Editing Defence Forces (Ireland) (section)

{{Short description|Combined military forces of Ireland}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2023}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}

{{Infobox national military
| name = Defence Forces
| native_name = {{lang|ga|Fórsaí Cosanta}}<br />{{lang|ga|Óglaigh na hÉireann}}
| image = Badge of the Irish Defence Forces.svg
| alt = 
| caption = [[Irish Defence Forces cap badge|Badge of the Defence Forces]]
| image2 = 
| alt2 = 
| caption2 = 
| motto = 
| founded = {{Start date|1924|10|01|df=yes}}
| current_form = 
| disbanded = 
| branches = {{tree list}}
*{{Army|Ireland}}
*{{Air force|Ireland}}
*{{Navy|Ireland}}
*[[Reserve Defence Forces]]
**[[Army Reserve (Ireland)|Army Reserve]]
**[[Naval Service Reserve]]
{{tree list/end}}
| headquarters = [[McKee Barracks|DFHQ McKee Barracks, Dublin]]
| website = {{Official website|https://www.military.ie/en/#1}}
<!-- Leadership -->| commander-in-chief = [[Michael D. Higgins]]
| commander-in-chief_title = [[President of Ireland|Supreme Commander]]
| chief minister = 
| chief minister_title = 
| minister = [[Simon Harris]]
| minister_title = [[Minister for Defence (Ireland)|Minister for Defence]]
| commander = Lieutenant general [[Seán Clancy (Irish general)|Seán Clancy]]
| commander_title = [[Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces (Ireland)|Chief of Staff]]
<!-- Manpower -->| age = 18–39 (as of 2025)<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.military.ie/en/careers/army-careers/army-recruit/ | publisher = Irish Defence Forces | website = military.ie | title = Army Recruits | accessdate = 1 February 2025 | quote = Applicants must be 18 years of age and under 39 years of age }}</ref>
| conscription = No
| manpower_data = 
| manpower_age = 
| available = 
| available_f = 
| fit = 
| fit_f = 
| reaching = 
| reaching_f = 
| active = 7,557 <small>(Establishment: 9,739; December 2024)</small><ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.irishexaminer.com/news/arid-41563492.html | work = Irish Examiner | first = Cormac | last = O'Keeffe | title = Many EU nations in 'full war preparation mode', raising pressure on Irish neutrality | date = 29 January 2025 | accessdate = 1 February 2025 }}</ref>
| ranked = 
| reserve = 1,720 <small>(Establishment: 4,069; Aug 2024)</small><ref name="writtenAnswersRDF">{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/debate/dail/2024-10-17/question/9/|publisher=Office of the Houses of the Oireachtas (Hansard)|title=Defence Forces - Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 Oct 2024 - Written Answers|date=17 October 2024|quote=As of 31 August 2024, the effective strength of the Second Line Reserve stood at 1,553, which consists of 1,456 Army Reserve personnel and 97 Naval Service Reserve personnel. On the same date, the strength of the First Line Reserve stood at 167 personnel  }}</ref>
| deployed = 428 troops, 17 missions (as of March 2025), including:<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2025-03-19/233/ | title=United Nations – Wednesday, 19 Mar 2025 – Parliamentary Questions (34th Dáil) – Houses of the Oireachtas }}</ref>
*{{flag|Lebanon}} ([[United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon|UNIFIL]] 347 personnel)
<!-- Financial -->| amount = €1.5bn (2024)<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.military.ie/en/news-and-events/news/defence-forces-chief-of-staff-welcomes-historic-increase-in-defence-budget.html |website= Military.ie |language=en |title=Defence Forces Chief of Staff welcomes historic increase in Defence budget }}</ref>
| percent_GDP = 0.23% (2022)<ref>{{Cite web |title=SIPRI Military Expenditure Database {{!}} SIPRI |url=https://www.sipri.org/databases/milex |access-date=2024-02-08 |website=www.sipri.org |language=en}}</ref>
| domestic_suppliers = 
| foreign_suppliers = 
| imports = 
| exports = <!-- Related articles -->
| history = 
| ranks = [[Irish Defence Forces rank insignia|Military ranks of Ireland]]
}}

