Minister for Foreign Affairs and Defence Simon Coveney has said it is hoped a report will be brought to Government within the next two weeks on the future of the Defence Forces and their current ability to defend Ireland.
Independent TD and former army ranger Cathal Berry said today that the current state of Ireland's defences is viewed as a weak point internationally.
Speaking on RTÉ's The Week in Politics, Mr Berry said that Ireland is now seen as the weak underbelly of the European Union.
Speaking on the same programme, co-leader of the Social Democrats Roisin Shortall said spending on defence equipment has to be increased, and the treatment of staff must improve too.
Mr Coveney is the minister who will be responsible for making the argument to Government that more funding for the Defence Forces is needed.
One possible recommendation is that it could increase by around 50% to more than €1.5 billion annually.
Mr Coveney wants a national debate to get under way around just how much should be spent on defence.
This debate is likely to influence a comprehensive Government plan setting out the future role of the Defence Forces. This plan is expected to take several months to complete.
Earlier, Mr Coveney said that Ireland does not "control all of the levers" when it comes to influencing Russia's decision whether or not to carry out naval exercises.
Last night Russia said it would relocate planned military drills so they take place outside Ireland's Exclusive Economic Zone.
Ambassador Yury Filatov said in a statement: "In response to the requests from the Irish government as well as from the Irish South and West Fish Producer's Organisation, the Minister of Defence of the Russian Federation Sergey Shoigu has made a decision, as a gesture of goodwill, to relocate the exercises by the Russian Navy, planned for February 3-8, outside the Irish exclusive economic zone (EEZ), with the aim not to hinder fishing activities by the Irish vessels in the traditional fishing areas."
When asked if the Government should have pushed for the drills to be cancelled as opposed to them simply being moved outside of the Irish economic zone, Mr Coveney told RTÉ's This Week: "Of course, that's the preference but we don't control all of the levers here. In fact, we don't control very many of them at all. This is international waters that we're talking about."
He insisted that "the real issue here that we need to focus on is Ukraine".
Mr Coveney said that the Government is "continuing to raise these issues".
"We have to find a way of using diplomacy and political dialogue to avoid what could ultimately be the largest land-based war in Europe since the Second World War, which would involve enormous loss of life, and, of course, extraordinary disruption across the continent of Europe.
"That must be avoided and we have to find a way through politics and dialogue to do that, not through military means".
