According to the Irish Examiner, the public is being asked for its views in the drafting of the country’s first national security strategy. As part of the key recommendation of the Policing Commission, published in September 2018, the development of the strategy is part of a major restructuring of Ireland’s intelligence infrastructure. The Irish Examiner reports that the strategy is being led by a new government unit within the Department of the Taoiseach, the National Security Analysis Centre.
The consultation wants to hear the public’s views and opinions on national security and what you think is important regarding protecting our national security and interests from current and emerging threats over the period from 2020 to 2025. According to the Gov.ie website, like many other states, the security environment that Ireland now faces is broad and changing. Traditional threats from terrorism, for example, remain a concern while newer threats such as those arising in the cyber environment or from a changing geo-political landscape will present new challenges.
In some of the questions posed to the public it asks what the potential threats are to Ireland’s national security, what strategic goals should Ireland set in this area; what traditional national security policies and approaches remain relevant; what strategic capabilities will the State need? Protecting the State is vital and there needs to be new capabilities to respond to the changing environment according to the Gov.ie website.
The formal Consultation process runs until the 31st December 2019 and feedback is welcome from any interested parties. You are invited to respond by email to the questions and full details of the consultation can be found here.