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Defence Forces

Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 10 March 2022

Thursday, 10 March 2022

Ceisteanna (22)

Brendan Smith

Ceist:

22. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Defence the action that has been taken in view of the White Paper on Defence that the ability to effectively defend Defence Forces’ networks from cyber-attacks is an essential capability that must be retained and developed. [13197/22]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

My priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service is maintained to the greatest extent possible. This is primarily to enable the Defence Forces to carry out their roles as assigned by Government as set out in the White Paper on Defence 2015. The White Paper sets out that the primary role of the Defence Forces with regard to Cyber Security relates to the defence and security of its own networks and systems. It would be inappropriate for me to comment on the specific cyber activities and the resourcing of same by the Defence Forces, for both security and operational reasons. 

I would note, however, that the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces are committed to participating, under the leadership of the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications, in the delivery of measures to improve the Cyber Security of the State in line with the Programme for Government commitment to implement the National Cyber Security Strategy, recognizing the potential and important role of the Defence Forces. The Department of Environment, Climate and Communications is the home of the National Cyber Security Centre which is the primary authority responsible for cyber security in the State, including incident response, cyber resilience and information provision. 

With regard to the National Cyber Security Strategy, my Department officials and members of the Defence Forces are actively involved in its implementation. This Strategy, in conjunction with the White Paper on Defence 2015, will continue to inform our engagement in this critical area. This includes work to develop an updated, detailed risk assessment of the current vulnerability of all Critical National Infrastructure and services to cyber-attacks and the secondment of a member of the Defence Forces to the Cyber Security Centre of Excellence in Tallinn, Estonia. My officials were also part of the steering group that developed a Baseline Cyber Security Standard for Government Departments and Agencies and they participate in the UK-Ireland Critical National Infrastructure Cyber Cooperation Working Group.  My officials actively participate on the Inter-Departmental Committee overseeing the overall  implementation of the National Cyber Security Strategy.

In addition, the Department of Defence and the Defence Forces have a Memorandum of Understanding and a Service Level Agreement with the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications to provide support in the area of national cyber security. The overall aim is to improve the cyber security of the State through various types of assistance and support while also ensuring the operational requirements of the Defence Forces are prioritised, including the ongoing sharing of information and analyses of risks.

Question No. 23 answered with Question No. 15.
Question No. 24 answered with Question No. 15.
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