“Civilian hulls painted grey” is a term often applied to the vessels of the Irish Naval Service. The eight ships – of which only four are available for duty due to personnel shortages – are ill-equipped for modern challenges. They have limited ability to detect what is happening above the waves and precisely zero ability … Read more
Ireland is to deepen naval co-operation with France and Britain, including allowing their vessels to patrol Irish-controlled waters and offer protection during the EU presidency. The move towards deeper co-operation will be outlined on Wednesday with the launch of the National Maritime Security Strategy, which will set out planned measures to protect Irish waters and … Read more
This week in Farnborough, near London, hundreds of arms company representatives mingled with military officers and government officials from around the world. Among them were representatives from the Irish Defence Forces and Department of Defence. They were attending the annual International Armoured Vehicles Conference, which bills itself as “the largest, most influential gathering of the … Read more
Last month, Irish soldiers assigned to the EU Battlegroup, which is designed to act as the bloc’s rapid response force, got an unwelcome surprise. Christmas pay packets would be smaller than expected, they were told. The problem was that, while on Battlegroup exercises in Hungary and Germany, they had mistakenly been paid a higher rate … Read more
A Russian Navy intelligence-gathering ship is being tracked through Irish-controlled waters and is refusing to respond to communications from the Naval Service. The Viktor Leonov, a 100m vessel from the Russian Navy’s Northern Fleet, was spotted by the Irish Naval Service earlier this week. It is being tracked by LÉ Samuel Beckett as it sails … Read more