There are mounting calls on the Government to set up an operational task force — comprising gardaí, Defence Forces, and other agencies — to co-ordinate security preparations and operations for Ireland’s presidency of the EU, which begins in July.
Concerns emerged after conflicts between gardaí and the Defence Forces arose last December over the handling of hostile drone activity on the edge of territorial waters and airspace just after Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s plane landed at Dublin Airport.
The concerns have deepened with the latest Government implementation plan on defence investment, which stated that military counter-drone technology — promised for July — will not be in place until September.
Last October, EU Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said Europe was facing “hybrid warfare”, including a “coherent and escalating campaign” of drone incidents and other airspace violations that she linked to Russia.
On Friday, Dutch intelligence agencies warned that Russia was intensifying its hybrid campaign across Europe, including cyberattacks, sabotage, disinformation, covert political influence and espionage.
In a special report in today’s Irish Examiner, a range of security experts express alarm at the risk of hybrid attacks from Russia during the Irish presidency and the lack of formal multi-agency operational structures to deal with the threat.
They have expressed shock that, despite repeated statements from the Government that military counter-drone technology would be in place by July, this equipment will not now arrive until September.
The delay is outlined in the latest Government detailed implementation plan on recommendations in the Commission on the Defence Forces (CoDF) report, published four years ago this month.
The CoDF report had actually urged that the counter-drone technology be in place by the third quarter of 2025.
In addition, separate CoDF recommendations had called for the development of civil-military hybrid structures and military hybrid capabilities.
The Government said in November 2023 that this would be subject to “further evaluation”, to be completed during 2025.
The latest implementation plan said this “further evaluation” would not now be completed until later in 2026.
Brendan Flynn, a lecturer in the School of Political Science at University of Galway, said: “Admitting that Ireland will not have key counter drone capabilities in place until September 2026 could be viewed as a ‘green light’ to hostile actors to have fun and play puck with the security arrangements around Dublin. Just as was done in December 2025.”
He said close co-operation was needed for the presidency between key agencies, such as Gardai, the Defence Forces and the National Cyber Security Centre. Mr Flynn said:
That type of close co-operation won’t happen unless it is structured, planned, and rehearsed.
“It needs to be funded and incentivised.
“Given the urgency of the threat I don’t see a corresponding salience in Irish government responses.”
Former Army Ranger Wing officer and ex-TD Cathal Berry said: “The completion date for counter drone technology is a farce, it’s now September.
I’d be sceptical we will even have it by September or it may have arrived in a cardboard box.
He said that while agencies have different communication systems that they would be “shoulder to shoulder” and able to talk to each other if located in a dedicated physical location.
Kenneth McDonagh, assistant professor of International Relations at DCU, said: “While co-operation between both agencies [the Defence Forces and An Garda Síochána] has worked well in the past, the recent drone incident during president Zelenskyy’s visit raised questions about the smoothness of communications and decision making between the two in a heightened security situation.”
He said: “A formal taskforce would be desirable, and at an operational level I would be surprised if there weren’t already plans along these lines in place.”
Former naval commander Tony Geraghty said it “would be ideal” to have a joint forces command for the presidency that would include representatives from the Gardaí and other agencies.
Cormac O’Keeffe, Security Correspondent