Ireland said Tuesday that it will send senior military officers to key foreign embassies for the first time, the latest step by the EU member to beef up its modest defence structures.A "Defence Attache Network" will be established in Irish embassies in Paris, London and Washington, aimed at enhancing links with key strategic partners, Defence Minister Helen McEntee said in a statement.
"This decision comes in the context of a deteriorating, and increasingly contested, European and international security environment," said McEntee, who is also Ireland's foreign minister.
The move is the latest in a ramping up of the island nation's defence capabilities.
Militarily neutral, Ireland has a small army and possesses neither a combat air force nor a significant naval fleet.
The new network would "bridge the gap between military and diplomatic channels" said a government statement.
Personnel would be able to supply "feedback on defence and security matters," it added.
Last week McEntee unveiled Ireland's first ever maritime security strategy, to address "critical gaps" in maritime domain "awareness".
The plan included radar and sonar projects to protect subsea cable infrastructure, planned new naval bases, and enhanced international cooperation.
Ireland's vast maritime domain spans an area roughly ten times larger than its landmass, and is one of the largest sea areas under national jurisdiction in the EU bloc.
Ireland will forge links with the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF), a UK-led alliance of 10 member countries -- all NATO members -- focused on maritime security.
The strategy document said organised crime groups and the Russian shadow fleet of vessels used by Moscow to transport sanctioned oil threaten Ireland's maritime territory for strategic and financial advantage.
In recent months Dublin has announced plans to invest in multi-billion euro new military equipment, with France identified as a "preferred" strategic supply partner.
McEntee also said last week that Ireland is assessing whether to let British and French vessels patrol Irish-controlled waters during Ireland's upcoming hosting of the rotating EU presidency.
Ireland's six-month turn at the EU helm which begins in July when it will host summits for bloc leaders has also heightened scrutiny on its threadbare defence ecosystem.
