Minister ‘certain’ anti-drone tech in place for EU presidency

Counter drone technology will be in place before Ireland’s presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Defence Minister has pledged.

Helen McEntee said she was “absolutely certain” that the technology would be in place.

Sinn Fein defence spokesman Donnchadh O Laoghaire has criticised timelines under the new implementation plan for the Defence Forces, which was published earlier this week.

He said Counter Unmanned Aerial Systems (C-UAS) – or anti-drone technology – was due to be in place last year, but its completion has been pushed out to September this year, which is after the EU presidency starts in July.

Asked if that timeline was quick enough, Ms McEntee said: “What I’ve done in announcing this new plan is make sure that that technology will be in place by providing the funding and the support.

“Of course, the Defence Forces are working closely with An Garda Siochana to make sure that what is needed operationally is in place and can be in place on time.

“But there’s a huge amount of focus and efforts being put into making sure that we have what we need, and beyond that as well, it’s important to make sure that we have drone counter-drone technology protecting our skies as well as our seas.”

She said a new maritime security strategy will be published in the coming weeks.

Mr O Laoghaire also criticised delays in delivering additional medium lift helicopters, which he said are now more likely to arrive in 2028, and the military radar project continuing with a deadline of 2028.

Speaking to reporters in Galway, Ms McEntee defended the strategy as “an extremely ambitious implementation plan”.

She said the overall strategic framework sets out a number of actions that will be taken in the year ahead.

She added: “That’s complemented by the 1.7 billion euro of a capital plan that I announced before Christmas, and what I’ve done here in this plan is prioritise the investment in our new radar capability, prioritise bringing the timelines forward to make sure that we have those capabilities in place as soon as possible.

“But that 1.7 billion euro is also being invested beyond the radar system. It’s about investing in our airports, about investing in our machinery and our technology and our vehicles, and also making sure that the men and women in our Defence Forces, that their uniforms, their equipment and the surroundings that they work in, that there’s continued significant investment there.”

Ms McEntee was speaking at an event at Renmore Barracks where Fr Paul Murphy, who was stabbed at an attack at the complex in 2024, and three others who responded to the incident were awarded with distinguished service medals.

The minister also officially opened the new University Student’s Accommodation Complement at the barracks, replacing the old unit which was originally constructed in the early 1970s.

The new unit will be used by Defence Forces personnel attending local third level educational institutes such as the University of Galway and the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, as well as by other Defence Forces personnel attending courses, seminars, and training events.