The Government is to bring in “urgent” legislation to give the Defence Forces powers to board and inspect Russian shadow vessels travelling through Irish territorial waters. The provisions would provide the Defence Forces with their own “enforcement powers” and enable them to act “unilaterally” in maritime operations — and not be dependent on the powers of An Garda Síochána, Customs, or the Coast Guard. This bigger challenge is behind a strong push in the strategy towards bilateral cooperation agreements with the governments and defence forces of France and Britain in relation to maritime security. Counter-drone technologyGovernment sources have also insisted that the Defence Forces will have counter-drone technology in place before July and that personnel will be trained in their use in time. Defence minister Helen McEntee said she wanted to put defence cooperation with the UK and France on a “more permanent footing”, citing the existing intelligence sharing procedures between the countries.

Source: Irish Examiner February 25, 2026 10:05 UTC