Mitchell Institute Alumnus Dr Matthew O’Neill and LINCS Doctoral Scholar Mark Williams are launching their latest book The EU, Irish Defence Forces and Contemporary Security (Palgrave Macmillan, 2023) on Thursday 27^th July.

This book, co-edited by Jonathan Carroll, Matthew O’Neill and Mark Williams, explores small states and militaries, European defence and security policy, as well as contemporary and emerging threats. This edited collection gathers academic commentators on Irish defence policy, military leaders from across the service components of the Irish Defence Forces and European defence experts to contribute to the first in-depth conversation and analysis on modern Irish defence and its application within the European Union. The book aims to ascertain what capabilities are robust, which are lacking, what future threats need to be catered for, and what action is needed to ensure those threats will be addressed going forward. It also explores emerging issues and applications of modern and contemporary threats within the context of Ireland, Europe and Western institutions. The book includes invited submissions from scholars, commentators, policymakers and military practitioners to evaluate the Irish Defence Forces and to illustrate the complexities facing small nations in formulating and resourcing defence and national security policy.

The event includes an introduction from Tánaiste Micheál Martin T.D. and contributions from Noelle O’Connell, CEO of European Movement Ireland and co-editor of the book Dr Matthew O’Neill.

Jonathan Carroll is a PhD Candidate a PhD Candidate and Lecturer with the Department of History at Texas A&M University specializing in American and European military history.

Matthew O’Neill is a recent graduate from QUB. He was a doctoral scholar on the Leverhulme Interdisciplinary Network on Cybersecurity and Society (LINCS) Doctoral Training Programme in Political Science at the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen’s University Belfast, UK. His thesis is entitled Cyberbordering the European Union?

Mark Williams is a doctoral scholar on the Leverhulme Interdisciplinary Network on Cybersecurity and Society (LINCS) Doctoral Training Programme at the Senator George J. Mitchell Institute for Global Peace, Security and Justice at Queen’s University Belfast, UK. His thesis is entitled Detection and Prevention of Inappropriate and Criminal Behaviour in Social Media.

For further information contact Dr Matthew O’Neill by email at moneill973@qub.ac.uk.