In the Dáil last week, Minister for Defence Helen McEntee argued that given the vast expanse of seas surrounding Ireland, close working arrangements with “colleagues and friends” would be needed.
The Minister said it was also important that “we have a more permanent structure in place to be able to co-operate in that way”.
The Government’s new national maritime strategy, to be launched this week, will propose deepening bilateral links with countries such as the United Kingdom and France, and also enhancing co-operation with multinational organisations such as the European Union and Nato.
Such proposals will undoubtedly be controversial, however, and the Government is likely to face criticism that its new strategy would involve chipping away at the State’s neutrality.
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The Government believes the need to boost security, both on and below the waters off the coast, has significantly increased in recent times, given current geopolitical tensions.
The importance to Ireland of the sub-sea cables and gas and electricity links beneath the seas has also heightened the need for greater vigilance.
The Naval Service, however, in recent years has seen its capacity to operate reduced markedly, largely due to personnel shortages, especially in key technical grades.
Although it played a key role at times in dealing with weapon smuggling by the IRA during the Troubles, historically, much of its focus was on fishery protection.
The Naval Service, for example, had limited sonar capabilities to detect activity beneath the seas.
In today’s world, the role of the Naval Service is evolving quickly, while the Government is seeking to resolve the recruitment and retention crisis.
McEntee told the Dáil bluntly last week that the State was “not immune to Russian threats”.
She said the Russian shadow fleet posed a threat in many ways, including presenting a “massive environmental challenge”.
“If one of those tankers that are not seaworthy should have an accident, the implications more broadly for our seas is absolutely colossal.”
But the capacity of the Naval Service is limited. At the end of last year, it had 807 personnel, an increase of 12 per cent on the numbers a year earlier. While officially there are eight vessels in the fleet, just four are regularly deployed on maritime defence and security operations.
It is against this backdrop that the new strategy envisages greater international co-operation. Critics are likely to contend that it will not lead, in itself, to significant increases in domestic capacity.
The Minister, on the other hand, is likely to maintain that a separate regeneration plan for the Naval Service, which is due shortly, “will set out a pathway for its future direction”.
