Ireland’s defence policy is leaving a security vacuum that could be filled by “drug smuggling and terrorism,” an industry expert has claimed.

Wilfried Martens Centre researcher Eoin Drea said Ireland is “totally defenceless” and has abdicated responsibility for protecting its critical infrastructure to the EU and UK.

Around 75% of all transatlantic cables in the northern hemisphere, used for things like the internet and financial transactions, pass through or near Irish waters.

Ireland is also responsible for 16% of the EU’s territorial waters but has limited navy and air capabilities to secure it.

The L.E. Samuel Beckett Irish Navy ship in Dublin, 17-05-2014. Photo: Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland

On Newstalk Breakfast today, Mr Drea said other countries are noticing how defenceless Ireland is.

“I don’t think the Government in Dublin fully understands how much the war in Ukraine has changed thinking in Brussels,” he said.

“It’s going to be a big focus of the new mandate in the European Parliament after the upcoming elections and Ireland is very ill-equipped to deal with this new reality.”

'Handed the keys to cartels'

Mr Drea said being left open to attack “is only a small part of it”.

“Because we have no capability to control our Irish waters, we’ve actually handed the keys of our country to drug cartels, drug traffickers and those trading in illicit substances,” he said.

“We also need to remember we’re in a Common Travel Area with the UK and we have a responsibility to ensure our borders are secure, not just for us, but for the UK.

“There are people who will enter Ireland wanting to go to the UK for nefarious purposes.

“They can just cross the border to Northern Ireland, over to Scotland, etc, so there are many aspects to this that include people smuggling, drug smuggling and terrorism, God forbid.”

Tanaiste Micheal Martin inspecting Irish troops at Camp Shamrock in Lebanon, 4-19-24. Image: PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo

Mr Drea said neutrality “doesn’t mean defenceless”.

“Austria is an example of a neutral country that has no plans to give up its neutrality but has 15 jet fighters that can practically and realistically patrol its air space,” he said.

“I think Irish people need to understand that 75% of transatlantic undersea cables run in Irish waters or very near Irish waters.

“They are the cables that keep the internet going, they’re the cables that deal with financial transactions in the European and US stock markets.”

Defence against Russian

The researcher said Russia poses a threat to these cables.

“With our position at the moment and given that we’ve seen the Russian Navy in Irish waters on several occasions, the threat is actually much more critical here than in countries in central and eastern Europe,” he said.

Ireland’s defence budget was €1.23bn in 2023.

Main image: Irish Defence Forces arm patch of a soldier in the Irish Army. Image: Andy Gibson / Alamy Stock Photo