Tánaiste Welcomes Response to Public Consultation
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From: Department of Defence
- Published on: 18 August 2025
- Last updated on: 18 August 2025
The Tánaiste and Minister for Defence, Simon Harris TD, today (18 August) confirmed that the Department of Defence received approximately 300 submissions in response to the recent public consultation in relation to the development of the country’s first National Maritime Security Strategy.
The Tánaiste said:
“this significant response to the public consultation reflects the priority placed on the issue of maritime security in last year’s Defence Policy Review.
“The responses to the consultation will inform the preparation of the National Maritime Security Strategy, the aim of which was to encourage an open, constructive dialogue and this will enable us to build consensus on the risks, challenges, and opportunities facing Ireland’s maritime domain.
“We now have a diverse range of perspectives on which we can build, coming from a wide range of interested parties, including government departments, academia, industry and members of the public.
“While the analysis of these submissions is ongoing, initial review of the feedback shows a clear understanding of Ireland’s maritime security challenges and support for a focus on defence and security priorities when it comes to dealing with risks and threats in our maritime domain.
“I remain fully committed to the delivery of the national maritime security strategy by the end of this year.”
The submissions included opinions on a range of issues, including the most significant threats and vulnerabilities in the maritime domain, the best ways to prepare for them, priority areas for future investment, views on private sector involvement in improving maritime security and whether Ireland should increase cooperation with international organisations and neighbouring countries.
The submissions also reflect an acknowledgement of Ireland’s undersea energy and communications infrastructure. These concerns particularly stem from recent geopolitical instability and increasing levels of suspicious vessel activity in our maritime space.
Respondents emphasised the importance of the Naval Services’ capabilities, as well as improving our maritime domain awareness to ensure we have a comprehensive picture of what is going on in our surrounding seas.
Added to this, there are concerns over the effects of climate change, illegal fishing and organised crime activity.
Early analysis of the responses to the consultation also indicate that the public sees collaboration with the private sector, particularly those who own and operate critical maritime infrastructure, as beneficial to improving the resilience of these critical assets. There are also calls for better information sharing and for a focus on opportunities for innovation and technological development to benefit Ireland in the maritime domain. There is strong support among the public for increasing international cooperation.
As part of its review, the Department is preparing a full thematic analysis on all the responses from the consultation. This analysis will inform preparation of the National Maritime Security Strategy, after which all the responses to the online survey will be published.
ENDS