Helen McEntee (Meath East, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I move:

That Dáil Éireann approves Ireland's participation in two European Defence Agency Projects - (1) MARSUR Networking - Adaptive Phase (MARSUR II) and (2) Cooperation on Cyber Ranges in the European Union pursuant to section 2 of the Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009.

In commending the motion on behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for defence, Deputy Paul Kehoe, I will briefly outline the function of the European Defence Agency and the background to the programmes in which Ireland wishes to participate.

The European Defence Agency was established by a joint action of the Council of the European Union in 2004 "to support the Member States and the Council in their effort to improve European defence capabilities in the field of crisis management and to sustain the European Security and Defence Policy as it stands now and develops in the future". On 6 July 2004, the Government approved Ireland's participation in the framework of the European Defence Agency. The EDA is an agency of the European Union and is composed of defence Ministers of the 27 participating member states and the European Commission.

Ireland participates in the framework of the agency and contributes in the region of €311,000 to the annual costs of running the agency, including its annual work programme. The European Defence Agency is focused on assisting member states in capability development, in obtaining better value for existing spending levels, improving competitiveness, securing greater efficiency, particularly in the area of research, technology, manufacturing and procurement, which have been notable for fragmentation and duplication.

The primary reason for Ireland's participation in the European Defence Agency is to support the development of Defence Forces capabilities for peacekeeping and international crisis management. The Defence (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2009 regulates IreIand's participation in European Defence Agency ad hocprojects. It prescribes that participation in category A or B projects or programmes is subject to Government and Dáil approval. A category A project is one which all member states join unless they specifically opt out; a category B project is one in which two or more member states come together to pursue a particular initiative. The proposal put forward by the Minister of State with responsibility for defence today is to seek approval for Ireland to participate in two EDA projects, one in the area of maritime surveillance, the other in the area of cyber ranges.

This category B project, MARSUR Networking - Adaptive Maintenance, MARSUR II, is a follow-on to the category B project, Maritime Surveillance Networking, which ended in October 2015.

The objective of the initial project was to develop an automated information sharing environment through the development of software technologies and the formation of a network to enhance information sharing within the maritime surveillance community. This web-based system is now operational and information regarding the positions of ships, fisheries protection and maritime safety and security is engaged in a number of electronic forms between member states participating in this project. This has proven particularly useful for the Irish Naval Service, which is currently carrying out humanitarian operations in the Mediterranean Sea. Classified information is being exchanged between ships and the Italian authorities, who are involved in the rescue of migrants in this area. The main objective of the follow-on category B project is life cycle support of the existing maritime surveillance capability through provision of adaptive maintenance, system upgrades and enhancements and technical support. It will ensure the system is maintained, kept up to date and adapted to meet the ongoing needs of the Naval Service.

I will now provide some detail on the second European Defence Agency project. This category B project aims to maintain and improve cyber resilience, as well as the levels of awareness, insight and expertise of member states personnel. Cyber attacks pose a potential threat to the communications and command and control systems of the Defence Forces both at home and overseas. The requirement to be able to defend Defence Forces systems against cyber attacks has been identified as a specific capability requirement by the Defence Forces. Cyber ranges are a virtual environment used for cyber training, exercises and technology testing and evaluation. It also provides the means to help strengthen knowledge of cyber defence operators and

performance of the computer information systems. It can be remotely accessed in one country by personnel from another location or country. The Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment has the lead role in the whole-of-government response to the cyber threat.

This project is about the Defence Forces having access to a secure cyber environment, as distinct from the ICT systems they use in the course of their activities, in which they can test their own ability to secure and defend the ICT systems on which they rely. Participation in the training and exercises available through this EDA category B project will enhance the capacity within the Defence Forces to secure, protect and defend their own systems against cyber attack and also to contribute to enhanced cyber security capacity at national level.

The total budget for the new maritime surveillance category B project is €675,000 and the cost of Ireland’s participation in this project is €15,000 per annum and €45,000 over the life of the project. With the second project, cyber ranges, there will be no financial contribution to this project.

In conclusion, lreland's participation in the EDA affords us the opportunity to keep abreast of best practice and new developments in the defence environment, particularly as it impacts on multinational crisis management operations. The Government’s White Paper on Defence, published in 2015, states that Ireland will identify opportunities to participate in multinational capability development projects within the framework of the EDA in support of the Defence Forces' operations, capacity and capability. The two projects discussed today are prime examples of how the Defence Forces can develop their capabilities in maritime surveillance and in cyber defence. On behalf of the Minister of State with responsibility for Defence, Deputy Paul Kehoe, I commend the motion to the House.

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