The new law to scrap the State’s triple lock system for the deployment of Defence Forces troops overseas will be published within days amid a hope in Government that it can be enacted this year. 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 Government and of the Oireachtas, should the Bill be enacted.If enacted it would mean that permanent members of the Security Council including Russia, China and the United States would not have an effective veto over where Ireland could deploy soldiers on peacekeeping or other roles. The proposed changes will be challenged by Opposition parties, which have argued that the purpose behind the Bill is to erode Ireland’s traditional policy of military neutrality. The Government parties have denied this, saying it would have no impact on the State’s independence from military alliances.The legislation is expected to be published in the coming days before it is considered by the Dáil and the Seanad.Minister for Defence Helen McEntee has previously indicated that she hopes to get the Bill enacted this year and this remains the intended timeline, though a Government spokesman said this is “contingent on the co-operation of the Oireachtas”. He said the legislation “will reform the framework governing deployments of Defence Forces personnel, including replacing the current triple lock mechanism, while maintaining Government and Dáil oversight of deployments”. [ Government plans to end triple lock within weeksOpens in new window ][ Don’t ditch the triple lock. There is a better way to circumvent the Security Council vetoOpens in new window ]At Tuesday’s Cabinet meeting McEntee is said to have noted the importance of the reform, highlighting Ireland’s recent withdrawal from Operation Irini, the EU naval mission responsible for enforcing the UN arms embargo on Libya. This withdrawal follows the lapse of the UN Security Council mandate that underpinned the mission.The spokesman said: “The Government’s proposed approach would ensure that future deployments remain consistent with the principles of the UN Charter and international law, while avoiding situations where decisions taken by other states can prevent Ireland’s participation in international peace support operations.”