THE IRISH GOVERNMENT has announced that it will enhance risk assessments and protections as it signs new EU wide regulations to protect critical sectors such as food production, energy and water treatment. 

Minister for Defence and Foreign Affairs Tánaiste Micheál Martin announced that the measures are designed to “build resilience” for all member states. 

as part of the initiative the Department of Defence will develop a national strategy for resilience.

It will lay out the governance and resilience measures, particularly around how Ireland share and develops ways for Government agencies and private businesses.

The Tánaiste said the regulations will help protect “essential services” in Ireland.  

“My Department will create a framework to ensure that these operators are able to prevent, resist, absorb and recover from disruptive incidents, whether they are caused by natural hazards, accidents, terrorism, insider threats, or public health emergencies,” he said. 

The Department will also develop an enhanced national risk assessment process to aid in identifying the businesses most in need of protection.

When contacted by Defence officials the so-called “critical entities” will then need to carry out their  will carry out risk assessments of their own and will take technical, security and organisational measures to enhance their resilience. 

Various departments will be involved in the process along with Defence.

The Department of Environment, Climate and Communications is currently developing legislation covering the same sectors with a focus on cyber resilience rather than physical resilience.

On a recent trip to speak to security experts in Brussels, The Journal heard of a heightened risk of so-called hybrid attacks by Russian saboteurs across Europe. Hybrid warfare covers everything from espionage to sabotage to disinformation operations.  

Those sources also claimed that Russian agents have carried arson attacks on Polish warehouses and sabotage in France and other locations.  

It comes just a few weeks after Ken McCallum, the head of the British MI5 intelligence agency warned that Russian intelligence agencies were involved in “a sustained mission to generate mayhem” on UK streets, the head of MI5 has warned.

McCallum said GRU agents, Russian military intelligence, have carried out “arson, sabotage and more dangerous actions” in Britain amid the UK’s support for Ukraine in the war between the two nations.