Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces (Ireland)


The Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces is charged with the executive management of the Irish Defence Forces, and is the most senior military officer of the Army, Naval Service and Air Corps branches. The Chief of Staff is appointed by the President of Ireland, who is the Supreme Commander of the Defence Forces, on the recommendation of the Minister for Defence subject to the approval of the Government of Ireland. The office of the Chief of Staff consists of his personal staff, a strategic planning office, a public relations section and the military judge.
The Defence Forces Chief of Staff sits on the government's National Security Committee.
The Chief of Staff delegates remaining executive duties to two deputy chiefs of staff and one assistant chief of staff ;
  • The Deputy Chief of Staff Operations is tasked with operational matters.
  • The Deputy Chief of Staff Support is tasked with military support matters.
  • The Assistant Chief of Staff Support is also tasked with military support matters.
As of June 2025, the Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces was Lieutenant General Rossa Mulcahy.
WWW military.ie/info-centre/g...

Brigade Commanders

The country is divided into two areas for administrative and operational reasons, and in each area there is an Irish Army infantry brigade. The two brigade group structure envisages distinct operational areas of responsibility for each of the brigades and is supported in their responsibilities by the Naval Service and Air Corps. Each of the Brigade formations and the Air Corps are commanded by a Brigadier General, while the Naval Service is commanded by a Commodore;
PositionBranchAbbreviationPhotographIncumbent
General Officer Commanding 1st Brigade GOC 1 Brigade Brigadier General Caimin Keogh
General Officer Commanding 2nd Brigade GOC 2 Brigade Brigadier General Stephen Ryan
General Officer Commanding Defence Forces Training Centre GOC DFTC Brigadier General Brendan McGuinness
General Officer Commanding Air CorpsGOC Air Corps Brigadier General Rory O'Connor
Flag Officer Commanding Naval ServiceFOCNS Commodore Michael Malone