Ireland must remain vigilant and be prepared for a possible terrorist attack here, the chief of staff of the Defence Forces, Lieut Gen Jim Sreenan, has said.
He said that as a result of the global security climate, the Defence Forces had invested heavily in equipment needed to deal with the aftermath of a major attack, particularly chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear incidents.
Gen Sreenan told the closing session of the delegate conference of the Representative Association for Commissioned Officers (Raco) in Cavan that the Defence Forces had also improved its intelligence capability in an effort to detect any planned attack before it took place.
"The threat to Ireland remains low but we have to be aware that before the bombs in Madrid and London the threat was classed as low by the authorities there," he said.
"The best form of defence against terrorism is intelligence and we have over the past two years put considerable effort into developing our systems and processes and co-ordinating our efforts with our [ international] partners."
Although "dirty bombs" using radiological material were a concern internationally, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) were a bigger threat. "Fifty per cent of the US casualties in Iraq were caused by IEDs; in Vietnam that figure was only 3 per cent," Gen Sreenan said.
Ireland's fight against terrorism was strengthened greatly by the Defence Forces' participation in international peacekeeping missions alongside troops from other nations. Irish personnel could keep their skills, such as bomb disposal, up to date and they could also build relationships with troops from other countries that were vital in relation to sharing information about global security threats.
Irish personnel were now receiving intelligence training overseas, with courses already having been completed in Austria, Britain and the US.
The Army's intelligence unit is responsible for collecting information for the Garda Síochána regarding the threat to Ireland posed by international terrorists.
Gen Sreenan said he shared the view of Minister for Defence Willie O'Dea that the high numbers of officers serving overseas may adversely impact the Defence Forces' commitments at home. However, he believed when Ireland's deployment in Liberia was scaled back in the middle of next year, pressure on personnel would be alleviated.