Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 19 May 2026
336. Deputy Malcolm Byrne asked the Minister for Defence to provide assurance that the State is prepared to address any potential drone attack without breaching necessary security provisions, including from AI powered drones, during Ireland's Presidency of the EU Council and the hosting of the European Political Summit. [37432/26]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Department of Justice, Home Affairs and Migration, and An Garda Síochána have primary responsibility for the national security of the State. Among the roles assigned to the Defence Forces is the provision of Aid to the Civil Power (ATCP) which, in practice, means to assist An Garda Síochána when requested to do so. On each occasion that the support of the Defence Forces is required, An Garda Síochána request their assistance and accordingly, any security assessments, and consequent decisions to seek support from the Defence Forces, are a matter for An Garda Síochána.
An Garda Síochána is central to the security planning and preparation for the forthcoming Presidency, to that end, it has established a dedicated European Union Presidency co-ordination office to oversee all aspects of operational planning, logistics and inter-agency engagement. I can assure the Deputy that the Defence Forces are in ongoing engagements with An Garda Siochána.
With Ireland assuming the Presidency of the EU from July this year, as Minister for Defence I have prioritised the early delivery of Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) capabilities for the Defence Forces. These are being delivered as part of the Military Radar Programme.
Following Dáil approval on 3rd December 2025 of a Supplementary Estimate which provided for the accelerated procurement of such capabilities, contractual arrangements were put in place to enable delivery of these capabilities during the first half of this year, and this delivery is on schedule.
For both national and operational security reasons, it would be inappropriate to disclose details regarding the specifics of the capabilities being acquired.
Drones and Counter Drone technology is a constantly evolving feature of the Defence Forces Equipment Development Plan and will be a significant part of the new Capability Development Programme 2028 to 2040 which will be finalised later this year.
