Ireland to join NATO...

In peacetime, I'd agree with you.

But I feel like we're half in, and half out of peacetime right now.

Turkey approved Sweden's membership today, so things are moving on.

A NATO air and naval presence in Ireland could come about swiftly and unexpectedly, at the stroke of a government pen. I can't say what circumstances might directly precipitate that, but a whole lot of unforeseeable and frankly unthinkable things have happened over these last few years.

Correct.

I should say the news agencies got it wrong, there were no further strikes on Yemen tonight, the information from the UK MoD was expanded on last night's attack.

It just goes to show, even in this instant information World, the message can go awry.

While a lot of people map "NATO membership" to 2% GDP of military hardware and commitment to wars some would say there is no public interest to participate in, this has never been the case. 2% can be formed from various means, and any offensive participation has been voluntary.

(Some people still don't like it to be pointed out the DF has had some form of participation in the majority of NATO involved ops since the 90's, as non members and subsequently partners for peace members)

While it's argued from a conventional warfare sense, Ireland would be low on the target list. In the world of hybrid warfare, it it very much in the top10 of target countries. It was this that prompted the joining of the CCDCOE. On the back of this, there is a further ongoing argument that Ireland's active security efforts securing technological supply chains and critical infrastructure (used by NATO counties) could very much so count towards the 2% GDP measure is a very interesting one. If it succeeds, there is no counter argument of "well we can't afford the 2% if we can't even build houses, hospitals or schools".... as we're technically already covering most (if not all) of it.

Interesting times though.

Considering we're becoming a social state for third world chancers I don't want us spending 2% of our GDP on defense. And considering we have a huge debt to repay.

Yet you came all the way here specially, just to let that fetid turd fall out of your mouth.

Go back to sleep you complete waster.

I should hope not. Bunch of warmongering, destabilising, crazy lackeys of an out of control, bumbling behemoth called USA is what they are. Stay well away not that it makes a difference but for moral reasons alone. In my humble opinion.

Probably not going to be a popular opinion here.

Are Nato the lads that are selling tracker mortgages?

For a start, unravelling numerous supply chains and R&D permits to multinationals which feed technology into numerous NATO weapons systems would be a bit of a kick to the teeth to Irish GDP.

Also, something being looked at is the legality of data in transit and at rest, held within and transiting Irish ICT infrastructure, which, if you were to wave the neutrality stick, would technically not allow any connections or information transiting or data being stored, to be used in an active conflict (if you have an answer how to even approach policing that, without infringing any data laws (its catch 22) you will be a multi billionaire).

The time of hiding as "neutral" from a conventional warfare perspective.... people/weapons/actively picking a side etc... is over (although some will say that has been over a lonnng time).

From a Hybrid warfare perspective, we are very much aligned with NATO.

With how things are progressing in the world, we are inching more and more to the conventional and hybrid domains colliding.

Whatever about joining NATO it would be a good idea to have national service for a period like neutral Switzerland.