The Department of Justice and Equality and An Garda Síochána have primary responsibility for the internal security of the State. Among the roles assigned to the Defence Forces in the White Paper on Defence is the provision of Aid to the Civil Power which, in practice, means to assist An Garda Síochána when requested to do so. The Defence Forces were called upon to provide Aid to the Civil Power duties for US Military aircraft landing in Shannon in June 2016.
In accordance with legislative requirements of the Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order 1952, all foreign military aircraft wishing to overfly or land in the State require the permission of the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade.
For security and operational reasons, it would not be appropriate for me to comment further on specific flights. However, the total cost to the State for the performance of these duties at Shannon Airport by the Defence Forces to date in 2016 is €135,923.73.