Ireland and Britain have introduced a new incident-reporting protocol for subsea cables and conducted a joint security exercise, marking a further step in efforts to protect critical maritime infrastructure around the two countries.
The developments were outlined by Minister for Defence Helen McEntee at the EU Maritime Security Conference in Dublin on Wednesday, 28 October.
The new arrangement provides a mechanism for reporting incidents affecting subsea cables, while a joint tabletop exercise, known as Eastern Pearl, tested how the two countries would respond to a potential disruption.
Ireland–UK Maritime Security Cooperation
The measures build on earlier Ireland–UK commitments to joint exercises and closer cooperation on protecting undersea cables.
Subsea communications cables carry vital international data traffic, while undersea energy infrastructure is also central to Ireland's security. McEntee told delegates that 75% of transatlantic cables traverse Irish waters and that more than 80% of Ireland's natural gas arrives through two subsea pipelines.
The Eastern Pearl tabletop exercise examined coordination in the event of cable disruption. The precise date and findings of the exercise have not been disclosed, and no live at-sea exercise was announced as part of this update.
European Maritime Surveillance Plans
A Defence Forces connection to the EU's Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE) is expected to become operational in 2027. The information-sharing arrangement will complement Ireland's participation in the European Defence Agency's Maritime Surveillance project, MARSUR.
The Minister said these tools would improve the State's ability to gather intelligence and exchange information with European partners in responding to maritime threats.
Naval Service Equipment
McEntee also reiterated plans for counter-unmanned aircraft systems aboard Irish Naval Service vessels, alongside military radar and sonar programmes and work to revitalise the naval base in Cork Harbour.
No new Naval Service equipment contract, delivery date or project-specific funding allocation was announced at the conference. The Minister's reference to an approximately 45% increase in overall defence spending since 2022 was not a dedicated Naval Service budget allocation.
The developments follow the publication of Ireland's first National Maritime Security Strategy in February, which identified the protection of critical maritime infrastructure and improved international cooperation as priorities.
The new reporting protocol and the completed tabletop exercise provide tangible progress in that cooperation, although the operational details of the protocol have not been publicly released.
Further details were reported by RTÉ following the Minister's conference address.
