Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

We have to beef up the capacity of the Defence Forces to develop a comprehensive radar system, to assess the requirements for Ireland in that respect and to procure one. On subsea cables, obviously aerial support is important. There are a number of dimensions to protecting subsea cables, the most critical one being collaboration with other EU member states, the US and other countries. The monitoring is done globally and different countries alert each other when they spot potential third-party actors who may be either monitoring our subsea cables or are in our specialised exclusive economic zones. It was explained to me by a senior military adviser - not in the Irish Army - that this will be a battle of maths in the future. A lot of this will involve the private sector providing far more information in respect of its cables. There are lots of complexities around international maritime law as it applies to data under the sea and a lot of expertise will be required. Therefore, we do need to collaborate with other countries in terms of protecting subsea cables, particularly the transatlantic ones, because of the enormity of the data that flows through them, which affects all of our lives. It is not just about ships alone.

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