According to a report in The Irish Times, a Royal Navy warship will provide air defence during a meeting of EU defence and foreign affairs ministers in County Wicklow next week, while remaining outside Irish territorial waters because of constitutional restrictions.

A Royal Navy air defence warship is reportedly due to deploy to the Irish Sea next week at Ireland’s request to provide protection during a meeting of European Union defence and foreign affairs ministers in County Wicklow, according to The Irish Times.

Next week, at Ireland’s request, a Royal Navy warship will provide air defence during a meeting of EU ministers in Wicklow. But, to comply with the Irish Constitution, the ship must remain outside Irish territorial watershttps://t.co/54jJ8NNzxx

— Conor Gallagher (@ConorGallaghe_r) August 27, 2026

The unusual arrangement was reported by Irish Times investigations reporter Conor Gallagher, who said British and French warships providing air defence during Ireland’s six-month EU presidency have been required to remain around 22 kilometres offshore because of legal advice received by the Irish Government. Although Dublin formally requested assistance from the two navies, the report says officials were advised that foreign military forces conducting active operations inside Irish territory would likely raise constitutional problems.

Gallagher summarised the forthcoming British deployment on X, writing: “Next week, at Ireland’s request, a Royal Navy warship will provide air defence during a meeting of EU ministers in Wicklow. But, to comply with the Irish Constitution, the ship must remain outside Irish territorial waters.”

According to The Irish Times, advice from Ireland’s Attorney General concluded that the deployment of foreign military forces on active operations within Irish territory would likely be unconstitutional even where their presence had been formally requested by the Irish Government. The report cites Article 15 of the Irish Constitution in explaining the legal advice, saying officials were told that only the Oireachtas has the right to raise a military force on Irish territory.

The result is an air-defence arrangement in which allied warships can reportedly provide missile cover for major events in Ireland while remaining outside the country’s territorial waters. The Royal Navy deployment planned for next week’s ministerial meeting follows an earlier French operation during the opening of Ireland’s EU presidency.

The Irish Times reports that the French frigate Aquitaine was stationed in Dublin Bay, just outside the 22-kilometre limit, on 1 July while dozens of European heads of government were visiting Ireland. The ship reportedly provided air defence while Irish military aircraft and naval vessels were also deployed to secure the area.

The report says a separate legal issue arose over whether a foreign warship positioned outside Irish territorial waters could take lethal action against an airborne threat over Ireland, such as a hostile drone or hijacked aircraft. Under Irish Defence Forces rules of engagement, known internally as COD 6, only Irish military officers can authorise the use of force in such circumstances, according to the newspaper.

As a workaround, an Irish naval officer was reportedly placed aboard the French ship as a liaison officer and given responsibility for providing final authorisation if lethal force was required. The Irish Times reports that this could have included authorising the use of long-range anti-aircraft missiles against an airborne threat.

European warships are reportedly expected to continue providing air defence during major events for the remainder of Ireland’s EU presidency. According to the report, next week’s meeting of EU defence and foreign affairs ministers in County Wicklow will be supported by a Royal Navy air defence warship operating in the Irish Sea.

The Irish Government has not publicly confirmed the French frigate’s earlier security role. The Irish Times reported that Ireland’s Department of Defence referred questions to An Garda Síochána, while a Garda spokeswoman said the force had no knowledge of Operation Fianna, the military security operation mounted for Ireland’s EU presidency.

The forthcoming British deployment would therefore continue an arrangement under which Ireland has reportedly sought allied naval air-defence support for major international gatherings while keeping the ships conducting those operations outside Irish territorial waters. No specific Royal Navy vessel has been identified in the report, however.