A new law to scrap the 26 County State’s “triple lock” system for upholding Irish neutrality and limiting the deployment of its military overseas is to be published within days.

On Tuesday, the Cabinet approved the text of the Defence (Amendment) Bill 2026, which would remove the need for the approval of the United Nations Security Council to deploy more than 12 Irish Defence Forces personnel overseas.

Any future deployment would require only the approval of the Dublin government and of parliament, should the Bill be enacted.

The move could see the 26 County Army soon take part in EU military operations, including a potential frontline conflict against Russia.

The proposed changes are being challenged by Opposition parties, which have called for a referendum to be held on military neutrality.

Sinn Féin spokesperson on Defence, Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire TD, has said the Dublin government’s plan is a “dangerous attack on Irish neutrality” and a move completely against the wishes of the Irish people.

“The Triple Lock Neutrality Protection is something that is valued by the Irish people and it is extremely concerning that Cabinet has today approved moves to dismantle the Triple Lock Neutrality Protection on the deployment of Irish Defence Forces abroad,” he said.

“Evidence points to the fact that the vast majority of Irish people believe that the Triple Lock Neutrality Protection is necessary and is an important protection to ensure our neutrality.

“If the Government is so confident in its position of dismantling the Triple Lock, especially considering that previous referendums passed on the basis of the Triple Lock Neutrality Protection, then the obvious thing the Government should do is put it to the people to decide through a referendum whether they agree with the Triple Lock Neutrality Protection being abandoned.”

People Before Profit TD Richard Boyd Barrett said the coalition parties are in a “headlong rush to dismantle our neutrality” and align us ever more closely to the project of European militarisation and to NATO.

“The inconvenient fact for the Government is that they have no mandate to end the triple lock,” he said.

“On the contrary, Catherine Connolly made opposition to militarisation and defence of the triple lock central to her presidential election campaign, an election she won emphatically.

“But the Government simply treats the public with contempt. Just two months after Catherine Connolly’s win, Minister Helen McEntee (pictured) announced that military spending is to be increased to €1.7 billion by 2030, a 55% increase on previous military spending plans.

“Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael are dancing to the tune of the US and the big military powers in the EU and NATO who are pressing for ever greater militarisation in Europe.

“And now the Government is launching its definitive assault on the triple lock and our neutrality.

“We are just three weeks from the start of Ireland’s EU Presidency, something that the Government is cynically using to advance its militarisation agenda. We will respond by mobilising resistance to that.”