Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 16 July 2026
187. Deputy Barry Heneghan asked the Minister for Defence the role of the Naval Service in protecting undersea telecommunications and energy cables and other critical maritime infrastructure within Ireland’s maritime area; the capabilities currently available to the Naval Service to carry out this role; whether there are plans to enhance those capabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [54217/26]
View answerProtecting critical undersea infrastructure requires collaboration within the State as well as collaboration with other European states to provide a broader understanding of what is occurring in the greater maritime space. This means that Government Departments and agencies, infrastructure operators, the Defence Forces, the private sector and academia all have a part to play. Safeguarding critical undersea infrastructure requires a multifaceted approach with a wide variation of parties involved.
The Defence Forces routinely carry out monitoring and surveillance of Ireland’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) using both Naval Service assets and Air Corps maritime patrol aircraft. These patrols can vary from fishery protection duties to other non-fishery related tasks including maritime surveillance, drug interdiction, search and rescue, and maritime defence and security operations (MDSO).
In addition to at sea monitoring, the Naval Operations Command Centre in Haulbowline carries out remote monitoring twenty four hours a day, seven days a week
In terms of enhancing capabilities, my Department is developing a Capability Development Programme, that will identify, at a high level, the capability requirements for the Defence Forces out to 2040. This programme will inform future decisions on the prioritisation and development of capabilities, including those in the maritime domain, in support of the strategic Level of Ambition 2 set out in the Defence Policy Review, the Maritime Security Strategy and the objectives outlined in the Strategic Framework and the updated Detailed Implementation Plan for the Commission on the Defence Forces. I expect this Programme to be finalised in 2026.
Once finalised, the Programme will be implemented through rolling four year Capability Development Plans, the first of which will cover the period 2028 to 2032. Capabilities will then be developed and acquired in line with available capital allocations under the National Development Plan. This structured and phased approach will guide future investment decisions, including in relation to naval vessels, equipment and enabling systems, as part of the overall development of Defence Forces capability.
One of the key ongoing projects underway that will contribute to maritime security relates to subsea domain awareness. A programme of work has been approved as part of the overall Equipment Development Plan. Investment in sonar capability is the first project within that new programme which will see the Naval Service acquire sonar capability which will be used to detect objects near cables and pipelines in Irish territorial waters and the EEZ. This new acquisition will enhance awareness below the surface, contributing to the overall maritime picture available to Naval Service and the wider Defence Forces. This is a complex project and a new capability, so work in training personnel and establishing the procedures and structures required within the Defence Forces has commenced, and will continue in the period up to the delivery in 2027.
Work has also commenced on Sonobuoys a second project within that subsea programme. This project will result in a new Air Corps capability which can be used to detect, localise, identify, and track objects in the Irish EEZ. This capability will be used in conjunction with the new towed sonar capability planned for delivery in 2027, and also with existing Air Corps assets.
