Security and democracy

Sir – Michael McDowell’s excellent article covering the shortcomings of our Defence Forces and policing deserves immediate attention from Government (”If the worst happens, who would come to Ireland’s defence?” Opinion, April 24th).

Yes, we are a neutral country, however we must be a strong neutral in the current global situation.

We must be able to police our own skies and territorial waters. This is particularly important as we continue to develop our offshore wind farms and to protect our subsea cables. This necessitates that the Navy has the capacity to operate the latest sonar related equipment.

We must also insure our Garda have sufficient, well-trained officers and equipment to be able to deal with the type of riot we saw in Dublin last November.Therefore, it is important that part of our budget surplus is used to address these issues ito maintain a secure, stable democracy. – Yours, etc,

Bryan Dobson: ‘Retirement could be a terrible shock to the system – or not, who knows!’

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I spent my maternity leave in a chemo chair. Then I got a letter telling me to go back to work

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Trump’s week in court: Gasps and a pick-up in pace as Hope Hicks is called

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The Croke Park effect: ‘It was one of the very few times I cried during the opposition anthem’

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MIKE CORMACK,

Blackrock,

Co Dublin.