An Cosantóir

An Cosantóir September / October 2026 www.military.ie/magazine T he Naval Service is in a continuous cycle of training and operation with other International Navies. As a matter of routine, we conduct internal assessments of our own interoperability standards onboard all Naval Service ships. And, when available we conduct PASSEX's (Passing Exercises) with other Navies that are passing through our waters. Internally, the Naval Service unit FORST (Fleet Operational Readiness Standards & Training) are responsible for assessing the standards that we operate under with other Navies. Much of the doctrine and standards are linked to NATO and other international maritime standards. The current ITPP (Individually Tailored Partnership Programme) between Ireland and NATO aims to strengthen both the cooperation and the capability of the Naval Service to operate with NATO. Strategic Objective 2 of this programme states "The Irish Defence Forces are effective and extend their interoperability with those of NATO to include the widest achievable range of defence capabilities". The current ITPP includes milestones such as Maritime Situational Awareness (MSA), maritime search and rescue, tactical communications and the sharing of data with NATO. FORST – SRET FORST (Fleet Operational Readiness, Standards & Training) is a unit within Naval Operations Command which is tasked with the Generation, Maintenance and Evaluation of Operational Capability (GMEOC) within the Naval Service. FORST conduct SRET (Ship Readiness, Evaluation & Training) periods onboard Naval Service vessels annually. Over the course of 5 days, the aim is to evaluate an operational platform at sea, proving core naval and mariner skills with a view to creating a coherent unit capable of carrying out its assigned tasks effectively to the standards required in the operational environment. The SRET process has been developed in line with the foundation of the Operational Capabilities Concept (OCC), providing a structural framework for assessing the operational readiness and effectiveness of Naval Service platforms at sea. The process evaluates the ability of forces to generate and sustain the required operational capabilities across a range of maritime taskings and scenarios. It also provides a framework for assessing interoperability, ensuring that Naval Service units can operate effectively with national, multinational and joint partners through common procedures, communications and C2 arrangements. This approach provides confidence that Naval Platforms are not only individually capable but can 8 | INTEROPERABILITY INTEROPERABILITY AT SEA AT SEA ARTICLE BY LT/CDR PAUL O'BRIEN AND ENSIGN MARTIN MCHALE Naval Service PASSEX 2026 Naval Service PASSEX 2026 Preparing the Naval Service for Multinational Operations

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