Taoiseach establishes new Ministerial Council on National Security
- Published on: 19 March 2025
- Last updated on: 10 April 2025
Taoiseach Micheál Martin today (Wednesday) announced the establishment of a Ministerial Council on National Security.
The new council, chaired by the Taoiseach, will review strategic developments in Ireland’s national security, and consider reports on national and international security.
Membership of the council will also include the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and Minister for Defence, and the Minister for Justice, Home Affairs and Migration.
The Garda Commissioner, Defence Forces Chief of Staff, Director of the National Cyber Security Centre, Secretaries General of Government, Foreign Affairs, Defence and Justice, and the Taoiseach and Tánaiste’s Chiefs of Staff will also attend meetings.
The ministerial council will meet at least three times a year, fulfilling a Programme for Government commitment for increased coordination of national security under the Department of the Taoiseach.
A national security committee chaired by the Secretary General of the government will meet quarterly to review national security developments, ensure cross-government cooperation, and to prepare reports for the ministerial council.
Announcing the strengthened structures on national security, the Taoiseach said:
“This new Ministerial Council on National Security is in response to an increasingly complex and challenging geopolitical and security situation across the world.
“We are facing new cyber and hybrid threats, as well as an ongoing bloody and immoral invasion by Russia of Ukraine, which poses an existential threat to EU member states.
“This new structure fulfils a Programme for Government commitment and will allow increased coordination and assessment of Ireland’s national security needs, capabilities and risks.”
Notes
In addition to the Ministerial Council on National Security and a national security committee, a new National Security Secretariat will be established in the Department of the Taoiseach to coordinate and review Ireland’s national security strategy.
It will convene meetings of new working groups of the national security committee covering security and intelligence; cyber and hybrid; international security; economic, energy and infrastructure, and transport.
The new working groups will comprise senior officials from relevant departments and State agencies.