Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 20 June 2023
182. Deputy Brendan Howlin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Defence if he will outline the progress made since the publication of the Report of the Commission on the Defence Forces on the development of anti-drone or counter UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) in the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29776/23]
View answerA key priority for me as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the capabilities of the Defence Forces are maintained, developed and enhanced in order to ensure that the Defence Forces can carry out all of the roles assigned to it by Government, as set out in the White Paper on Defence.
Following the report of the Commission on the Defence Forces in 2022, which included a wide range of recommendations in relation to capabilities and funding, the Government approved a move to ‘Level of Ambition 2’ (LOA2), as set out in the capability framework devised by the Commission.
Allied to this, one of the recommendations made by the Commission provided for the development of anti-drone or counter UAS capabilities. This recommendation was accepted in principle in the subsequent High Level Action Plan published last July following the Government's consideration of the Commission’s report.
As a result, a civil-military Working Group on UAS detection and counter UAS technology has recently been established. The Working Group has commenced a study of national and international best practice, and regulatory requirements, in order to see how UAS detection and counter UAS technology can best be deployed in the context of enhancing the capacity of the Defence Forces to carry out all of the roles assigned to it by Government. Building on current and previous staff studies in this area, the Working Group will make recommendations on the development of the Defence Forces capability and capacity in this area.
