The end of the Triple Lock

Since the foundation of the state, Ireland has upheld its constitutionally mandated commitment to peaceful resolution of international disputes, with the adoption of its policy of neutrality. That this policy has kept Ireland out of major military engagements, has made Ireland an outlier among many of its European peers is unquestionable, as it has demonstrated an official commitment to peace.

Triple Lock Removal

It's clear that if the triple lock is scrapped, the Irish Defence Forces will ramp up their involvement in EU military structures.

Dominic Carroll, of Action Against War (Cork).

Ireland is a neutral country, the central component of that neutrality is the Triple Lock. This mechanism stipulates that Irish troops can only be deployed on overseas missions if approval is granted from the cabinet, Dáil Éireann – with a UN mandate.The deployment of contingents of more than twelve Irish troops to any conflict zone or CSDP mission cannot proceed without this procedure.

On May 25th, the Irish government announced legislation to remove the rule. This fundamental policy shift will seriously weaken Irish neutrality. The present proceed to Government will proceed to deploy military forces, not to keep the peace within a UN mandated mission., but as part of a military alliance.

The Triple Lock is an integral part of Ireland's neutral position because it stands as a preventative measure against deploying Irish troops unless there is a UN mandate to do so.

This mechanism guarantees that troop deployment may only take place under the UN system, as guarantor of international peace and security. This removal could 'sound the death knell on Irish neutrality.'

The Government's assertation is that elimination would allow Ireland to participate more effectively in peacekeeping. In practice, however, removal of the need for UN sanction would threaten neutrality.

A draft article from the Department of Defense justified this move to reverse Ireland's stance on the triple lock, citing "dysfunction" at the United Nations Security Council and the need to protect Ireland's ministers on foreign trips and assist Irish citizens in case of emergency.

The Taoiseach had in the past, stated that the triple lock was central to Ireland's neutrality. The decision to abolish the triple lock, under pressure from EU partners and NATO, has led to a reversal of this position. The Taoiseach now states that the Triple Lock it is not at the center of Ireland's neutral position.

Ditching the triple lock would be the most significant breach of what little is left of Ireland's neutrality, as it will remove a major obstacle to Ireland's full integration into the EU common security and defence policy.

Dominic Carroll, of Action Against War (Cork).

The Irish people should have a vote to decide the future of the triple lock.

Social Democrats Foreign Affairs and Defence Spokesperson Sinéad Gibney.

When you see countries like Sweden rushing to join NATO, despite their long record of neutrality, you can see how much times have changed .. I think, removing the triple lock only has the effect of reclaiming for the Dáil the sole right to decide where and when we deploy Irish troops.

Seán Martin, Fianna Fáil city councillor, and brother to the Taoiseach, commenting on the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, and specifically citing the security of Europe.

This comment from a member of Fianna Fáil with close access to Government thinking, is a confirmation that joining NATO is de facto Government policy, rhetoric aside.

After joining the United Nations, peacekeeping operations commenced, and legislation was passed in 1960 allowing Irish troops to be sent abroad - but only on missions backed by the United Nations. In order to meet concerns that the Nice and Lisbon Treaties might undermine neutrality, this rule was restated as the Triple Lock.

Under this rule, no more than twelve troops can be deployed on active missions overseas without: (1) a decision by the Government; (2) the approval of the Dáil; and (3) the authorisation of the United Nations. With Governments usually having a majority in the Dáil, the first two conditions are part of the one decision: UN approval is the key factor.

For many years Ireland was non-aligned, and supported peace initiatives, even when doing so meant challenging the interests of the world's most powerful nations. At the height of the Cold War, Minister Frank Aiken led efforts at the United Nations (UN) towards the creation of the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons.

Ireland advanced processes on the prohibition of nuclear weapons, cluster munitions, and anti-personnel landmines. Ireland is the only nation with a continuous presence on UN mandated peace-support operations since 1958.

Since the foundation of the state, Ireland has upheld its constitutionally mandated commitment to peaceful resolution of international disputes, with the adoption of its policy of neutrality. That this policy has kept Ireland out of major military engagements, has made Ireland an outlier among many of its European peers is unquestionable, as it has demonstrated an official commitment to peace.

In recent years, the Irish government has strengthened ties with EU military structures and NATO in a transparent violation of neutrality, and in contravention of political and legal commitments made to the Irish people in the context of the Nice and Lisbon treaties.

In March 2023, the government announced withdrawal of Irish peace-keepers from the UN mission in the Golan Heights to 'ensure that the Defence Forces have the capacity to fulfil their commitment to the EU Battlegroup 2024/2025'.

Increasing NATO Integration

Irish troops currently participate in military training exercises with NATO and EU battlegroups. This move from peace-keeping towards war takes place against a backdrop in which U.S. military planes now regularly use Shannon Airport. Israeli weapon cargo flights fly through Irish airspace unimpeded, and an Irish-based arms lobby group working for one of the world's largest arms corporations. Lockheed Martin, is currently lobbying the Irish Department of Defence.

In opposition, Michael Martin described the Triple Lock as being 'at the core of our neutrality'. He is now asserting otherwise, the position of Fianna Fail is that the public is not to conflate neutrality with the Triple Lock. Martin also acknowledged that although 'the United Nations is not working as it should … we must not abandon it as an essential part of the international system'.

The question must be why has the Government decided to 'abandon' this 'essential part of the international system'.

There are hundreds of Irish peacekeeping troops deployed on active UN missions around the world. The government is now planning to abandon peacekeeping efforts and will employ soldiers on missions that do not have multilateral support, both EU and NATO.

The UN Charter is a foundational document of international law. If Ireland acts outside it, and deploys troops on EU or NATO missions., it could find itself in direct conflict with global powers. With the elimination of the Triple Lock, Ireland will significantly weaken its stated commitment to the UN system., peacekeeping and to multilateralism.

Numerous opinion polls have demonstrated constant Irish public support for neutrality, which, since Frank Aiken, has been expressed through UN-led peacekeeping operations. This Irish Government's move occurs when the UN faces an unprecedented challenge in the context of Israel's genocidal war on Palestine, as the UN is under assault inside Gaza and internationally.

The question is, then, why the Government is intentionally undermining the UN as a peacekeeping mechanism which can only further erode its legitimacy internationally.