Why Ireland's geography makes it vulnerable to Russian maritime surveillance
The RAF has operated a P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft from Northern Ireland for the first time, as the island of Ireland takes on a more visible role in North Atlantic security.
The aircraft flew from Joint Helicopter Command Flying Station Aldergrove in Co Antrim during Exercise Emerald Rescue, a search-and-rescue exercise with the Coastguard and RNLI.
Its arrival at Aldergrove came weeks after the UK and Ireland signed an updated defence memorandum in March to enhance bilateral defence co-operation.
Prisoner of geography
Brigadier Piers Ashfield, commander of 38 Brigade and the senior military officer in Northern Ireland, described the island of Ireland as being in an "absolutely critical position" because of its geography.
He said the exercise was a "physical manifestation" of the updated UK-Ireland defence agreement.
"Ireland has always been a prisoner of that geography, and where it operates in the Greenland-Iceland gap, as you've seen the various ministerial leaders of the MOD describing the threat from Russian naval operations in that space that threatens both the critical national infrastructure that not only the UK depends on, but a significant part of Europe and our allies and partners depend on as well," Brig Ashfield said.
"It occupies an absolutely critical position covering this really important stretch of water in the North Atlantic," he explained.
Aldergrove is the most westerly RAF base and Brig Ashfield said it provides an advantage not only for the UK operating from it, but also for partners across Nato.
Wing Commander Rob McCartney, commanding officer of 201 Squadron, said the RAF was using the exercise to show that Aldergrove could have a future role beyond routine training.
"While we're here doing search and rescue, we're also here to plant a little flag in Aldergrove and say the RAF is here in Aldergrove, we plan to operate here and we plan to operate much closer with our Irish partners."
The Russia threat
Ireland is militarily neutral and is not a Nato member, but its position on the edge of the North Atlantic places it close to waters watched by the UK, Nato allies and Russia.
The island sits to the south-west of the Greenland-Iceland-UK gap, the Cold War-era maritime route still watched closely because Russian naval forces use the North Atlantic to move between the Arctic, European waters and the wider ocean.
Undersea cables that keep the population online have become the new invisible frontline and the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding sets out to protect this critical infrastructure.
Earlier this month, the UK said it had tracked a Russian Akula-class submarine and two specialised submarines linked to GUGI, Russia's Main Directorate for Deep-Sea Research, during activity in the North Atlantic.
The Russian ship Yantar was also part of that activity.
A Royal Navy warship and RAF P-8 aircraft were involved in monitoring the Russian activity, alongside allies.
"The RAF is here to get used to operating from here, and who knows where that will take us," Wing Cdr McCartney said.
"We are in a war of deterrence, what we're here to do is say to Putin 'we're willing and ready to be stronger than you and do things that win this war, and airfields like Aldergrove will be part of that solution'."
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