The '''Defence Forces''' ({{langx|ga|Fórsaí Cosanta}},<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.acts.ie/ga.act.1937.0041.1.html|title=Defence Forces Act, 1937|work=Acts of the Oireachtas|quote={{lang|ga|...cialluíonn an abairt 'na Fórsaí Cosanta' na Fórsaí agus an Cúltaca.}} (...the expression 'the Defence Forces' means the Forces and the Reserve.)|access-date=7 November 2013|archive-date=24 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131224111650/http://www.acts.ie/ga.act.1937.0041.1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> officially styled {{lang|ga|[[Óglaigh na hÉireann]]}})<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1954/en/act/pub/0018/sec0016.html|title=Defence Act, 1954|quote=It shall be lawful for the Government to raise, train, equip, arm, pay and maintain defence forces to be called and known as {{lang|ga|Óglaigh na hÉireann}} or (in English) the Defence Forces.|access-date=26 October 2013|archive-date=29 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029190455/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1954/en/act/pub/0018/sec0016.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{citation|title=Bunreacht na hÉireann: a study of the Irish text|author=Micheál Ó Cearúil|publisher=Stationery Office|location=Dublin|year=1999|page=189|quote='The Defence Forces' are officially styled by the Army itself as {{lang|ga|Óglaigh na hÉireann}} in Irish, as against {{lang|ga|na Fórsaí Cosanta}}.|url=https://www.constitution.ie/Documents/Bunreacht%20na%20hEireann%20-%20Study%20of%20the%20Irish%20Text.pdf|access-date=26 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055829/https://www.constitution.ie/Documents/Bunreacht%20na%20hEireann%20-%20Study%20of%20the%20Irish%20Text.pdf|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref group="Note">{{lang|ga|Óglaigh na hÉireann}} derives its origins from the [[Irish Volunteers]]. Whilst the Irish for ''Defence Forces'' is {{lang|ga|Fórsaí Cosanta}}, as Ó Cearúil (1999) points out, the Defence Forces are officially styled {{lang|ga|Óglaigh na hÉireann}}. {{lang|ga|Fórsaí Cosanta}} is used in other contexts (e.g. {{lang|ga|Rialacháin Fhórsaí Cosanta}} is ''Defence Force Regulations'') as well as having a defined meaning in legislation.</ref> are the [[military|armed forces]] of [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]. They encompass the [[Irish Army|Army]], [[Irish Air Corps|Air Corps]], [[Irish Naval Service|Naval Service]], and [[Reserve Defence Forces]].

The Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces is the [[President of Ireland]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.president.ie/role-of-the-president/|title=Official President.ie site - Roles of the President|publisher=Áras an Uachtaráin|access-date=23 December 2014|archive-date=19 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219142508/http://www.president.ie/role-of-the-president/|url-status=live}}</ref> All Defence Forces officers hold their [[commission (document)|commission]] from the President, but in practice, the [[Minister for Defence (Ireland)|Minister for Defence]] acts on the President's behalf and reports to the [[Government of Ireland]]. The Minister for Defence is advised by the Council of Defence on the business of the [[Department of Defence (Ireland)|Department of Defence]].<ref name="statute">{{cite web|url=http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1924/en/act/pub/0016/print.html|title=Statute Book - Ministers And Secretaries Act, 1924|quote=the Minister for Defence ... shall be assisted by a Council of Defence|access-date=23 December 2014|archive-date=11 December 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141211043511/http://www.irishstatutebook.ie/1924/en/act/pub/0016/print.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

As of December 2023, there were 7,550 permanent personnel in the Defence Forces out of an established strength of 9,500,<ref name="writtenAnswersPDF">{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2024-01-23/157/?|title=Defence Forces – Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 23 January 2024 - Written Answers}}</ref> a decrease from September 2020 when there were 8,529 personnel, comprising 6,878 Army, 752 Air Corps and 899 Naval Service personnel.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-11-17 |title=Defence Forces Strength – Tuesday, 17 Nov 2020 – Parliamentary Questions (33rd Dáil) – Houses of the Oireachtas |url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2020-11-17/42 |access-date=2022-11-27 |website=www.oireachtas.ie |language=en-ie}}</ref> As of August 2024, there were also 1,720 personnel in the Reserve Defence Force out of an established strength of 4,069.<ref name="writtenAnswersRDF"/>