Minister for Defence Helen McEntee has said she hopes Ireland changes its position and partakes in a €150 billion EU financial aid package to rapidly scale up defence capabilities.
Ireland joined the EU Security Action For Europe (Safe) fund last June, but only in relation to putting up its own money for joint EU procurement of military equipment.
Tánaiste Simon Harris said last September that the Government had told the EU Ireland was not seeking loans from the fund.
The fund offers long-term, low-cost loans to EU members to address urgent capability gaps and boost EU defence ability.
READ MORE
Addressing the Oireachtas Committee on Defence and National Security on Thursday, McEntee said “Ireland took the decision last year not to participate in Safe. However, it would be my view, and I think that of others, the Tánaiste in particular, that we should if the opportunity arises again, look to participate in Safe.”
The Minister said Ireland should “look to access this funding that is available to us as it is to other member states, and I think that there is a possibility that this will reopen in the near future, so I think that that’s something that we should consider”.
McEntee said she was committed to the “continued transformation” of the Defence Forces into an “organisation capable of defending the State”.
McEntee told the committee the Government aims for a “significantly enhanced defence capability by 2028” after which she said Ireland would be “moving as quickly as possible to develop defence capabilities that would match those of other small western European countries”.
Among the investments the Government is making are in sonar capability, land-based, long-range primary radar as well as ground-based air defence systems designed to counter drones.
[ Ireland should avail of EU loans for defence if scheme reopens, says HarrisOpens in new window ]
McEntee also said maritime, ship-borne radar would be used as part of the suite of military radar systems which will have the capability to detect all aircraft traversing Irish airspace. She said elements would be rolled out in phases, including the delivery of counter-drone technology by this summer.
McEntee said the first National Maritime Security Strategy, published on Wednesday, concentrates on securing the maritime area from threats related to national security.
In relation to the vulnerability of undersea cables to attacks, she said the Government would be upgrading its protection of the maritime zone but would also be setting up a forum involving the private sector owners of the cables, within months.
McEntee said a particularly important aspect of the maritime strategy was to ensure that Ireland co-operates with regional partners and international institutions. “This will include co-operating closely with our near neighbours on new initiatives and exploring the opportunity for Ireland to host or partner in a regional cable-monitoring hub for the EU in the North Atlantic.”
Pressed by Sinn Féin TD Brian Stanley for information on who was behind the drone activity in Irish airspace as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskiy arrived for a State visit to Ireland last December, McEntee said the matter was the subject of a Garda investigation.
Stanley said it was a cause of concern that so long after the event, the perpetrators could not be publicly identified.
