{"id":384006,"date":"2026-04-06T01:54:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T01:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/384006\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T01:54:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T01:54:10","slug":"irelands-navy-strives-to-step-up-maritime-security-amid-wave-of-reports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/384006\/","title":{"rendered":"Ireland’s navy strives to step up maritime security amid wave of reports"},"content":{"rendered":"

One thing the Irish Defence Organisation is good at is drafting reports.<\/p>\n

The organisation, incorporating the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces, is either working on, or has published, a bewildering array of reports in recent years.<\/p>\n

And 2026 is no different.<\/p>\n

Already, this year, we had the second Detailed Implementation Plan on the Commission on the Defence Forces (CoDF), the Strategic Framework for the Transformation of the Defence Forces, and Ireland\u2019s first National Maritime Security Strategy.<\/p>\n

To come is a Strategic Workforce Plan (due this month), a Civilianisation Plan (due in the summer), a Capability Development Plan 2028-2040 (due later in year), and a Naval Service Regeneration Plan (imminent).<\/p>\n

In addition, there are three force design teams, for the army, naval service, and air corps \u2014 on foot of which the chief of staff will submit a report on force design to minister for defence Helen McEntee.<\/p>\n

\"NavalNaval Service Diving Section officer in charge Lt Jason Croke at Haulbowline in Cork Harbour with a remotely-operated underwater vehicle. Picture: Chani Anderson<\/p>\n

In our tour of the naval service diving section in Haulbowline, the headquarters of the naval service, Lieutenant Commander Aonghus \u00d3 Neachtain from the planning and policy section brings us up to date.<\/p>\n

Search and rescue to maritime defence\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

He refers to yet another strategy, the Haulbowline Master Plan, part of the Naval Service Regeneration Plan.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe strategic force design teams have been established, and have been established now for two years, and they\u2019re now coming towards the end of their process to present a new design for the entire Defence Forces, such as the navy, to Government,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

He says the \u201cstrategic importance\u201d of the diving section has been recognised, not just from various tasks, such as search and rescue, it carries out, but from a \u201cmaritime defence\u201d perspective.<\/p>\n

\"LtLt Cdr Aonghus \u00d3 Neachtain showed Cormac O’Keeffe and Chani Anderson of the ‘Irish Examiner’ around the Haulbowline naval base in Cork Harbour, and outlined measures to step up Ireland\u2019s naval defence capabilities amid the changing geopolitical climate. Picture: Chani Anderson<\/p>\n

The senior officer says the design teams have \u201cmapped out\u201d internally, within the naval service and the defence forces, and they are now being presented to the Department of Defence for onward approval.<\/p>\n

\u201cHopefully then we would have this new structure across the entire naval service so we can redesign the service and, hopefully, that will lead to an increase in numbers,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

On the way up<\/p>\n

Lt Cdr \u00d3 Neachtain says the recruitment and retention crisis in the Defence Forces, and naval service in particular, has been \u201cwell documented\u201d but that naval service recruitment has been on an \u201cupward trajectory\u201d for the last 18 months.<\/p>\n

Figures published in the ‘Irish Examiner’ in February<\/a> show there was a net increase (inductions minus discharges) of 207 in the Defence Forces in 2025, with the largest increase in the naval service (a net rise of 115).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Defence minister Helen McEntee said last month<\/a> the total strength of the naval service was 807, but an operational strength of 747 as many recruits were in training.<\/p>\n

\"DefenceDefence minister Helen McEntee viewing Irish Defence Forces military equipment during a visit to Curragh Camp in Co Kildare in December. Picture: Gr\u00e1inne N\u00ed Aodha\/PA<\/p>\n

She says the aim is to reach 1,100 by 2028. This would match the existing naval service establishment strength (what is should be). It will be far off the strength for the naval service envisaged by the CoDF under Level of Ambition 2 adopted by the Government, which targeted 1,794 personnel by 2028.<\/p>\n

This would see the naval service having nine operational vessels.<\/p>\n

When that will come a reality is difficult to estimate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Replacing L\u00c9 Eithne<\/p>\n

What it does not include is the long-talked about multi-role vessel (MRV), to replace the former flagship L\u00c9 Eithne<\/a>, decommissioned in 2022. Official moves to purchase a new combat vessel go back to at least 2017, but the project has got lost in bureaucracy and reviews since.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"TheThe since-decommissioned L\u00c9 Eithne passing the MS Serenade of the Seas cruise liner in Cobh, Cork Harbour, in 2011. File picture: Dan Linehan<\/p>\n

