2026-02-17

145. Deputy Edward Timmins asked the Minister for Defence the steps being taken to improve the defence of the country in view of the changing geopolitical landscape; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [12874/26]

Any state that is serious about protecting its citizens must have a fit for purpose defence force. This is even more relevant today when threats are more real and much more varied. We are a neutral country and we are geographically located in a relatively safe location but we must not become complacent. What steps are being taken to improve the defence of our country in view of the changing geopolitical landscape?

As I referred to this evening, and Deputy Timmins has very clearly referred to it, the world we are living in is changing. The types of threats are changing and the intensity of the threats are changing. Even the relationships we have relied on to date are also changing. It is really important that we as a country respond, that we do so in a number of different ways, and that we are ambitious in our overall desire to defend ourselves and to work more closely with other European and international partners. What I have done in recent weeks is set out two new documents. These are an implementation plan, which will continue to implement the changes that were recommended by the Commission on the Future of the Defence Forces, and a new strategic framework, which essentially sets out how we are going to increase our Defence Forces, how we are going to enhance our capabilities, how we are going work more closely with other European and international partners, and how we can protect and support the men and women of our Defence Forces and the vital work they do. It is essential, first and foremost, that we increase the number of Defence Force personnel we have. To this effect, while we have seen significant changes in the past, we have only started to see them reflect gradually in the increase of numbers, with an increase of 200 last year. I want to make sure we continue with this trajectory, so we will have a new workforce plan, which is being worked on with the Defence Forces. We will have a new civilianisation plan, which really recognises the fact we need to make sure we have as much of a wealth of experience as possible and capacity in the overall numbers. We also need to make sure that the people in our Defence Forces have a better ability to promote and progress their own careers. We need to ensure we have enhanced capabilities, and this is where the capital plan is essential. The plan that was announced just before Christmas is a €1.7 billion plan which, first and foremost, will specifically focus on how can enhance our radar capacity. How do we make sure we have full sight of absolutely everything that is happening in our skies, on our land and in our maritime space? This has been brought forward to the original timeline of having all of this in place by 2028, with a specific focus on the counter-drone technology we will have in place for the Presidency this year.

Threats are not just physical. They come in a variety of modes. I want to mention an aspect that I believe is very important, and this is the area of non-military threats. Examples include cyber threats. These also represent a threat to our economic interests. As the Minister knows, we are hugely dependent on reliable computer systems which underpin our economy. The whole area of disinformation is also a real security threat. We need to recruit staff with expertise in these areas. I am also particularly conscious of energy and communication threats, especially relating to maritime security. These threats are real. As we witnessed a few years ago, they can come from anywhere, including from within our own country.

I fully agree. When we talk about threats, we talk about them perhaps in a way as though they are in the future. We have already been subject to these types of changing hybrid threats. It was just five years ago when the HSE had a cyber-attack that impacted access to significant amounts of information and the functioning of the HSE and our social protection system. We have seen it already and we know it is there. This is why it is really important, whether in our Defence Forces or An Garda Síochána, that we have the enhanced capacity and personnel to be able to respond to them. We have mentioned maritime security and the fact we have thousands of cables coming across the Atlantic, through and around our maritime domain and across to Europe. We have a maritime domain seven times the size of our island. This is why in the coming weeks I will publish a new maritime security strategy. It is essential that we are able to identify what threats are happening in our seas. It is essential that we can prioritise protecting the really important cables for all that they bring, not just data and information, but the gas pipes and everything else. It is also essential, in doing that, we work closely with more of our partners and that is where we need to focus. It does not impact our neutrality. It does not change what we are doing at home, but engaging more and having greater and enhanced co-operation with countries, whether on maritime security or on cybersecurity, is the space we need to be in. I am really ambitious that we do more in that space overall.

Is this country prepared for the threats posed by Russia to our national security? These are real threats to this country and must be taken seriously. There was an increase in Russian shadow fleet activity recently in Irish controlled waters. Our geography no longer protects us as it once did. We are very dependent on other countries to support us regarding maritime and air defences. We need to take steps to move away from these dependencies. This will actually help our independence and support our neutrality, which we treasure so much. We live in a rapidly changing world and we must respond to these changes in order to protect our way of life and our democracy which we value so much.

The maritime security strategy will ensure that we are taking ownership of what we need to do, but given the vast, expansive maritime domain we are looking at, it is important that we work closely with other colleagues and friends. It is important that we have a more permanent structure in place to be able to co-operate in that way. We are not immune to Russian threats, in the same way no other country is. We have already seen our friends, whether it is Lithuania, Denmark or Poland, have already been victims to Russian attacks in airspace through drones and through more sinister types of threats. We need to work together to be able to respond collectively. We need to identify the fact that there are new types of threats. When it comes to the shadow fleet, this poses a threat in so many ways. Not only does the shadow fleet fund the brutal and illegal war that Russia is waging on Ukraine, but they are also a massive environmental challenge. If one of these tankers that are not seaworthy should have an accident, the implications more broadly for our seas is absolutely colossal. As I have said this week, we need to look at whatever we can to act as a deterrent and respond to the shadow fleet and many other types of threats. The vast majority of people see that we need to do more and want us to be ambitious in this regard.