Introduction
How is the Military in Ireland and how does it work to maintain Sucity and fight terrorism? In terms of Military and security forces, we have the Irish Defense Forces (Oglaigh na h-Eireannn): Army, Air Corps, Naval Service, Reserve Defense Forces (2024).
In Ireland, Ireland has a long-standing policy of military neutrality; however, it participates in multinational peacekeeping and humanitarian operations, as well as crisis management; Ireland is a signatory of the EU’s Common Security and Defense Policy and has committed a battalion of troops to the EU’s Rapid Reaction Force; Ireland is not a member of NATO but has a relationship with it going back to 1997, when it deployed personnel in support of the NATO-led peacekeeping operation in Bosnia and Herzegovina; Ireland joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program in 1999; it has been active in UN peacekeeping operations since the 1950s
the Irish Defense Forces trace their origins back to the Irish Volunteers, a unit established in 1913 which took part in the 1916 Easter Rising and the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921) (2024)
the Irish Defense Forces trace their origins back to the Irish Volunteers, a unit established in 1913 which took part in the 1916 Easter Rising and the Irish War of Independence (1919-1921) (2024)
Security and military information of Ireland
| Military and security service personnel strengths | approximately 8,000 active-duty personnel (2023) |
|---|---|
| Military equipment inventories and acquisitions | the Irish Defense Forces have a small inventory of imported weapons systems from a variety of mostly European countries, particularly the UK (2023) |
| Military service age and obligation | 18-25 years of age for male and female voluntary military service recruits to the Defence Forces (18-27 years of age for the Naval Service); 18-26 for cadetship (officer) applicants; 12-year service (5 active, 7 reserves) (2024). note: as of 2023, women made up about 7% of the military's full-time personnel note 2: the Defense Forces are open to refugees under the Refugee Act of 1996 and nationals of the European Economic Area, which include EU member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, and Norway |
| Military deployments | 130 Golan Heights (UNDOF); 325 Lebanon (UNIFIL) (2024). |
| Military expenditures | |
| Military Expenditures 2023 | 0.2% of GDP (2023 est.) |
| Military Expenditures 2022 | 0.3% of GDP (2022) |
| Military Expenditures 2021 | 0.3% of GDP (2021) |
| Military Expenditures 2020 | 0.3% of GDP (2020) |
| Military Expenditures 2019 | 0.3% of GDP (2019) |
Terrorism
In Ireland, the different Terrorist group(s) inlcude: Continuity Irish Republican Army; New Irish Republican Army; Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS)
All Important Facts about Ireland
Want to know more about Ireland? Check all different factbooks for Ireland below.