Department of Defence officials have made it clear that the existing vessels need to become operational first before there is any further investment.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat vessel [MRV] would provide for the defence of the state,\u201d Lt Cdr \u00d3 Neachtain explains. \u201cThat is a vessel with the capability, both through sensors and weapon systems, that could actually provide a credible defence at sea.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“By defence, I don\u2019t just mean the firing of a gun or weapons system \u2014 I\u2019m talking about sensors with the ability to look under the sea, the ability to monitor the air, and the ability to monitor the surface in a greater capacity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some improvements in naval strength\u00a0<\/p>\n

While that is some distance away, there have been some improvements in activity levels in the naval service, albeit after a dramatic reduction in patrol days over the years. There are eight ships currently, four of them operational.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The ‘Irish Examiner’ understands these comprise three P60s \u2014 offshore patrol vessels \u2014 and one P70 \u2014 inshore patrol vessel; two ships are out patrolling at any one time, sometimes three.<\/p>\n

The Government stresses that \u20ac1.7bn is being invested in the Defence Forces under the National Development Plan 2025-2030 and that the annual defence budget will rise from \u20ac1.1bn in 2022 to \u20ac1.5bn (in 2022 money) by 2028 \u2014 in order to implement Level of Ambition 2.<\/p>\n

Half-funded plan<\/p>\n

But it emerged last year that then defence minister, T\u00e1naiste Simon Harris, had sought \u20ac3.4bn for capital funding<\/a> between 2026 and 2030 in order to implement Level of Ambition 2, but that the Department of Public Expenditure would only allot \u20ac1.7bn.<\/p>\n

\"ThenThen defence minister Simon Harris reviewing troops at Camp Shamrock near the border between Israel and Lebanon in March 2025. File picture: Niall Carson\/PA<\/p>\n

As reported in The Irish Times in April 2025, Mr Harris told the department: \u201cIt is simply not credible to state that an annual capital allocation of \u20ac220m is sufficient to maintain existing capabilities in a context where the rest of Europe is moving to 3.5% GDP defence spend, having consistently spent almost 2% GDP over the last decade \u2014 while Ireland\u2019s defence spend languishes at 0.2% GDP.\u201d<\/p>\n

This is the background against which the Naval Service Regeneration Plan, the Haulbowline Master Plan, and the Capability Development Plan (which does look farther out to 2040) are being drafted.<\/p>\n

Lt Cdr \u00d3 Neachtain acknowledges that all of this is outside the control of the Defence Forces but points out: \u201cWe\u2019ve never seen this level of commitment to investment. OK, there\u2019s plenty of commentary \u2018is it enough\u2019 but in terms of investment of buying equipment and capability it\u2019s there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

He says external consultants are developing the Haulbowline Master Plan: \u201cThey are in the final stages of preparing a master plan. We have a myriad of different problems that need to be solved from accommodation on the island to training facilities to berthing facilities for current and future ships.\u201d<\/p>\n

This will include a proper facility for the army ranger wing<\/a>, which, under Level of Ambition 2, is supposed to have a maritime unit based in Haulbowline.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe master plan will be seen this year, it will take into account Level of Ambition 2 and it probably will also take into account Level of Ambition 3, if we went down that route, and you\u2019ll probably find that the timeframe for the full completion of everything is right out to 2040,\u201d Lt Cdr \u00d3 Neachtain says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese things are matters for the Department of Defence and Government. What we can say is that we do see quite significant progression in these areas, compared to maybe a decade previous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Threat from Russia<\/p>\n

Of course, Level of Ambition O2 was recommended before Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine<\/a> in February 2022.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It was recommended before the deliberate loitering of the Russian spy vessel, The Yantar<\/a>, over Ireland\u2019s critical gas pipelines in the Irish Sea in November 2024. It was recommended before the deliberate drone activity last December on the edge of Irish territorial airspace<\/a> just after the plane carrying Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy passed on its way to Dublin Airport.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And it was recommended before the significant increase in traffic in Ireland\u2019s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) by the Russian shadow fleet<\/a>, posing both a security and environmental threat.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"TheThe British navy’s HMS Somerset flanking Russian ship Yantar. File picture: PA\/Royal Navy\u00a0<\/p>\n

This threat was referred to in a recent ‘Irish Examiner’ interview with Robert McCabe<\/a>, who is heading up a two-year Government research project at the National Maritime College of Ireland in Cork to examine, test, and recommend improvements to, Ireland\u2019s maritime security.<\/p>\n

