Ireland to increase defence capital spending by more than half to $2 billion
LÉ James Joyce (top) and LÉ George Bernard Shaw are a key part of the Irish Navy’s fleet which may be boosted in an effort to increase subsea awareness. (Photo: Irish Defence Forces)
Ireland has struggled to meet its defence needs in the face of historical underinvestment, current limited funding and its status as a neutral country. Flush with bonus but possibly unreliable tax receipts, the government has committed additional defence capital spending for the rest of the decade.
Ireland has announced an increase in defence capital expenditure for 2026-2030 from €1.1 billion (US$1.3 billion) to €1.7 billion, an increase of 55%, under funding unveiled in its National Development Plan released on 22 July.
Where the money will be spent will be outlined in the coming months but Ireland has previously noted a requirement for military radar, subsea awareness, force protection equipment, Defence Forces infrastructure and tactical uncrewed aerial systems. It also needs to fund preparatory work on possibly buying fighter aircraft and doubling the size of the naval fleet.
These planned procurements fall under Level of Ambition (LoA)
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