The Minister for Defence ( ga, An tAire Cosanta) is a senior minister in the
Government of Ireland
The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.
The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The gover ...
and leads the
Department of Defence. The current Minister for Defence is
Micheál Martin
Micheál Martin (; born 1 August 1960) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who is serving as Tánaiste, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister for Defence since December 2022. He served as Taoiseach from 2020 to 2022 and has been Leader of ...
,
TD. He is also
Minister for Foreign Affairs
A foreign affairs minister or minister of foreign affairs (less commonly minister for foreign affairs) is generally a cabinet minister in charge of a state's foreign policy and relations. The formal title of the top official varies between cou ...
.
The department is responsible for the
Irish Defence Forces. The
Ministers and Secretaries Acts 1924 assigned the minister the additional title of ''
Commander-in-Chief'' as the ''Chairman of the Council of Defence''. The Defence Act 1954 removed this title, as a result of the reconstitution of the Council of Defence. The
President of Ireland
The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Ireland and the supreme commander of the Irish Defence Forces.
The president holds office for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms.Constitu ...
, a largely ceremonial role, is considered the ''Supreme Commander'' of the Defence Forces. In practice, the Minister acts on the President's behalf and reports to the Irish Government. The Minister for Defence is advised by the Council of Defence on the business of the Department of Defence.
The Minister is assisted by the
Minister of State at the Department of Defence,
Jack Chambers, TD.
Ministers for Defence since 1919
;Notes
See also
*
Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces (Ireland)
The Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces (COS) ( ga, Ceann Foirne na bhFórsaí Cosanta) 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 bran ...
*
Minister of State at the Department of Defence
*
Director of Military Intelligence (Ireland)
References
External links
Department of Defence
{{DEFAULTSORT:Defence
Ministers
Government ministers of the Republic of Ireland
Lists of government ministers of Ireland
Ireland, Defence
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...