Am I missing something here

[Ivan Cloherty]

India has just launched its first shallow water anti-submarine vessel

R of Ireland is discussing whether or not it should join NATO and forgoe its neutrality because it doesn't like violence.:

However what it hopes to contribute is debatable, as only this week it could not muster enough crew for a Navy Cutter to go and investigate the actions of three Russian vessels off its West Coast

[James Curry]

Ivan, the reason they did not send a boat was no where to keep all them Russian prisoners.

Anyway the local fishermen sent them packing.
Have a listen to the video will give you a giggle.

https://edition.cnn.com/2022/01/31/e...ntl/index.html

[Ivan Cloherty]

R O I and joining NATO, looking into this a bit further Ireland has sent one of its Naval vessels to the Mediterranean to patrol the coast of Libya, its remaining four naval vessels are tied up in the port of Cork through lack of crew. Now I am no genius but I was tinkin, perhaps you could at least get one full crew out of the remaining four and have at least one vessel active. Apparently no one wants to join the Navy as the pay is so poor. Perhaps they could recruit from all those Irish-Americans who speak with an Irish accent, but don't know where it is

[James Curry]

Not just the Guinness boats are short on crew RN are 3.6% down on manning levels. Oddly enough citizens of ROI joining the British Armed forces.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/254058...ic-of-ireland/

This article is dated 2017.

[happy daze john in oz]

To be sure they did join in both wars, but Ireland as it was in WW1 had a R&R center for soldiers.
1916 saw the Easter uprising and by 1923 the republic came into being.
In WW2 it was neutral and no doubt should war break out again it would continue with such a stance.
But as Finland has just joined it is not beyond the realms of possibility for the republic to do the same.

[Ivan Cloherty]

But as Finland has just joined it is not beyond the realms of possibility for the republic to do the same.

There-in lies the difference John, Finland has a lot to offer NATO, sophisticated aircraft, modern naval vessels, ice breakers, elite snow and mountain troops equipped with all weather terrain and climate tolerant materiel shipbuilding facilities etc

Ireland can contribute ?

[James Curry]

Probably man power? Would you rather have an Irish regiment covering your flank or an Italian regiment?

[Ivan Cloherty]

Probably man power? Would you rather have an Irish regiment covering your flank or an Italian regiment?

Don'think anyone mentioned Italy James, but to answer your question the Irish as long as they kept their left foot questions to themselves

[James Curry]

Oh dear Ivan, you appear to have a downer on the Irish, did you lose a few quid at the Cheltenham festival this year

[Alan Masterman]

FWIW, I used to work and drink with a lot of Irish guys in the building trade in Jersey in the 1960's. I would advise against underestimating their adversarial prowess. The more so, in view of the way they kicked the British **** in the 1920's. The most powerful imperialist force in the world couldn't conquer the Irish rebellion.

This is not to say, of course, that their current politicians and defence-thinkers aren't a bunch of featherheads, just like our own.

In the context of traditional, pre-21st C warfare, the Irish policy of neutrality probably made more sense than the analogous policies of Finland or Sweden. Ireland is, after all, at the end of the European world (as James Joyce observed!). But today, it cannot be denied, on any reasonable analysis, an Irish decision to join NATO would be a realistic and highly valued contribution to world peace.