High-level talks begin for Ireland to join a British-led naval mission designed to confront Russia

HIGH-LEVEL TALKS BETWEEN British and Irish defence officials have begun as Ireland plans to join a major north-Atlantic naval alliance which is designed to counter Russia. 

The Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) is a 10-nation military alliance led by Britain. It comprises the UK, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden.

It is a mission which is designed to protect the waters around Britain and north up towards the arctic circle. Its purpose is to limit Russia’s ability to operate freely. 

The initiative fits in with the UK’s Operation Bastion which sees more intense patrolling of the Atlantic and also includes an undersea array of listening posts. 

In February, the National Maritime Security Strategy stated that to secure Irish waters, Ireland will have to broaden international relationships. At the time, Minister for Defence Helen McEntee said the State should not be afraid to work with Britain in security matters.

Those closer ties to Nato nations such as Britain are developing fast and a British naval ship as well as a helicopter are currently deployed in the Irish Sea to assist Ireland secure the meetings of defence and foreign affairs ministers in Wicklow. 

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One of the aspects of the policies being examined by the Department of Defence is to join a tailored version of the to get closer to mutual defence initiatives such as the JEF.

Ireland said it would not join the more offensive core elements of the JEF but rather a wider group known as the JEF+.

The Journal has learned that high-level meetings between Ireland and Britain have begun to initiate the process of joining.

It is understood that the government has directed the Department of Defence to progress the plan, and it will initially work as an observer in JEF+.

Sources have explained that it is seen as an opportunity for practical cooperation with like-minded partners on shared security challenges, complementing Ireland’s strong engagement at EU level.

The key is that Ireland will piggyback on the JEF’s maritime security apparatus and use it to respond to hybrid threats such as drone incursions.

The meetings are examining how Ireland can benefit practically – in other words, what the other nations can give to the Irish.

Military sources have said that Ireland’s naval capabilities are so limited that it will be essentially a watching brief, but there will also be a capability-building opportunity and information and intelligence sharing.