The Government has appointed its first ever defence attaches to Irish Embassies in Washington, London and Paris. Ireland was previously an outlier among European nations for not appointing defence attaches to the capitals of major allies. “There's ongoing sharing of intelligence and it's really important from Ireland's perspective because we have so few assets - we have underinvested in our defence forces for decades. Minister for Defence Helen McEntee described the appointments as an “important moment in Irish defence diplomacy”. While Defence Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy said the attaches would “play a vital role in... advancing Ireland’s defence and security interests overseas.”