Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 26 July 2022
1000. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Defence the NATO sub-committees that Ireland is a member of; the way that the decision to join such groups is arrived at; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [39778/22]
View answerIreland is not a member of NATO and not a member of any NATO sub-committees.
Ireland’s relations with NATO are set within the framework of the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council and Partnership for Peace (PfP). Each partnership country outlines the specific areas of cooperation that it wishes to pursue jointly with NATO. This is a voluntary process and there is no obligation under Partnership for Peace to participate in missions or in any particular activity. Participation in PfP does not involve any commitment to NATO’s common defence arrangements.
The principal benefit of participation in Partnership for Peace is that it has allowed us to enhance the Defence Forces’ capabilities and interoperability with other professional military forces for peacekeeping, preventative and crisis management operations under UN mandates.
