Shannonwatch insists the Irish Government must tell US President Joe Biden that Shannon Airport can no longer be used by the US military.
President Biden began an official trip to the island of Ireland last night and is due to take in Louth, Dublin and Mayo over the next few days.
The anti-war group say that it is shameful that on the 25th Anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement, Shannon Airport is still used to support invasions in other countries.
Shannonwatch founding member, Edward Horgan says a clear message needs to be sent about reinforcing Ireland’s neutrality.
You can hear more on this on Clare FM’s Morning Focus from 9am this Wednesday morning.
Statement from Department of Defence
“On the Morning Focus programme on Clare FM yesterday (12 April), Dr Edward Horgan made reference to Ireland’s participation in EU Battlegroups and went on to say that “[Irish] soldiers can be sent overseas against their will”, which he described as “almost a form of conscription”.
While it is the case that there have been very limited cases of mandatory selection in relation to some overseas deployments in recent years, the decision of the Irish Government that the Defence Forces should participate in an EU Battlegroup does not presume any further decision in relation to participation in an actual Battlegroup operation. Any such decision is subject to national decision-making procedures which, in Ireland’s case, means the “triple lock” of a UN Mandate and Dáil and Government approval.
Neither does a commitment to a Battlegroup involve any commitment to common or mutual defence.
Moreover, the recent decision by the Government to participate in a German-led Battlegroup for the period 2024-2025 maintains a practice by which Ireland has participated in seven EU Battlegroups since 2008, though such battlegroups have never deployed in that time.”
