Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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33. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence to indicate the anticipated future role of the Defence Forces, Army, Naval Service, and Air Corps in future national and/or European defence measures; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42081/24]

Micheál Martin (Cork South Central, Fianna Fail)
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In July of this year, Government approved the latest in a fixed cycle of defence reviews - the Defence Policy Review 2024 - Adjusting and affirming our Defence Policy in an era of change. The publication of the review comes at an important juncture not just for my Department and the Defence Forces but also in the context of the wider security landscape in which we are operating.

This review, which lays out Government Policy to 2028, reaffirms, and where appropriate, revises our Defence Policy and the posture of the Defence Forces in response to the prevailing security environment and the wider national and international defence landscape.

Our overarching Strategic Level of Ambition for Defence is to defend Irish sovereignty, protect Irish Citizens and secure Irish interests in support of Irish society, the Irish economy, our collective well-being and our territorial integrity.

Central to the response to the defence and security challenges that Ireland is facing is our engagement with key bilateral and multilateral partners. Our Defence policy will continue to be shaped by our policy of military neutrality coupled with active and principled membership of the EU, the UN, and with NATO through our membership of Partnership for Peace. This includes continuing our long-standing support of the EU's Common, Security and Defence Policy (CSDP) and active participation in the EU's civilian and military CSDP missions and operations, as well as continuing our participation in UN Peace Support Operations.

As well as affirming our commitment to deepening and broadening defence and security cooperation the review highlights a number of key priorities for the period to 2028. These include:

• a focus on maritime security. My department will lead on the development of the National Maritime Security Strategy.
• an immediate focus on the development of an Integrated Monitoring and Surveillance System for Air, Land and Sea domains for Ireland
• implementation of changes to command and control and required governance and accountability, all of which are vital to the necessary transformation of the Defence Forces.