Ireland is preparing to join an alliance of European nations focused on sharing intelligence regarding potential threats in EU waters.
Tánaiste and Minister for Defence Simon Harris has granted the Defence Forces the authority to officially join the Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE), enhancing the country’s maritime surveillance capabilities.
The CISE is a voluntary, decentralized network that facilitates the sharing of maritime surveillance data among EU and EEA countries and agencies.
This initiative allows various authorities, including coast guards, naval services, and customs, to securely communicate their data in real-time.
According to Tánaiste Simon Harris, the decision to join does not undermine Irish neutrality.
The European Commission oversees the initiative and encourages all EU member states to participate.
Participants maintain control over their data and determine what information to share.
Each member connects through a CISE “node,” which serves as a secure gateway for information exchange.
The Irish node will be operated by the Naval Service from Haulbowline in County Cork.
Mr. Harris described this connection with other European nations as a “common sense measure.”
He emphasized that this move is a crucial component for Ireland’s first national maritime security strategy, which is currently under development.
A new maritime security unit was established at the Department of Defence at the beginning of the year to explore ways to address maritime threats and risks to Ireland.
As Ireland monitors an extensive maritime area with limited resources, there are concerns about the surveillance and potential sabotage of critical infrastructure.
The Viktor Leonov CCB-175, a Russian Navy intelligence-gathering vessel, has previously been spotted off the coast of Havana, Cuba.
In recent months, Russian intelligence-gathering ships have hovered near undersea cables and operated close to Irish waters with ambiguous intentions, at times without transponders.
When questioned about how this alliance could have provided assistance last week when the Defence Forces shadowed a Russian surveillance vessel in Ireland’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), the Minister for Defence noted that the CISE will establish a more “structured footing” for information sharing with partners.
“It means you have the option to exchange information with those ten other countries… vessels of interest can swiftly move from one country’s sea area to another,” Mr. Harris explained.
“We are all aware of the growing presence of vessels of interest, and it’s critical that we share information in a timely manner,” he added.
Michael Murphy, a former lieutenant colonel and deputy director of military intelligence at the Irish Defence Forces, expressed concerns regarding how this might impact Ireland’s neutrality.
“One issue is that we could be sharing intelligence about activities in our waters with foreign forces… regarding Russian vessels or other non-NATO ships, which could imply taking a side by passing information,” he stated.
“Thus, we’re collecting information, turning it into intelligence, and passing it on to foreign forces [with] limited ability to act ourselves, as we currently only have one available ship,” Mr. Murphy said.
Mark Price, co-founder of the Irish Neutrality League, believes this alliance is not genuinely international and primarily represents Western powers.
“Ships are entitled to navigate through our EEZ. This reflects our government’s efforts to instill a sense of alarm that may push Irish citizens to wish for military and security alliances,” he remarked.
Mr. Harris maintained that this initiative does not compromise Irish neutrality.
He clarified that it is focused on security and is “not about joining any military alliance.”
“This is a voluntary information-sharing alliance… Much of this already happens informally, and this effort is aimed at formalizing that,” he added.
He reiterated that it is up to the Defence Forces to determine what information to share, “just as it is up to other defence forces to decide what they share in return.”
The European Commission has also indicated that the CISE will support future maritime data systems, services, and sharing processes.
It has identified CISE as part of the Integrated Surveillance Mechanism for Submarine Cables, which is proposed to support an EU-wide initiative to safeguard critical undersea infrastructure.
The European Commission has spearheaded the development of CISE over the past 15 years, with it becoming fully operational in 2024.
