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A file image of Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Mark Mellett before his retirement. Alamy Stock Photo

Former Defence chief: First salvos of Ukraine war fired here as Russia exposed Ireland

Mark Mellett, the former Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces, launched a stinging attack on Irish defence capacity.

MARK MELLETT, THE former Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces, told an Irish security conference that Russia exposed Ireland’s vulnerabilities off our coasts.

Mellett was speaking at the recent Slándáil organised event on the “Future of Irish Defence” which was being held as the government considers the future direction of the Defence Forces.

The former defence chief said that Ireland was powerless to do anything to prevent the exercises.

“We really showed our nakedness in terms of our capacity to respond. Ireland is now a lone sentinel, separated from the other states in the Atlantic and in a very vulnerable position. And we are probably the most vulnerable state in the 27 members,” he said.

In January The Journal reported that the Irish government had received a warning of a major exercise by the Russian navy in the Atlantic off the south west coast planned for the first week of February.

The exercise was seen as a provocative move by Russia and the Russian ambassador to Ireland Yuriy Filatov announced on 29 January that the area where the tests would take place would be moved as a “gesture of goodwill”.

Filatov said this has been done “with the aim not to hinder fishing activities by the Irish vessels in the traditional fishing areas”.

The vessels involved in the drills subsequently made their way to the Black Sea and have been involved in cruise missile attacks against Ukraine. 

They were monitored off the south coast by Irish Air Corps CASA maritime patrol aircraft and Irish, French, British and US naval forces.      

“We shouldn’t forget the first salvo in terms of the Ukrainian invasion was actually fired on the southwest coast of Ireland, when the hybrid, play of the Russian naval exercise, with artillery and gunnery and rocket exercises.

“Within our sovereign jurisdiction, our exclusive economic zone, off the southwest coast in more than 5000 square kilometers in areas the size of Wexford, Wicklow and Dublin was going to be annexed from this country for five days. It was unprecedented. It was provocative,” he told delegates. 

In the coming weeks the Minister for Defence Simon Coveney will bring a memo to Government for what is being billed as a major revamp of the Defence Forces.  

During a separate discussion on the Commission on the Defence Forces at the Slándáil event Independent TD Cathal Berry, a former military officer in the Army Ranger Wing, strongly criticised the political culture towards defence. 

He said it had its origins in how the State was formed. 

“My own personal view is the Civil War was a defining moment in our history. From each side emerged a political party. 

“Both parties formed every government and almost every opposition since the foundation of the State. Consequently defence was such a contentious issue that it couldn’t even be discussed.

“So we have no corporate knowledge, and no institutional memory what so ever and it was just part of our sovereign structure,” he said.

Berry said that a failure of the Commission process was that the Department of Defence (DOD) was not also scrutinised. 

The Kildare TD said that he believes the problem in the effectiveness of the Irish defence apparatus comes from the “interface” between the military and its civilian masters in the DOD. 

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47 Comments
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    Mute Larry O Reilly
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    Jun 9th 2022, 7:54 AM

    Who is this man, what is he talking about, we are a small island off the coast of Europe other direction Newfoundland, not a major nation in the big picture as regards World security, we have neither the ability or capacity to do anything about what Russia did of our coast. The money that these people are suggested bring Ireland the security level to be a power to be reckon with is out of this world. We have a house problem, homeless, waiting list out the door, a health system in disarray, educational system in turmoil need I go on and these people want us to spend millions upon millions on defence I think not.

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    Mute JustBEERbarry
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    Jun 9th 2022, 8:02 AM

    @Larry O Reilly: he’s Conor McGregors buddy, remember?

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    Mute Alan Conroy
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    Jun 9th 2022, 8:20 AM

    @Larry O Reilly: I wonder how countries like Denmark and Finland with similar populations and economies manage this? Perhaps its not one thing over another as you suggest?

