Naoise Ó Cearúil (Kildare North, Fianna Fail)
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21. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the steps he will take to safeguard undersea critical infrastructure given the recent €60 million investment in sonar capabilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [49096/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Safeguarding undersea critical infrastructure requires a multifaceted approach and the recent investment in sonar capability is just one of those approaches. The Government has committed to measures to safeguard undersea critical infrastructure and the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces have a significant body of work underway in that regard.

In relation to subsea domain awareness capabilities, a programme of work has been approved as part of the overall Equipment Development Plan. The recent announcement regarding investment in sonar capability is the first project within that new programme which will see the Naval Service acquire sonar capability which will be used to detect objects near cables and pipelines in Irish territorial waters and the EEZ. This new acquisition will enhance awareness below the surface, contributing to the overall maritime picture available to Naval Service and the wider Defence Forces. This is a complex project and a new capability, so work in training personnel and establishing the procedures and structures required within the Defence Forces has commenced, and will continue in the period up to the delivery and operationalisation of the system. Details regarding the capability and associated costs are kept confidential due to the intelligence nature of the activities associated with this project.

With this initial project at contract stage, subsequent projects within that programme of work will now be considered in the context of a wider Capability Development Programme which will identify at a high level, the capability requirements for the Defence Forces out to 2040 across all domains of operation including the subsea domain. This ongoing piece of work, once complete, will inform the prioritisation of capabilities the Defence Forces will progress in moving towards the strategic level of ambition set out in the Defence Policy Review. This will be in line with the capital allocation under the National Development Plan.

In addition to the development of new capabilities, the Defence Forces routinely monitor foreign vessels with both Naval Service assets and Air Corps maritime patrol aircraft, as well as remote monitoring on a 24/7 basis from the Naval Operations Command Centre in Haulbowline.

The Air Corps Maritime Patrol Squadron carries out aerial monitoring of the Irish EEZ. Two C295 maritime patrol aircraft equipped with state-of-the-art surveillance and communication equipment were delivered to the Air Corps in 2023 to replace the CASA CN235 aircraft. These aircraft considerably upgrade our surveillance capabilities.

The Naval Service routinely carry out maritime defence and security operations within Irish territorial waters and the EEZ. These taskings are multi-faceted activity which can involve fishery protection, drug interdiction, search and rescue and importantly maritime surveillance.

An additional step being taken to strengthen maritime security and surveillance, the Department of Defence is taking the lead on the development of Ireland’s first National Maritime Security Strategy, in cooperation with national and international stakeholders. Protecting critical maritime infrastructure and enhancing maritime domain awareness will be key elements of the strategy.

In terms of collaboration with European Union partners, in April 2025 I approved for the Defence Forces to participate in the EU’s Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE). Joining CISE will support better monitoring and surveillance of growing threats at sea and will help improve the Defence Force’s maritime domain awareness. This will aid their decision-making during complex maritime operational scenarios as well as their ability to share information with other EU maritime organisations.

As you will be aware, Ireland is also actively participating in a number EU PESCO (Permanent Structure Cooperation) projects including, Critical Seabed Infrastructure Protection, Maritime Autonomous and semi-Autonomous Systems for Mine Countermeasures, Upgrade of Maritime Surveillance. These collaborations will enhance cooperation with EU participating states thus benefiting Ireland in the protections of undersea critical infrastructure by enhancing maritime surveillance, situational awareness, response effectiveness and integration of systems.