Minister for Defence launches €1.7 billion Defence Sectoral National Development Plan

The Minister for Defence has launched the Defence Sectoral National Development Plan (NDP) 2026 - 2030, which is worth €1.7 billion.

Helen McEntee TD launched the NDP yesterday (December 11 last) during a visit to the Defence Forces Training Centre (DFTC) at the Curragh Camp.

This marks the Minister McEntee’s first official visit to the DFTC since taking office.

According to a statement released by the Department of Defence, the NDP sets out the government’s "record €1.7bn capital investment in defence over the next five years, an increase of €600 million, or 55 per cent, on the previous baseline".

The Department added: "In an era defined by a rapidly evolving geopolitical tensions, the investment will modernise the Defence Forces' capability across all domains and ensure that Ireland continues to meet its national and international security responsibilities."

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Key features of the NDP include:

• "Record multi-annual investment rising from €300m in 2026 to €360m in 2029 – 2030"
• "Major capability upgrades across land, air, maritime and cyber domains"
• "Full delivery of the Military Radar Programme by 2028, with phased rollout beginning in 2026"
• "€19m accelerated investment in Counter-UAS systems ahead of Ireland’s 2026 EU Council Presidency"
• "Air Corps modernisation, including: Four Airbus H145M helicopters (2027 – 2028); progress on acquiring eight Super Medium Helicopters Delivery of a new Falcon 6X strategic aircraft; and the replacement of the PC-9M fleet by 2029 / 2030
• "Naval Service upgrades, including: Towed Array Sonar; a Sonobuoy project; and the P60 Fleet Extension Programme
• Army capability improvements, including: midlife upgrade of 80 MOWAG Piranha III vehicles; progression of the Armoured Fleet Replacement; acquisition of RPAS / drones; rollout of Software Defined Radios"
• "€400m investment in Defence Forces infrastructure, including: accommodation, offices, gyms, aircraft hangars and naval berthage"
• "€175m for IT, transport, engineering and ordnance systems"
• "Strong governance structure, which would include updated Equipment Development and Infrastructure Development Plans as well as rigorous procurement oversight"

The Minister also said that capital funding for defence had increased from €141m in 2022 to €300m in 2026, and claimed that this will rise further to €360m by 2029.

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'SIGNIFICANT'

Expressing her optimism for the new NDP, Minister McEntee said: "This is the most significant investment package in the Defence Forces in the history of the State.

"The changed geopolitical landscape since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has made it absolutely clear that we must continuously improve and strengthen our defence capabilities."

She continued: "I intend to prioritise the actions necessary to achieve this; to remain effective, we must work effectively with our partners and ensure we can respond swiftly.

"This plan will deliver the equipment, infrastructure and capabilities our Defence Forces need to operate safely and effectively, at home and overseas."

She concluded: "We now have both the plan and the funding in place and my focus is firmly on delivery so that we can build a stronger, more modern and more resilient Defence Forces for the future."

Minister Helen McEntee also made headlines yesterday when she asserted that Ireland will have anti-drone technology in place by next summer.

The technology will "identify and neutralise" drones that "may be a threat" and aims to be in place before the meeting of senior EU figures in Dublin in July of 2026.

The Minister for Defence and Fine Gael TD, Helen McEntee. Photograph credit: oireachtas.ie

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Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.