An internal Defence Forces document said one of the main reasons for Irish defence spending is maintaining foreign direct investment – and an Irish Examiner article used the document’s language, almost word for word, to argue for expanding the Irish military.
“To attract Foreign Direct Investment,” reads the Communications & Engagement Guidelines document, “Ireland must be able to defend itself against modern threats,” going on to list these threats.
Irish Examiner defence correspondent Sean O’Riordan used the same language to list the same threats and reach the same conclusion, writing, “Therefore, Ireland needs a military that can defend Ireland against the modern threats."
Tying the forces to foreign direct investment
Obtained by The Ditch under freedom of information, the Defence Forces’ internal document was produced in 2017 and outlined ways for the forces to reach particular target audiences.
These included “Irish Defence Forces members, family, friends and veterans of Defence Forces, local and national level politicians and media, commentators and academics”.
The document noted the importance of funding for the Defence Forces and that it would be competing with other organisations and causes for public funds.
“Due to demographic pressures over the coming decade, it is likely that there will be an increasingly competitive environment to secure state funds. for all public services, particularly those which are not prominent in the national discourse and/or understood,” it said.
One of three key messages for advancing the Defence Forces’ cause, according to the document, involved tying the forces to foreign direct investment.
“In order for Ireland's economy to attract foreign direct investment (FDI) it relies on a secure, stable nation where civil society flourishes. To protect this, Ireland must be able to defend itself against modern threats of hybrid warfare, undermining of our democratic processes, industrial espionage, international terrorism and cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure, as well as securing its maritime and air resources,” it said.
Three years after the document was produced the Irish Examiner published the following.
“Ireland’s foreign direct investment-focused economy is based on a secure, stable nation where civil society flourishes. Therefore, Ireland needs a military that can defend Ireland against the modern threats of hybrid warfare, industrial espionage, international terrorism, and cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure, while securing our maritime and air resources.”
The other key messages were, “Ireland has a Defence Forces worth investing in” and “Ireland should leverage the Defence Forces.”
The Ditch has previously reported that a lobbying group representing arms manufacturers – including Lockheed Martin – developed a strategy to influence Irish defence policy despite acknowledging the Irish public has "no appetite" to increase investment in defence.
Internal documents from 2022 warned defence was a "potential toxic agenda item at next election" and identified a narrow "window" to establish influence before opposition emerged.
Ireland's defence budget rose from €1.12 billion in 2022 to €1.35 billion in 2025, with government committing to reach €1.5 billion by 2028, citing threats like Russian aggression and the need to protect undersea cables after the 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage – which German investigators later concluded was attacked by Ukraine.
Figures published last week by the Department of Finance stated that Ireland received €32.9 billion in corporation tax in 2025, with the majority coming from a small number of US multinational corporations concentrated in the technology and pharmaceutical sectors.
An estimated 75 per cent of corporation tax paid to the state comes from US multinationals. US entities control about 69 per cent of inward foreign direct investment in Ireland, according to CSO figures.
A report by The Ditch and researchers at Maynooth University and UCD, commissioned by campaign group Uplift and published last year, argued Ireland's dependence on foreign direct investment has given Washington a "de facto veto over Irish foreign policy" – citing US pressure that successfully blocked the Occupied Territories Bill despite legal clearance and majority public support.
The Price of Prosperity: How US FDI is Enabling Genocide in Gaza and Eroding Our Neutrality describes government’s approach as “FDI nationalism” – the belief that protecting US foreign investment is inseparable from Ireland’s national interest.
This belief, the report argues, now shapes policy across multiple areas, including defence, with the state seeking to use the Defence Forces as a tool to safeguard Ireland’s foreign direct investment-driven economic model.
The Defence Forces declined to comment.
