The Minister for Defence, Mr Smith, has denied any "direct correlation" between the Government's investment of £250 million in the Defence Forces and possible participation in the European Rapid Reaction Force.
"Nothing could be further from the truth," he added.
He was responding yesterday to criticism from peace campaigners who object to the State's involvement in military alliances and suggest the money should be spent on health and education. Speaking on RTE radio, Mr Smith said the spending plan, outlined in a White Paper published last year, was being funded by savings within the Defence Forces and the sale of barracks.
It was being done "without asking the taxpayer for an extra penny" and without any negative impact on other Departments. "For years," he noted, "the Defence Forces have been under-equipped and had to live in very poor accommodation."
The plan includes the purchase of 40 armoured personnel carriers (APCs), costing £40 million; a £55 million investment in the Air Corps; and the refurbishment of barracks.
However, Mr Andy Storey, chairman of the campaign group AFrI, said it was "farcical" to argue the investment cost the State nothing. "The money that has been saved could be used on all kinds of things. It doesn't belong to one ministry."
Mr Storey said he was sceptical of the Minister's assurances that the spending was not connected to participation in new military alliances. The investment was "a remarkable coincidence" given a requirement of the NATO-led Partnership for Peace organisation that members, such as the Republic, would have "inter-operable" capabilities. Regarding possible involvement in NATO-led missions, Mr Storey said Irish troops "are not going to be perceived as neutral" if they engaged with allies "which are of themselves part of the problem".
But Mr Smith said: "We're not joining any alliances. We are only undertaking missions which will be UN mandated, and with the approval of the Dail.
"Nowhere that we have gone so far, or likely to go in the future, will we be other than viewed as a military neutral country."
The Minister said the APCs would have their first operation in Eritrea and Ethiopia next December as part of the UN mission.
The Department of Defence, meanwhile, has denied claims it was considering the purchase of "battle-standard" helicopters, saying tenders had only gone out for military transport and search and rescue aircraft. A spokesman said the Department's White Paper ruled out the Air Corps' involvement in overseas operations.
