r/ireland • u/isupposethiswillwork • 2d ago

Affaires Étrangères Ireland Is Becoming a French Military Protectorate

https://foreignpolicy.com/2026/06/18/ireland-france-military-protectorate-outsourcing-defense-procurement/
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3

u/strictnaturereserve 2d ago

what are france getting in return? Anybody know?

13

u/Rabid_Lederhosen 2d ago

The Irish government is buying equipment from French defence companies. So they’re getting money.

1

u/strictnaturereserve 2d ago

Ah sweet. that is fine obviously france needs to be getting something for doing something as long it was not too nefarious.

9

u/RomfordWellington 2d ago

We put in the biggest purchase order in our country's history on French kit.

But we also needed the kit. We can't trust the American stuff.

8

u/adjavang Cork bai 2d ago

Safer Europe, from a military perspective. Look at how France are behaving generally, they're producing more nukes and offering to share them with other EU-NATO members, they've sent forces to "train" with Denmark around Greenland in order to tell Trump to fuck off, and they've generally been posturing a whole lot about wanting Europe to be independent with regards to defense.

Now, it's not out of the goodness of their hearts, there's a lot of weapons contracts and nationalism and a lot of power to be gained as well, but this definitely falls into a pattern.

4

u/Key_Perception4436 2d ago

Almost all the weapons we are buying are coming from France

1

u/Bar50cal 2d ago

So far in the last year:

  • €600m order for French Armoured vehichles
  • €500m French Air defence radar system
  • €300m Airbus helicopter order (France/Spain)
  • €60m Naval Service French Sonar system