Launch of the National Maritime Security Strategy - Speech by Minister McEntee

25 February 2025

LÉ Samuel Beckett, Sir John Rogerson’s Quay

Secretary General of the Department of Defence; Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces; Oireachtas colleagues and distinguished guests.

It is a great pleasure for me to welcome you all here in the heart of Dublin’s Docklands, on the LE Samuel Beckett for today’s launch of Ireland’s first National Maritime Security Strategy.

Today’s launch event takes place against a backdrop of an ever evolving geopolitical landscape - war on the continent of Europe, increasingly complex hybrid threats, the presence of the shadow fleets.

The weekend before last I was at the Munich Security Conference where these matters were being discussed at the highest level. This included discussions on how we can reinforce cooperation to strengthen maritime security in the face of geo-political tensions. It is clear that countries are stepping up their focus and investment in defence and security and we are no different and I believe, given our location and island nation status, that maritime security needs to be one of our top priorities. .

As the Secretary General outlined in her introduction for this new strategy, the first of its kind in Ireland, we have worked with key stakeholders across Government Departments and Agencies, including the Defence Forces.

I know that many of these contributors are in the audience today, in particular, members of the new Maritime Security Working Group. As well as overseeing preparation of this strategy, you also have a role in overseeing its implementation. So let me say a sincere thank you for all the work you have done and for the work you have ahead of you. I do want to emphasise that maritime security is a whole of Government responsibility, so your involvement in this process is a vital element of the new approach to increasing our country’s national security.

I also want to extend my thanks to the members of the public who participated in the public consultation on the strategy that took place last summer. The public’s strong engagement with the process and their views have helped shape this new strategy.

The Strategy’s main aim is to protect our people and our interests – to work even more closely with our European and International partners to uphold the rule of law in the maritime domain at an increasingly challenging time.

This first strategy focuses on risks and threats to Ireland’s national security and defence in the maritime domain. It identifies six strategic objectives which aim to support this initial focus on national security and defence.

These strategic objectives are:

1. Defend the State’s maritime domain;
2. Protect Ireland’s critical maritime infrastructure, especially its critical undersea infrastructure;
3. Enhance Ireland’s maritime domain awareness;
4. Strengthen regional partnerships and increase international co-operation;
5. Ensure legal order in Ireland’s maritime domain and support international law; and
6. To Educate, to train, to engage in further research and innovation to support increased maritime security.

I also want to assure you that this strategy is not just a policy document. It also has an accompanying action plan to deliver a more secure maritime domain.

This action plan identifies specific measures to ensure the delivery of each of these six objectives to achieve this vision. This action plan has also been designed to be agile and adaptable to new threats as they emerge and evolve.

Some of the key actions from the action plan include:

• The development of the concept of a national maritime security centre, which will deliver a new, whole-of-government approach to protect the security of our maritime domain;
• exploring the opportunity for Ireland to host or participate in a regional maritime monitoring hub for the protection of critical undersea infrastructure in the North Atlantic;
• strengthening regional partnerships, particularly with our near neighbours the UK and France, as well as increasing cooperation with EU initiatives and with international bodies and regional groupings;
• working closely with the private sector who are the owners and operators of much of our critical maritime infrastructure; and
• developing a comprehensive new legal approach to maritime security in Ireland.

It is important to stress that our Defence Forces and Navy are already monitoring and interacting with suspicious vessels in the waters around our island. Our maritime domain is seven times our land area so this is a challenging undertaking but they are already doing this.

While all three services of the Defence Forces are involved in this vital work, I do want to give a particular mention to the Naval Service who are the State’s principal sea-going agency. They are ably represented here today by their new Flag Officer Commanding the Naval Service, Commodore Darragh Kirwan.

It would be remiss if I overlooked the equally vital work undertaken by our Air Corps, who patrol our seas using highly specialised maritime surveillance aircraft. The General Officer Commanding the Air Corps, Brigadier Rory O’Connor is also with us today.

The joint actions of the Defence Force will provide a vital foundation for the new strategy and I am determined to strengthen our Defence Forces through investing in their personnel and capabilities so that they can continue to protect and monitor our maritime domain against new and evolving threats.

Through implementation of the strategy, I will also champion a new, comprehensive legal approach to maritime security in Ireland. This will be to ensure that the Defence Forces have all the necessary enforcement powers they need when at sea.

Of course, this new approach must be developed in a manner consistent with the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). I am committed to upholding international law and to having clear, comprehensive and universally accepted rules to regulate States’ rights and duties in, on and under the seas.

Given that our seas are a shared resource and that so much of our critical maritime infrastructure connects us to our neighbours, we can only truly have security through working together with partners and neighbours to mitigate the threats and challenges that we can observe, such as the activities of the Shadow Fleet.

And so this requires even greater levels of engagement with our European Union and international partners to enhance maritime security, including the security of undersea infrastructure. Of course, this must be done in a manner consistent with international law and in line with our vision and values. As we approach 1 July, when Ireland takes up its role of Presidency of the European Union, our responsibility to advance the EU’s security and defence agenda will come increasingly under the spotlight. And I am determined we will not be found wanting.

It is also vital to understand that much of the critical infrastructure in our waters is owned or operated by the private sector. As a consequence, ensuring the security and resilience of this infrastructure requires close collaboration between government, our Defence Forces and industry. I am happy that this new strategy provides a pathway to increased cooperation in this area. An example of the type of cooperation I want to see is the development of a trusted network of critical undersea infrastructure stakeholders.

And of course, I also want to mention the importance of our research community here in Ireland, who will contribute to our maritime security through innovative projects and expert analysis. This is another important element of the strategy.

What is clear is that there is no one solution. Rather it requires many stakeholders joining us in implementing the roadmap over the next five years as set out by this strategy and it’s action plan.

It is about delivering a new whole-of-Government approach to protect the security of our maritime domain, in cooperation with international partners and the private sector, and in accordance with our international legal rights and obligations.

My request to you all today is that we all work together and engage with the new, joined-up approach.

Thank you.