The Irish Defence Forces are the armed forces of the Republic of Ireland. Full-time salaried personnel are collectively known as the Permanent Defence Force (PDF); they encompass the Army, the Naval Service, and the Air Corps. The Permanent Defence Force is supported by volunteers of the Reserve Defence Force (RDF), consisting of the First Line Reserve (FLR) and the Second Line Reserve (SLR), the latter of which contains the Army Reserve (AR) and the Naval Service Reserve (NSR). In terms of personnel numbers, on 31 January 2026, the Minister for Defence confirmed a strength of 7,767 for the Permanent Defence Force, 204 for the First Line Reserve, and 1,607 for the Second Line Reserve, the latter consisting of 1,473 Army Reserve and 134 Naval Service Reserve. This equates to a ratio of Permanent Defence Force to Reserve Defence Forces of 4.3:1.
- Country
- Ireland
- Inception
- October 1, 1924
- Website
- http://www.military.ie/
