Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Robert McCabe is Assistant Professor and Director of the MA Maritime Security Programme at the Centre for Peace and Security at Coventry University. Previously he has worked as a Research Associate with the School of Law and Politics at Cardiff University on the British Academy Sustainable Development programme funded project SAFESEAS. He holds a PhD in History (International Security) (2016) and an MA in Military History and Strategic Studies (2011) from Maynooth University. He is the author of Modern Maritime Piracy: Genesis, Evolution and Responses (Routledge, 2018) and co-author of Europe, Small Navies and Maritime Security: Balancing Traditional Roles and Emergent Threats in the 21st Century (Routledge, 2020) and Capacity Building for Maritime Security: The Western Indian Ocean Experience (Palgrave Macmillan, 2021), as well as several articles addressing maritime security, governance and development topics.
Research Interests
I am primarily engaged in the field of maritime security, with a particular focus on capacity building, ocean governance, and sustainable development. This includes critical maritime infrastructure protection, the constabulary role of navies and coast guards (in particular small navies), blue economic development, marine spatial planning, and how the nexus between the environment, development and maritime insecurity impacts communities, the shipping industry and the global supply chain.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Projects
- 3 Active
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Securing UK Subsea Infrastructure: Information-sharing in times of crisis
Malcolm, J. (Principal Investigator) & McCabe, R. (Co-Investigator)
2/06/25 → 1/03/26
Project: Research
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CYBERCABLE: Integrating cyber awareness in government and private sector networks for cooperative critical underwater infrastructure protection
Fenton, A. (Principal Investigator), McCabe, R. (Co-Investigator), Malcolm, J. (Co-Investigator) & Speller, I. (Co-Investigator)
31/03/25 → 9/09/26
Project: Research
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Improving multi-actor cooperation to protect subsea infrastructure in the Republic of Ireland and United Kingdom
McCabe, R. (Principal Investigator) & Malcolm, J. (Co-Investigator)
19/12/24 → 19/12/25
Project: Internally funded project
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"A Sea of Opportunity" - The Maritime Dimension of Brexit Narratives
McCabe, R., 8 May 2025, In: Maritime Studies. 24, 2, 33.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Improving Technological Capacity to Secure Underwater Infrastructure: The Case of Ireland
McCabe, R., 5 Feb 2024, Rethinking Sovereignty and Security at the Maritime Frontier : Pirates, Proxies, Passwords and Pipelines. Coventry: Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University, p. 23-28 6 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Open AccessFile220 Downloads (Pure) -
Ireland and the Security of Subsea Infrastructure
McCabe, R., 30 May 2024, 5 p. Azure Forum for Contemporary Security Strategy.Research output: Other contribution › peer-review
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Under the Radar: Ireland, Maritime Security Capacity, and the Governance of Subsea Infrastructure
McCabe, R. & Flynn, B., 2 Apr 2024, In: European Security. 33, 2, p. 324–344 21 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Citations (Scopus)134 Downloads (Pure) -
Environmental Drivers of Maritime Insecurity: Governance, Enforcement and Resilience in the western Indian Ocean
McCabe, R., 18 Sept 2023, In: Conflict, Security & Development. 23, 3, p. 237-265 29 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile4 Citations (Scopus)88 Downloads (Pure)
Datasets
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Occurrences of Maritime Phraseology in the Context of Brexit 2015-2022
McCabe, R. (Creator) & Davies, J. (Creator), Zenodo, 28 Mar 2024
DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.10890393, https://zenodo.org/records/10890393
Dataset
Activities
- 2 Participation in conference
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British International Studies Association Annual Conference 2025
Malcolm, J. (Speaker) & McCabe, R. (Speaker)
19 Jun 2025Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in conference
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British International Studies Association 2024
Malcolm, J. (Speaker) & McCabe, R. (Speaker)
5 Jun 2024 → 7 Jun 2024Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participation in conference
Press/Media
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Critical infrastructure: Irish gas and electricity supplies are highly vulnerable to attack
7/04/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Storm Éowyn should warn us about threat to Ireland's gas pipelines and electric cables
7/04/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Slow development of Irish maritime security strategy raises concerns
2/03/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Double challenge to Ireland's economic model and its historical neutrality
6/02/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment
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Calls for Ireland to boost defence of subsea internet cables
25/01/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert Comment