Cathal Crowe (Clare, Fianna Fail)
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19. To ask the Taoiseach and Minister for Defence the extent to which his Department is preparing to use robotic drones and remote control submersibles to protect undersea cables and infrastructure along the Irish coastline; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [60233/25]

Simon Harris (Wicklow, Fine Gael)
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Protecting undersea cables and infrastructure requires a multifaceted approach with different capabilities working in coordination to firstly detect an undersea threat, localise it, classify it and even track it as it moves through the water. The Government has committed to measures to protect undersea cables and infrastructure and the Department of Defence, and the Defence Forces have a significant body of work, in that regards, at different stages of delivery.

There are short and medium term plans already approved, with projects at different stages of delivery. These projects will deliver new capabilities to be used with our existing assets. Additionally, there is a long-term Capability Development programme of work currently underway which will plan required capabilities, in line with defence policy to 2040. This overall capability development planning approach will see new capabilities becoming available in the short, medium, and long term.

Earlier this year I announced a new major contract with Thales DMS France for the provision of towed sonar capability. The sonar, the first of its kind in Ireland, will be used for monitoring and surveillance in the subsea domain, thus significantly enhancing maritime security.

This significant investment in sonar capability will provide the Naval Service with a state-of-the-art sonar system, which will enable them to build a picture of our subsea, contributing to the overall maritime picture available to Naval Service and the wider Defence Forces.

The second project within that subsea programme has commenced. This project will result in a new Air Corps capability which can be used to detect, localise, identify, and track objects in the Irish EEZ. This capability will be used in conjunction with the new towed sonar capability planned for delivery in 2027, and also with existing Air Corps assets.

In terms of long term, new capabilities, my department is preparing a long-term Capability Development Programme which will identify and cost, at a high level, the capability requirements for the Defence Forces out to 2040 across all domains of operation including the maritime and subsea domain. This will include robotic drones and remote control submersibles.