Lt Cdr \u00d3 Neachtain says that one of the primary roles of a navy is establishing \u201cmaritime domain awareness\u201d (MDA) \u2014 essentially knowing what is going on in Ireland\u2019s territorial waters (12 nautical miles out), contiguous waters (24 nautical miles) and EEZ (200 nautical miles).\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat has become an awful lot more to the forefront as Ireland has pivoted towards, and Europe has pivoted towards, the maritime security role and we have the maritime security strategy published in February,\u201d the officer says.<\/p>\n

He says navies mainly perform this role though ships, but added there is a lot more to MDA than that.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got the surface, we\u2019ve got the air, and we\u2019ve got the water column below and we\u2019ve also got the electromagnetic space and we\u2019ve got the acoustics and we\u2019ve got the seabed,\u201d he says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are developing capabilities to map the seabed, to examine the seabed and an overall understanding of what\u2019s going on in the full maritime environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sonar arrays<\/p>\n

He says a landmark part of that is the deployment of towed sonar arrays, which will help detect subsea drones or submarines, as part of efforts to protect crucial energy pipelines as well as data cables.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The towed array sonar that goes on the back of the ship is for listening and detecting sound in the ocean, he says.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo we\u2019re listening for a machine of some description. Now it\u2019s going to pick up any noise in the ocean.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lt Cdr \u00d3 Neachtain adds: \u201cThe Irish Sea is probably earmarked as probably one of the more critical areas because the energy interconnectors.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"WorkWork is underway on the \u20ac1bn 575km subsea Celtic Interconnector electricity link between Youghal in Cork and Brittany in France. File picture<\/p>\n

We still have an energy pipeline off the west coast going out to the Corrib [gas field] and we will have an electrical interconnector to France<\/a> [in 2028], that will be the Celtic Sea, so that\u2019ll be the south coast.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sonar will be attached to three P-60 vessels, which will be upgraded one at a time, with the first sonar-equipment vessel [expected to be the L\u00c9 Samuel Beckett] going on stream next year.<\/p>\n

Building naval intelligence<\/p>\n

A fundamental part of MDA is gathering all the different sources of existing and future data, analysing it, and providing a comprehensive intelligence picture for both the naval service operations centre and military intelligence.<\/p>\n

The data sources include the sonars, the new primary radar system (including maritime radar), due by the end of 2028, mapping and surveys carried out by the naval diving section, surveillance and sonar buoy data from air corps surveillance aircrafts, satellite imagery and the EU Common Information Sharing System.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ireland is also involved in various EU Pesco, European Defence Agency, and Nato projects regarding maritime security, critical seabed infrastructure, and hybrid and cyber threats.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have the naval operations command centre at the moment, that\u2019ll probably migrate into a more maritime operations centre,\u201d Lt Cdr \u00d3 Neachtain says.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s just down to how we plan it, so that all the information is fed into this central sort of command node. That will all contribute towards the establishment of what we call the recognised maritime picture, or RMP.\u201d<\/p>\n

He says this could then feed into a proposed national maritime security centre which would bring a central cross-government coordination mechanism to a complex area.<\/p>\n

Co-operation<\/p>\n

In the meantime, Ms McEntee is looking to involve Ireland next year in the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), made up of Nato countries, but not a Nato programme.<\/p>\n

This programme, which has a large focus on tracking Russian shadow vessels, could help the naval service in terms of training, intelligence sharing, and maritime cooperation.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Both Ms McEntee and Taoiseach Miche\u00e1l Martin have stressed that Ireland depends on the co-operation of neighbouring countries, such as Britain and France, for its maritime security (and air cover), not least during Ireland\u2019s forthcoming presidency of the EU.<\/p>\n

Amid high-level declarations of greater cooperation in maritime security, as well as bolstering hybrid security, discussions are ongoing to pin down the exact scope. In the meantime, the naval service is hosting goodwill visits from the likes of the French navy and taking part, along with the air corps, in long-established exercises with Nato, most recently, a week ago, with the Spanish navy.<\/p>\n

Cormac O’Keeffe, Security Correspondent<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"One thing the Irish Defence Organisation is good at is drafting reports. The organisation, incorporating the Department of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":384007,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[13308,61,60,1196,43,3589,2040],"class_list":{"0":"post-384006","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ireland","8":"tag-defence-forces","9":"tag-ie","10":"tag-ireland","11":"tag-middle-east","12":"tag-news","13":"tag-russia","14":"tag-ukraine"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384006","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=384006"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/384006\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/384007"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=384006"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=384006"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=384006"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}