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    Mute Stephen Deegan
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    Jun 9th 2022, 8:22 AM

    @Larry O Reilly: We have deep water ports and long runways. We’re a strategic foothold for attacking mainland Europe. Don’t be fooled by the ‘it’d never happen to us’ mindset. Russia has been eyeing us up for years.

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    Mute Larry O Reilly
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    Jun 9th 2022, 8:27 AM

    @Alan Conroy: Finland are looking to join nato so not sure what your point is

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    Mute Nick Caffrey
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    Jun 9th 2022, 8:33 AM

    @Alan Conroy: They are not having to start from scratch in 2022!

    29
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    Mute Alan Conroy
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    Jun 9th 2022, 8:43 AM

    @Larry O Reilly: Finland can manage to send resolve their homelessness issues and have short waiting lists and still have a modern military that can fit in with nato, they don’t do one thing at the expense of another.

    104
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    Mute Ibhar Mac Suibhne
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    Jun 9th 2022, 8:59 AM

    @Stephen Deegan: you mean the same Russia that is incapable of taking over Ukraine and doesn’t have the resources to attack another country at the same time according to shit loads of defence analysts that aren’t paid by BAE , Raytheon and Co.

    51
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    Mute Roy Dowling
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    Jun 9th 2022, 9:20 AM

    @Alan Conroy: If we were to be like Denmark and Finland then we’d need to bring in conscription.

    27
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    Mute Roy Dowling
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    Jun 9th 2022, 9:31 AM

    @Stephen Deegan: Russia has been eyeing us for years? Any proof of that?. Yes we have long runways and deep ports but that’s doesn’t mean anything to Russia when we’re thousands of miles away from them. It would take a large portion of their fleet to patrol out coast to keep out other nations ships trying to help us. It would take another large portion to keep their army supplied. Our border with northern Ireland (UK) would also mean large portion of ground forces are needed to be deployed to prevent the free movement across the border. And to top it all off any foces on this island here will literally be surrounded on 3 sides with UK military to the east French/NATO military to the South and the US Atlantic fleet to the east. Not exactly ideal conditions for mounting an attack on Europe

    56
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    Mute Brian Burns
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    Jun 9th 2022, 10:00 AM

    @Alan Conroy: our economy is about to fall off a cliff we shouldn’t be mentioned in the same breath as any Nordic country..they have politicians that work for their country not themselves like our lot

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    Mute Eugene Comaskey
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    Jun 9th 2022, 11:12 AM

    @Larry O Reilly: You are a little bit off there now. Yes, we have All the problems that you mention ,BUT ,we certainly need to have a Reasonable Army and a reasonable means of defence. Back in the dark years of unemployment and Emigration we. always managed to keep our Armed Forces at a Good Level. That was allowed slip, and especially closing Army Barracks all over the Country was the wrong decision. Pay and conditions slipped , the National Reserve was allowed to slip badly . Certainly we need several Million now spent on Regenerating and bringing our Capabilities up to the required standard . We hear stories that some of our very ex
    Ensive Ships are tied up because of lack of Sailors .

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    Mute David Hickey
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    Jun 9th 2022, 11:28 AM

    @Ibhar Mac Suibhne: You make it sound like we are on par with Ukraine. Ukraine has a 5 trillion military budget. Ireland’s is less than a billion. 0.15% of theirs.

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    Mute Paul Owens
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    Jun 9th 2022, 11:58 AM

    @Larry O Reilly: u having a laugh ,we spend 25 billion a year on social welfare,23 billion on health,loads of money goes into these areas and never improve.why?spoofers everywhere on social welfare who won’t work and a health service corrupt beyond belief,,these things are not the government’s fault

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    Mute Terry Brophy
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    Jun 9th 2022, 12:58 PM

    @David Hickey: eh I think your figures are a euro or two out!

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Jun 9th 2022, 6:59 AM

    From the man who ran the Defence Forces into the ground and ignored both the Lariam Tragedy and the Air Corps Chemical Exposure Tragedy.

    Mellett had no credibility as CoS and sure has not earned any since his megabucks retirement.

    Go away Mark, get off the stage, your self serving nonsense has to stop.

