland had a formal relationship with the alliance, it deployed personnel in support of the NATO-led peacekeeping operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina where much of its forces formed part of an international military police company primarily operating in Sarajevo.[6][7]

Potential accession of Ireland to NATO

To date, Ireland has not officially applied to join as a full member of NATO due to its longstanding policy of military neutrality.

Public opinion in Ireland continues to favour a policy of non-alignment in armed conflicts, and currently no main political organisation supports full ascension into NATO as the party line.[8] There has been, and continues to be, a number of individual politicians and groups of politicians who support Ireland joining NATO, mainly but not limited to the centre-right Fine Gael party (in 2013, the party's youth wing Young Fine Gael passed a motion calling on the Irish government to start accession talks with NATO).[9][10][11] It is widely understood that a referendum would have to be held before any changes could be made to neutrality or to joining NATO.[12]

Former Secretary General of NATO Anders Fogh Rasmussen said during a visit to Dublin in 2013 that the "door is open" for Ireland to join NATO at any time, saying that the country would be "warmly welcomed" and is already viewed as a "very important partner".[13]

In January 2015, the British and Irish governments signed their first mutual defence agreement, a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) deepening defence collaboration in the future.[14]

Ireland's military is a member of the EU Battlegroups, as part of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) of the European Union (EU), of which a majority of member states are NATO members.[15]

US military stopovers in Ireland

Ireland's air facilities are regularly used by the United States military for the transit of military personnel overseas, mainly to the Middle East. The Irish government began supplying military and civilian air facilities in Ireland for use by the armed forces of the United States during the 1991 First Gulf War. Following the September 11 attacks in 2001, the Irish government offered the use of Irish airspace and airports to the US military in support of the War in Afghanistan and the 2003 invasion of Iraq, on the condition that aircraft be unarmed, with no cargo of arms, ammunition or explosives, not engage in intelligence gathering, and that the flights in question do not form part of military exercises or operations at the time.[16] Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel (military) and Shannon Airport (civil), used as stopover hubs, have seen more than 2.4 million American troops pass through from 2002 to 2014.[17] An average of more than 500 US troops pass through Shannon every day.[18]

US use of Baldonnel and Shannon has been the subject of controversy in Ireland due to revelations in December 2005 by the BBC investigative television programme Newsnight that Shannon Airport was used on at least 33 occasions for secret Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) flights, operated by front companies, as part of a US government policy known as "extraordinary rendition". The New York Times also reported the number to be 33, though referring to "Ireland" as a whole rather than Shannon specifically, while Amnesty International alleged the number of flights to be over 50. Baldonnel has seen similar claims, but which are impossible to verify as it is a military airbase. Both the US and Irish authorities have denied the allegations.[19] According to leaked American diplomatic cables (WikiLeaks) from the US Embassy in Dublin, the Irish Minister for Foreign Affairs at the time told the chief of mission that the Irish authorities suspected the CIA had on a number of occasions used aircraft disguised as commercial flights to transfer prisoners detained in Afghanistan to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for interrogation and detention – using Shannon to refuel in the process – and warning of the legal implications for both Ireland and the United States as a result.[20]

Defending Irish airspace

The Irish Air Corps relies on outdated single-engine turboprop Pilatus PC-9 trainer aircraft, which cannot fly at the speed of modern jet aircraft

The Irish Air Corps, the air force element of the Irish Defence Forces, is widely perceived as incapable of defending Ireland's airspace due to a significant lack of funding, equipment, training and personnel. Its role is mainly limited to fisheries protection in support of the Irish Naval Service, and non-military air services such as policing, air ambulance, VIP transport, search and rescue and logistical support, at which it has developed a proficiency for its size. As Ireland is not a member of NATO it does not benefit from integrated European military radar detection systems nor NATO-level equipment. The Air Corps does not have the ability to intercept fast jet aircraft, and previous air incursions have seen the British Royal Air Force (RAF), a NATO ally, respond to and escort unwelcome aircraft out of Irish-controlled airspace.[21]

The average cruising air speed for commercial passenger jets is 878 to 926 km/h,[22] while the top speed of a Pilatus PC-9 from the Air Corps is just 593 km/h.[23]

In February 2015, two Russian Tupolev Tu-95 "Bear" nuclear-capable strategic bombers entered Irish-controlled airspace without permission, without forewarning, with their transponders switched off and failed to file flight plans, causing serious concern at the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), which was forced to divert a number of civil passenger aircraft out of the path of the Russian bombers as a precautionary measure.[24] The Russian military aircraft were interrogated by RAF Eurofighter Typhoon jets scrambled from the United Kingdom, demonstrating the lack of an Irish military response and the reliance on the UK for the protection of Irish airspace. The Russian bombers did not enter sovereign Irish airspace, but the Department of Defence lodged a complaint with Russian diplomats in Dublin, and the Minister for Defence publicly vented his anger at the incursions, and the disruption and danger it caused to commercial air traffic. It later emerged that the Norwegian military (a NATO ally) had intercepted Russian military communications indicating that one of the aircraft was carrying a nuclear payload (a nuclear missile that was not "live" at the time, but had the ability to be made "live" mid-air). British reports visually confirmed that one of the bombers was carrying a nuclear warhead.[25] The fact that Russian military bombers carrying nuclear weapons flew within 12 nautical miles of the Irish coast caused significant alarm.[26]

In July 2015, the Irish government revealed plans to purchase a ground-based long-range air surveillance radar system for the Irish Aviation Authority and Defence Forces to keep track of covert aircraft flying in Irish-controlled airspace, including military aircraft that do not file a flight plan and have their transponders switched off. Minister for Defence Simon Coveney said the increased capability would give better coverage of the Atlantic airspace over which the IAA has responsibility. The long-range surveillance radar is reported to cost €10 million, and is seen as a priority purchase to provide the civilian and military authorities with an improved competency in monitoring aerial incursions.[27] The decision was widely attributed directly to the Russian incursions.

