Ireland would find it very difficult to fully secure its maritime area, even with significantly increased naval capabilities, according to a United Nations expert on subsea security.
Dr Camino Kavanagh was speaking following the launch of a report she authored as part of the UN Institute for Disarmament Research which examines the threats to subsea telecommunications cables worldwide.
There is increasing concern in the Irish Government and in the European Union about the vulnerability of subsea cables and infrastructure. Dr Kavanagh said Irish waters are a “choke point” for such cables and a “point of vulnerability”.
About 75 per cent of transatlantic cables go to or near Ireland. Recent activity by Russian naval vessels in the vicinity of these cables has increased concern among officials.
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Speaking at an event organised by the Institute of International and European Affairs, Dr Kavanagh said it was “very, very difficult” for small countries with limited navies, such as Ireland, to “fully monitor and patrol and surveil the ocean around under their jurisdiction”.
This would be the case even if Ireland achieved the most ambitious goals laid out by the Government to substantially increase its naval fleet and subsea monitoring capabilities, she said.
Collaboration with other countries in this area is key, said Dr Kavanagh.
“That’s already happening with other countries, including with the countries that Ireland shares its maritime borders with.”
She referenced Ireland’s recent decision to join the common information sharing environment which will allow it to quickly share naval intelligence with other EU countries.
Dr Kavanagh, who is visiting senior fellow with the department of war studies, King’s College London also cautioned against governments overreacting to reports of damage or sabotage to subsea cables.
Most damage to subsea cables is caused by commercial vessels, she said. Furthermore, recent high-profile incidents which some security agencies have blamed on Russia had minimal impact on telecommunications services.
Dr Kavanagh’s report, which was supported in part by the Department of Foreign Affairs, detailed several ways Ireland is attempting to protect the subsea cables around its coast, including updating regulations in the area.
It is also funding the laying of new cables to provide additional redundancy in case of an incident and is streamlining the planning process for new subsea infrastructure.
In addition, regulations introduced last year allow the Government to provide financial assistance to a private company “where an essential service needs to be supported and such support is justified by public-interest objectives,” the report states.
“Ireland is also moving in the direction of greater policy and regulatory co-ordination across seabed users, aided by the establishment of the Maritime Area Regulatory Authority, a reformed planning commission, and a new regulatory co-ordination agency for the maritime space,” it said.
The Government is also planning a “centralised database” for the authorisation of maritime activities.
