In this powerful episode of Siren Investigates, host John Randles sits down with Vice Admiral (Rtd) Mark Mellett, former Chief of Staff of Ireland’s Defence Forces, to unpack the shifting foundations of European security and sovereignty. With decades of leadership experience across the UN, NATO, and Irish Defence Forces. The conversation opens with a fundamental question: what does sovereignty mean in today’s interconnected Europe? Mark argues that sovereignty is like property—you only own it if you can defend it. He warns that many European nations, including Ireland, have “free-ridden” on decades of peace without investing adequately in defense or resilience. Drawing on history from post–World War II recovery to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Mark explains how Europe’s sense of security has been eroding for years, and why 21st-century threats ...