Irish Defence Forces join key EU intelligence pact to protect vital undersea cables

Tánaiste Simon Harris has also directed officials in the Department of Defence to expedite the purchase of sonar and radar technology to boost the protection of Irish skies and vital undersea communication and electricity cables and gas pipelines.

The move comes after a Russian spy ship passed through Irish waters last week and was monitored by the naval service after being declared a vessel of interest.

The presence of clandestine Russian vessels has caused alarm over the vulnerability of key underwater infrastructure, especially since Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

Mr Harris, who is also Defence Minister, is set to confirm today that the Irish Defence Forces will join an alliance with military and civil agencies from 10 other nations to share intelligence on threats within European waters.

News in 90 Seconds - 14 April 2025

The network, known as the ­Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE), will enable sharing of both classified and unclassified information between the partner groups from countries including Italy, Portugal, Spain and Finland.

CISE has been developed over the past 15 years and became operational last year to address urgent maritime threats including risks to critical infrastructure.

Plans are also in place to use it in anti-drug-trafficking operations.

The Defence Forces’ CISE ­involvement will be run from the Naval operations centre in Haulbowline, Co Cork, which will formally be designated a “node” – a key hub within the network.

Mr Harris has said the CISE alliance will enable Ireland to work more ­closely with EU counterparts to keep Irish seas safe and secure.

“By signing up to this initiative, Ireland will now be in a stronger position in terms of information and intelligence-sharing when it comes to our maritime environment,” he said.

“If you look at the countries that we are collaborating with – the likes of Spain, France and Finland – we are all very much connected by a large sea area.

“So, I think it’s only appropriate that there would be greater collaboration among these countries and I’m very pleased as Tánaiste and Minister for Defence to ensure Ireland plays a leading role in this regard.

“By signing up to this initiative, our naval base in Haulbowline will be designated as what is termed a ‘node’.

“It means that we will now be part of a network that includes 11 other countries – and we will actively share information about vessels of interest and other actors that enter our seas.

“I very much believe that European security is best served by working together and that very much goes to the heart of what this initiative is about.”

Risks to Irish subsea infrastructure have been identified as an emerging threat in recent years with most transatlantic data communications running through Irish seas.

The Government’s emergency response group has also recently conducted operational exercises to test how the State deals with a cyber attack on underwater cables as well as damage to key gas pipelines – both of which led to a greater focus on maritime security.

Improving surveillance within the maritime domain has also been identified as a national defence policy priority by the Government.

The CISE network is a voluntary system that is not enforced by legislation, with institutions joining the system, rather than a country.

It has a decentralised infrastructure, giving the groups control of the ­information that they share, with the intelligence not centrally stored.

CISE has also been carrying out exercises on operational scenarios countries could face.

It includes search and rescue operations, threats to sea infrastructure, and cross-agency co-operation to prevent the trafficking of multi-million-euro cocaine shipments by sea.

The European Commission has also signalled that CISE will be used to support future maritime data systems, services and sharing process.

A key aspect of this will be to support an EU-wide effort to protect critical undersea infrastructure.

Officials say that the move will support the building of a comprehensive recognised maritime picture for Ireland, by ensuring that the Defence Forces have a platform to share information with other CISE members.

The move will also allow for better monitoring and surveillance of potential threats, and abnormal behaviours that may impact critical undersea infrastructure.