Agreements with the UK on air defence

The possibility of a hijacked airliner in Irish airspace would most likely result in a Quick Reaction Alert (QRA) response by NATO aircraft, and it is believed that there are secret agreements in place with the British government regarding the defence of Irish airspace.[28][29]

In 2016 it was reported in the Irish press that several years previous confidential agreements were made between the Irish and British governments concerning the protection of Irish airspace from terrorist threats. The reports revealed that the Irish Department of Defence, Department of Foreign Affairs and Irish Aviation Authority entered into a bilateral agreement with the British RAF, Civil Aviation Authority, Ministry for Defence and Foreign and Commonwealth Office permitting the British military to conduct armed operations inside Irish sovereign or Irish-controlled airspace in the event of a real time or envisaged threat of an aerial terrorist-related attack on Ireland or on a neighbouring country.[30]

Ireland's foreign relations with NATO member states

See also

References

  1. ^ "NATO's 'neutral' European partners: valuable contributors or free riders?". NATO. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  2. ^ "NATO's relations with Ireland". NATO. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  3. ^ "Ireland: dealing with NATO and neutrality". NATO Review Magazine. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  4. ^ Lee, Dorcha (18 September 2014). "Time to adjust the peacekeeping triple lock". The Irish Times. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  5. ^ "Defence Questions: Irish cooperation with NATO in Ukraine". Eoghan Murphy TD. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  6. ^ "Current Missions > ISAF". Defence Forces Ireland. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  7. ^ "Current Missions > KFOR". Defence Forces Ireland. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  8. ^ O'Carroll, Sinead (13 February 2013). "Poll: Should Ireland give up its neutrality?". thejournal.ie. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  9. ^ "YFG Calls for Ireland to Engage in Accession Talks with NATO". Young Fine Gael (YFG). 22 July 2013. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  10. ^ McCullagh, David (19 May 2015). "David McCullagh blogs on Ireland's defence policy". RTÉ Prime Time. Retrieved 18 July 2015.
  11. ^ Roche, Barry (30 August 2014). "Ireland should change position on military neutrality, says academic". The Irish Times. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  12. ^ "Challenges and opportunities abroad: White paper on foreign policy" (PDF). Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade Ireland. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  13. ^ Lynch, Suzanne (11 February 2013). "Door is open for Ireland to join Nato, says military alliance's chief". The Irish Times. Retrieved 15 July 2015.
  14. ^ "UK and Ireland sign historic defence agreement". Her Majesty's Government (HMG). Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  15. ^ O'Halloran, Maire (6 October 2015). "Dáil majority backs Irish military role in EU battle group". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  16. ^ "50 aircraft refused access to Irish airspace over munition concerns in 2016". Irish Examiner. 9 January 2017. Retrieved 10 January 2017.
  17. ^ McConnell, Daniel (10 August 2014). "15pc rise in number of US military flights landing at Shannon". Irish Independent. Retrieved 9 October 2015.
  18. ^ Clonan, Tom (15 August 2016). "Tom Clonan: Why it's time to have an open and honest debate about our neutrality". thejournal.ie. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
  19. ^ "Gilmore accepts US assurance of no rendition flights through Shannon". Thejournal.ie. 20 September 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2014.
  20. ^ "Rendition flights 'used Shannon'". The Irish Times. 17 December 2010. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  21. ^ O’Riordan, Sean (20 February 2015). "Russian nuclear bombers enter Irish airspace for second time". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  22. ^ "Phases Of A Flight". REStARTS. Archived from the original on 24 August 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
  23. ^ Jane's All The World's Aircraft 2003–2004. Jackson. 2003. pp. 455–456.
  24. ^ O’Riordan, Sean (3 March 2015). "Passenger planes dodged Russian bombers". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  25. ^ "Intercepted Russian bomber was carrying a nuclear missile over the Channel". The Express. 1 February 2015. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  26. ^ O’Riordan, Sean (12 February 2015). "Russian bomber in Irish air space 'had nuclear weapon'". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  27. ^ O'Brien, Stephen (5 July 2015). "€10m radar goes to the front line of military shopping list". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 6 July 2015.
  28. ^ Lavery, Don (2 March 2003). "Government's secret plan to ask Britain for help if attacked". Irish Independent. Retrieved 3 March 2016.
  29. ^ O’Riordan, Sean (11 February 2015). "How much to protect skies above Ireland?". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 10 October 2015.
  30. ^ O’Riordan, Sean (8 August 2016). "RAF tornado jets could shoot down hijacked planes in Irish airspace". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 4 September 2016.
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