The Irish Military: Keeping the Republic Safe

          The Irish military, or armed forces, are formally known as the Defence Forces. The Defence Forces are made up of three main branches:  the Army, the Naval Service and the Air Corps.  Ireland is fortunate in the fact that its geographical location is off of the northwest coast of Europe and therefore the European Union, which makes any risk of being invaded or attacked unlikely. Its military capabilities are relatively modest, but the country has a long history of involvement in the United Nations peacekeeping operations. Ireland officially became a member of the UN in 1955, and since 1958 it has had a continuous presence on peace support operations and humanitarian missions. The Defence Forces were founded by the Irish Volunteers in 1913.

          The Irish Army consists of 8,500 active personnel and 13,000 Army Reservists.  The country is split up into three areas for administrative and operational purposes with each region containing an Infantry Brigade. The first Brigade has responsibility for operational tasks in the South, the second for operational tasks in the Northeast, and the third for operational tasks in the Northwest. This brigade structure ensures troops can be quickly deployed anywhere on the island within hours. The Army also has nine specialist corps, which are the Infantry Corps, Artillery Corps, Cavalry Corps, Engineer Corps, Ordnance Corps, Medical Corps, Transport Corps, Military Police Corps and Communication and Information Services Corps.  By forming specialist units, the military is able to pinpoint the tasks it wishes to accomplish and to execute those tasks swiftly and efficiently. 

          The Irish Air Corps is the smallest of the branches of the Defence Forces, with approximately 939 personnel.  The primary roles of the Air Corps are to protect Irish and EU air space, support the Army and the Navy, and to provide aid when there is civil unrest, such as during IRA attacks. The Air Corps also has the secondary responsibility to provide aid to Irish citizens in times of need. Essentially, the Air Corps is tasked with many functions beyond the traditional role of solely defending the Irish airspace.
          The Irish Naval Service contains 1,144 personnel, a relatively small sector of the forces.  Its main task is to police all of the Irish territorial waters, including the Irish Conservation Box, which is a large area of sea in which fishing is restricted in order to preserve the fish population and underwater ecosystems. These waters also technically belong to the EU, meaning by patrolling the ocean the Naval Service holds the Union's northern flank. The Naval Services also have other roles, which include protecting fisheries, aiding civilians, drug smuggling interception, maritime safety, diving operations, pollution control and overseas mission support. All of these roles come after the Navy’s primary role, which is defined as “National Security”.