Ireland concerned about the safety of its submarine cables
Ireland is concerned about the safety of its submarine cables.
AFP - PAUL FAITH
Text by: RFI Follow
1 min
Ireland is increasingly wary of Russian naval activity and fears for the safety of its cables.
They allow financial transactions, commercial operations or simply daily internet access.
The risk was mentioned by Emmanuel Macron at the summit of the European Political Community in Prague.
But the challenge looks complicated.
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With our correspondent in Dublin,
Laura Taouchanov
Three quarters of Northern Hemisphere cables pass through or near Irish waters.
Paradoxically, this strategic position is not reflected at all in the navy, deplores David Murphy, the director of the center for military strategy studies.
“
It looks more like a coast guard,
” he points out.
We have six ships, none of which have submarine capability.
It's depressing and I think any European would wonder how come an island doesn't have a navy given the current context!
The
argument
is that we were neutral so we didn't need to defend ourselves.
It's insane!
»
97% of the world's communications pass through these cables, which makes it an international challenge, explains Robert McCabe, researcher in maritime security at the University of Coventry.
"
These cables are very vulnerable and recently the Russians have conducted several military exercises nearby,
" he said.
The Russian threat is growing in Ireland.
But the responsibility should not rest on one country alone.
There could be a multilateral response in Europe.
»
Without this cooperation, experts warn,
Ireland
's defense budget alone will never be enough to create a credible submarine defense fleet.
►
Also read our webdoc: An ocean of cables.
In the depths of the internet
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