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    Mute Gary Delaney
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    Jun 9th 2022, 7:57 AM

    @Gavin Tobin: think never before grandiose ideas trumped never again ones

    29
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    Mute JG
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    Jun 9th 2022, 8:08 AM

    I always find the level of “watch my own career” with these guys a small bit sickening. Why don’t they say these things while serving? Something a little close to cowardice by zipping the lips while in office.

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Jun 9th 2022, 8:19 AM

    @JG: Zip the lips & climb the promotion ladder.

    His pension is probably higher than the pay of 80% who served under him.

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    Mute Jay Tea Planters
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    Jun 9th 2022, 10:24 AM

    @JG: peace time/war time… I’m sure you can spot the difference. It would seem a little erratic to have these murmurings during peace time.

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    Mute Mick McGuinness
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    Jun 9th 2022, 7:02 AM

    The IDF has been let go too ruin by all Government’s none of the political parties have credibility.

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    Mute JG
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    Jun 9th 2022, 8:10 AM

    @Mick McGuinness: can we stick to the topic in question which is Óglaigh na hÉireann, not Israeli Defence Forces (IDF). Thank you.

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    Mute Mick McGuinness
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    Jun 9th 2022, 1:50 PM

    @JG: IDF is also Irish Defence Force not just Israeli any country beginning with “I” can be used, India, Indonesia, Iran,Iraq etc.

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    Mute Eoin Roche
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    Jun 9th 2022, 4:17 PM

    @Mick McGuinness: No, literally nobody refers to them as that. And also its ‘Forces’, never used in the singular.

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    Mute Gavin Tobin
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    Jun 9th 2022, 6:53 PM

    @Mick McGuinness: Spent 9 years in Defence Forces, never heard it called IDF ever.

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    Mute Gary Delaney
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    Jun 9th 2022, 7:46 AM

    From the man who sought to create the “post modern soldier” – emphasis on education rather than resourcing & maintaining. Significant issues with these during his time were merely “pinch points”. A career as an academic might have suited him better?

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    Mute John Quinn
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    Jun 9th 2022, 6:58 AM

    Sitting ducks……..

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    Mute Roger Bond
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    Jun 9th 2022, 7:18 AM

    @John Quinn: No enemies..

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    Mute Gerry Dornan
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    Jun 9th 2022, 7:50 AM

    @John Quinn: Quacked..

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    Mute Brian Burns
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    Jun 9th 2022, 10:05 AM

    How many more stories have the journal been paid to run from this event (Funded by EU)that happened few weeks back with its overall aim is to get Ireland to join nato

    65
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    Mute Eugene Comaskey
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    Jun 9th 2022, 11:02 AM

    That’s great to hear from this man , but He was Man in Charge of our Armed Forces for Four or Five years and there wasn’t a squeak out of him. If he was asked during that time how our capabilities were, he would have said, we are coping well or something to that effect,— just like the Commissioner of the Guards would say if he was asked about their lack of numbers . Yes, it would be ” Yes Sir, No Sir three bags full Sir” . Now when he can do nothing about it , He tells us we are sitting ducks ,– typical Officer .

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    Mute Joe Kelly
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    Jun 9th 2022, 10:52 AM

    I thought the Russian naval exercises where in international waters.

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    Mute Roy Dowling
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    Jun 9th 2022, 11:31 AM

    @Joe Kelly: they were. But saying that doesn’t create the same amount of hysteria needed to get what they want.

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    Mute McQuillan Shane
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    Jun 9th 2022, 10:04 AM

    Hey MARK MELLETT, best be quiet. The only benefactors from a change in stance on neutrality are the offshore holding companies and the consultancy firms which are put in place to cream the crop. Shane McQuillan, Brown Envelope Brigade!

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    Mute David Van-Standen
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    Jun 9th 2022, 12:05 PM

    @McQuillan Shane: I wonder how many former military and former politicians across Europe, that are now advocating for the end of Irelands neutrality stand to benefit from it, either directly or indirectly? Could it really be that simple?

