Simon Harris proposed more than doubling defence spending as the Department of An Taoiseach pressed for significant increases in funding for national security as a matter of urgency in recent months, official documents indicate.
Greater investment was needed to meet European partners’ “expectation for Ireland to act as a trusted security partner”, the documents reveal.
The move came earlier in the summer at a time when Tánaiste Simon Harris’s Department of Defence was at loggerheads with the Department of Public Expenditure over proposals for higher military spending as part of the Government’s revised National Development Plan (NDP).
Official documents seen by The Irish Times show Mr Harris wanted capital funding of €3.4 billion for capital defence projects between 2026 and 2030. The money was sought for military radar, armoured vehicles for the Army, new helicopters and a fleet of trainer aircraft for the Air Corps as well as surveillance equipment to protect vital infrastructure such as undersea cables.
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The money was also earmarked for redevelopment of existing military facilities in Dublin, the Curragh and Cork which the Department of Defence estimated could cost several hundred million euro. The bill for upgrading Casement Aerodrome in Dublin was estimated at €218 million.
Mr Harris proposed more than doubling the defence capital budget next year to €450 million and suggested this should rise to €850 million for 2029 and 2030.
However, the documents indicate the Department of Public Expenditure did not want capital expenditure on defence to go beyond about €230 million each year.
Speaking notes prepared for Mr Harris in advance of talks on military spending with Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers in June state: “The Government’s perspective on defence and security matters was most recently reflected in the correspondence issued from the secretary general, Department of An Taoiseach to secretary general Department of Public Expenditure on May 29th last, highlighting that a step change in national security funding was now urgently required.”
Eventually Mr Harris secured €1.7 billion in capital funding for defence between 2026 and 2030 under the revised NDP – about €600 million more than had been originally proposed by the Department of Public Expenditure.
The Department of Defence submission seeking the additional military funding says: “There is an increased focus and expectation for Ireland to act as a trusted security partner, and a responsible and good neighbour by our European partners. This can only be credibly demonstrated by significant investment in defence and the development of key capabilities.”
The submission says a detailed implementation plan is being carried out to move to the midpoint of the recommendations for the development of the Defence Forces proposed by the Commission on Defence three years ago – known as Level of Ambition 2 by 2028.
“Beyond this period and out to 2040, a joint capability development unit, established on foot of a Commission on Defence recommendation, is currently preparing a capability development programme that will identify and cost, capability requirements for the Defence Forces out to 2040,” it says.
The speaking notes for Mr Harris for his meeting with Mr Chambers on June 9th say there had been three meetings at official level over the previous month or so on the Department of Defence spending proposals.
However, the note says: “There has been no move on proposed €220 million capital allocation to 2030.
“It is simply not credible to state that an annual capital allocation of €220 million is sufficient to maintain existing capabilities in a context where the rest of Europe is moving to 3.5 per cent GDP defence spend, having consistently spent almost 2 per cent GDP over the last decade – while Ireland’s defence spend languishes at 0.2 per cent GDP.
“There is not an independent expert in Europe who would stand by such an assessment, and to suggest it in the current geopolitical security environment is quite shocking.
“It also need to be acknowledged, as it has by Government, that our existing capabilities are not enough – that’s what the commission report concluded – accepted by Government – and this was before the conflict in Ukraine,” Mr Harris’s speaking notes state.
