| Agency Name: | Department of Defence |
| Type: | Department |
| Formed: | 22 January 1919 |
| Jurisdiction: | Government of Ireland |
| Headquarters: | Station Road, Newbridge, County Kildare |
| Coordinates: | 53.1804°N -6.7959°W |
| Minister1 Name: | Micheál Martin |
| Minister1 Pfo: | Minister for Defence |
| Chief1 Name: | Jacqui McCrum |
| Chief1 Position: | Secretary General |
The Department of Defence (Irish: An Roinn Cosanta) is the department of the Government of Ireland that is responsible for preserving peace and security in Ireland, and administers the Irish Defence Forces. The department is led by the Minister for Defence.
The official headquarters of the department are at Station Road, Newbridge, County Kildare. The departmental team consists of the following:
The Department of Defence was created at the very first meeting of Dáil Éireann on 21 January 1919. The Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924, passed soon after the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, provided it with a statutory basis. This act provided it with:[2]
The mission of the Department of Defence is to meet the needs of Government and the public by providing value for money defence and civil defence services and by co-ordinating and overseeing the emergency planning process via the Office of Emergency Planning (OEP). The Department is also concerned with ensuring the secure and stable environment necessary for economic growth and development in Ireland. The military budget was €1.005 Billion in 2007 (estimated) and €1.354 Billion in 2010.[3] By 2015 the budget had been cut to €885 Million and was projected to stay at that level until 2017 according to a report by the Department of Finance.[4]
The Department oversees the operations of the Irish Defence Forces whose roles are:
The Department has also had responsibility for the Irish Red Cross since 1939.
When not engaged in military operations at home or overseas, most defence organisations concentrate on training and preparation and not on the provision of non-military services. The Defence Forces have achieved very high levels of training and preparation in recent years while also providing a wide range of services to other Government Departments and agencies. The Defence Forces Training Centre at the Curragh Camp is staffed by 1,300 soldiers and 300 civilians.[5]
Records are maintained by the Irish Military Archives.
The 2020 Defence Forces Review was published for the Military Authorities by the Public Relations Section at the Chief of Staff’s Branch, in academic collaboration with the Dublin City University School of Law and Government and containing the following disclaimer:[6]
This Review contains an article examining the relationship between the Department and the Defence Forces. The article outlines the background to an apparently very high level of detailed civilian control in the military environment and contrasts this with other, reasonably similar, defence structures in Europe. Retired Senior Officers and RACO (Representative Association of Commissioned Officers) are cited as describing the relationship as variously “toxic”, “divisive” and “dismissive”. The matter was reported as being subject to an investigation ordered by the Chief of Staff.
An apparent dispute between the Department of Defence Secretary General and the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces in relation to the release of documents under Freedom of Information Legislation was also reported in April 2021.[7]