Ireland releases maritime strategy as it looks to new naval bases and stronger partnerships
Troops on a JEF exercise; Ireland is looking to participate in the organisation’s activities. (Photo: British Army/Crown Copyright)
Ireland has a maritime area ten times the size of its land mass but has a limited naval capacity and faces an ongoing threat to critical underwater infrastructure. A new strategy is looking to address the challenge.
Ireland will investigate the possibility of new naval bases on the country’s east and west coasts and look for closer international naval cooperation to defend critical infrastructure. The efforts were outlined in the Irish Department of Defence’s (DoD) National Maritime Security Strategy 2026–2030 released on 25 February.
A key objective of the strategy is to strengthen regional partnerships, increase international cooperation and “support international and EU efforts to counter Russian Shadow Fleet, including additional sanctions and participation in relevant operational initiatives”.
Major procurements outlined, which were already known, include commencing delivery of a military radar programme before mid-2026 and achieving
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