Sir, - Captain James J. Kelly, in his letter of November 12th, asserted that "military intervention" in the Six Counties during the crisis of 1969 had been a realistic possibility. However, it should hardly take a graduate of a military academy to see the inherent strategic unreality of such a measure.
Did the Irish leaders of the day seriously contemplate sending their severely neglected, pint-sized, ill-equipped army, completely lacking air and naval support, across the Border, where it would have had to reckon with both the British and a hostile indigenous population of one million? Clearly, the people of Ireland did not like standing by and watching the nationalist people of Ulster be mistreated. The politicians used the intervention fantasy to combat the emasculated national self-image.
The Irish Government's pathological aversion to national security is every bit as strong today as it was in 1969. But Ireland's security needs, if anything, are possibly even greater than they were in 1969.
Given the present stage of the devolution process in the UK, a break-up of the UK cannot be dismissed as being outside of the realm of possibilities. Should the UK actually break up, Ulster could easily fall into the Republic's lap like a hornet's nest. In that event, the lives of thousands would depend on there being an Irish military strong enough to police the region effectively and strong enough to discourage paramilitary forces from launching an all-out war.
Ireland's neighbours may or may not remain forever peaceful. Large-scale political recidivism is certainly not unknown in Europe and visible cracks are already beginning to appear in the EU structure.
There is an overwhelming lack of common sense in Irish defence policy. The almost non-issues of fishery protection and participation in UN security operations are given top priority while the very serious issues of Ireland being able to defend itself and being able to carry out peacekeeping operations in Ulster are totally ignored. - Yours, etc.,
Patrick Breen, Hoover, Alabama, USA.