#defenceforces – Yesterday's Naval Service fleet exercises were an opportunity to hone skills and improve on techniques to ensure that the ships can respond to any operational requirement that they may be required to undertake in Ireland's extensive maritime domain, which covers an area twelve times the size of Ireland's land mass. The Naval Service patrols 15% of EU waters which are under Irish sovereign control and which provide an estimated €3.4 Billion in resources to the Irish exchequer annually or approx 1.2% of GDP.