    I have no knowledge of retired vice admiral Mark Mellett, so I wouldn’t know if he has any interests in companies that might benefit from a change in Irelands neutral status, or if he has links to NATO, the USA military, or military industrial contractors, so I really couldn’t make any such allegation in relation to him personally and must assume that his motivation is purely altruistic.

    18
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    Mute RBUman1
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    Jun 9th 2022, 11:05 AM

    So here “The former defence chief said that Ireland was powerless to do anything to prevent the exercises.”
    Interesting. But these exercises took place in International waters so we would be powerless to prevent them anyway no matter how much we spent on the military. This is nonsense.
    Every day now it seems we are being conditioned to think that we need to waste billions on military hardware and abandon our neutrality to satisfy the needs of the military-industrial complex.
    We need to do the complete opposite and abandon any notion of Ireland as a military power. Like Costa Rica and Iceland, we do not need a military. An armed aid to the civil power with a coast guard and gendarmerie would deliver much more value and a far more professional structure to meet our actual needs.

    54
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    Mute John Moylan
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    Jun 9th 2022, 5:54 PM

    @RBUman1: defending your own territory is not a “power” play. Its rudimentary self-defence.

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    Mute Kerry Evans
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    Jun 9th 2022, 11:25 AM

    No to NATO
    What part of that do
    FG-ff not get…
    3 billion for defence dept
    Next year because of PESCO
    That a lot off nurses and teachers…
    Housing
    Health
    Should be our focus…

    41
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    Mute Dermot O'Brien
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    Jun 9th 2022, 10:56 AM

    Why do so many people have an issue with a Sovereign country investing money to at least have the basics to defend ourselves, every other European country some how manages to do it with the same domestic problems, we’re an embarrassment!!!! maybe you would prefer if we wait to be invaded and then the rest of Europe will supply us with state of the art equipment for free…sadly by that time it would be too late.

    55
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    Mute Eoin Roche
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    Jun 9th 2022, 4:22 PM

    @Dermot O’Brien: They’re deluded as to the state of global security. While I don’t think we are likely to be invaded, we have vital and valuable resources on the island and in massive sea area of our EEZ. Communications, energy generation, data, fisheries, centres of employment for global IT and pharma; all are vulnerable to cyber attack, electromagnetic attack, undersea sabotage and terrorism and the very least that is expected of us by friendly nations is that we can secure our own neck of the woods, which at the moment we cannot.

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    Mute Daniel O'Neill
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    Jun 9th 2022, 9:17 AM

    We should not waste money on fighter jets, rocket systems and drones are way more economical.

    35
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    Mute Joey Seery
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    Jun 9th 2022, 11:35 AM

    @Daniel O’Neill: they cannot intercept intrusions by foreign aircraft

    13
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    Mute Fergus Quinlan
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    Jun 9th 2022, 9:15 AM

    Seldom does one see such misinformation concentrated into a small area……. one would have to devote too much time to go through all the pro-violance nonsense…

    39
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    Mute Bramley Hawthorne
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    Jun 9th 2022, 1:41 PM

    All the retired generals will be getting their 10 minutes of media attention so long as they play the arms game and support the government/media campaign to sign us into Nato.
    If we closed down some hospitals and schools and built less houses (sorry, that’s not possible) we might afford a second-hand jet fighter from the RAF for flyovers at FFG ceremonial events.

    24
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    Mute M.J. O' Neill
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    Jun 9th 2022, 8:59 AM

    Yawn….

    23
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    Mute Declan Gilsenan
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    Jun 9th 2022, 10:27 PM

    Who appointed our ranking naval officer of our 3 ship navy as chief of staff of the defence forces ?
    Who do we need defending from ?
    The only states that have invaded our country since the founding of the State .have been the “WASPS ” during the “Emergency”

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    Mute Michael Graham
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    Jun 10th 2022, 10:43 AM

    I thought the Skibbereen Eagle was keeping an eye on them

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