Chief of Staff of Defence Forces Ireland | |
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since 29 September 2021 | |
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Member of | National Security Committee |
Reports to | Minister for Defence |
Nominator | Government of Ireland on the recommendation of the Minister for Defence |
Appointer | President of Ireland |
Website | Official website |
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7b/Department_of_Defence_HQ_Newbridge_Co_Kildare_frontshot.jpg/220px-Department_of_Defence_HQ_Newbridge_Co_Kildare_frontshot.jpg)
The Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces (COS) (Irish: 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 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.[1]
The Defence Forces Chief of Staff sits on the government's National Security Committee (NSC).[2]
The Chief of Staff delegates remaining executive duties to two deputy chiefs of staff (who hold the rank of major general or equivalent) and one assistant chief of staff (brigadier general or equivalent);
- The Deputy Chief of Staff Operations (D COS Ops) is tasked with operational matters.
- The Deputy Chief of Staff Support (D COS Sp) is tasked with military support matters.
- The Assistant Chief of Staff Support (ACOS Sp) is also tasked with military support matters.[1]
The current Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces is Lieutenant General Seán Clancy. Clancy assumed the role on 29 September 2021.
Current General Staff of the Defence Forces
[edit]Position | Abbreviation | Photograph | Incumbent | Branch |
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Chief of Staff | COS | ![]() |
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Deputy Chief of Staff Operations | D COS Ops | ![]() |
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Deputy Chief of Staff Support | D COS Sp | ![]() |
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Assistant Chief of Staff | ACOS | ![]() |
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Overseas
[edit]Deputy Military Advisor to UN Office of Military Affairs | ![]() |
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Irish Military Representative to the EUMC | ![]() |
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Brigade Commanders
[edit]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;[3]
Position | Branch | Abbreviation | Photograph | Incumbent |
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General Officer Commanding | ![]() |
GOC 1 Brigade | ![]() | |
General Officer Commanding | ![]() |
GOC 2 Brigade | ![]() | |
General Officer Commanding | ![]() |
GOC DFTC | ![]() | |
General Officer Commanding | ![]() |
GOC Air Corps | ![]() | |
Flag Officer Commanding | ![]() |
FOCNS | ![]() |
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List of Irish Chiefs of Staff
[edit]No. | Portrait | Chief of Staff | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch |
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1 | Eoin O'Duffy (1890–1944) | GeneralFebruary 1922 | July 1922 | 5 months | ![]() | |
2 | Richard Mulcahy (1886–1971) | GeneralJuly 1922 | August 1922 | 1 month | ![]() | |
3 | Seán Mac Mahon (1893–1955) | GeneralAugust 1922 | March 1924 | 1 year, 7 months | ![]() | |
4 | Peadar MacMahon | GeneralMarch 1924 | March 1927 | 3 years | ![]() | |
5 | Daniel Hogan (1895–?) | GeneralMarch 1927 | February 1929 | 1 year, 11 months | ![]() | |
6 | Seán Mac Eoin (1893–1973) | GeneralFebruary 1929 | October 1929 | 8 months | ![]() | |
7 | Joseph Sweeney (1897–1980) | Lieutenant GeneralOctober 1929 | October 1931 | 2 years | ![]() | |
8 | Michael Brennan (1896–1986) | Lieutenant GeneralOctober 1931 | January 1940 | 8 years, 3 months | ![]() | |
9 | Daniel McKenna | Lieutenant GeneralJanuary 1940 | January 1949 | 9 years | ![]() | |
10 | Liam Archer | Lieutenant GeneralJanuary 1949 | January 1952 | 3 years | ![]() | |
11 | W. A. Egan | Lieutenant GeneralJanuary 1952 | December 1954 | 2 years, 11 months | ![]() | |
12 | Patrick Mulcahy | Lieutenant GeneralJanuary 1955 | December 1959 | 4 years, 11 months | ![]() | |
13 | John McKeown (1910–1998) | Lieutenant GeneralJanuary 1960 | December 1960 | 11 months | ![]() | |
14 | Sean Collins Powell (1905–1991) | Lieutenant GeneralJanuary 1961 | March 1962 | 1 year, 2 months | ![]() | |
(13) | John McKeown (1910–1998) | Lieutenant GeneralApril 1962 | March 1971 | 8 years, 11 months | ![]() | |
15 | Patrick Delaney | Major GeneralApril 1971 | July 1971 | 3 months | ![]() | |
15 | Thomas O'Carroll | Lieutenant GeneralApril 1971 | July 1976 | 5 years, 3 months | ![]() | |
16 | Carl O'Sullivan | Lieutenant GeneralAugust 1976 | June 1981 | 4 years, 11 months | ![]() | |
17 | Louis Hogan DSM (1921–2001) | Lieutenant GeneralJune 1981 | April 1984 | 2 years, 10 months | ![]() | |
18 | Gerald O'Sullivan | Lieutenant GeneralApril 1984 | February 1986 | 1 year, 10 months | ![]() | |
19 | Tadgh O'Neill | Lieutenant GeneralFebruary 1986 | October 1989 | 3 years, 8 months | ![]() | |
20 | James Parker (1929–2020) | Lieutenant GeneralOctober 1989 | April 1992 | 2 years, 6 months | ![]() | |
21 | Noel Bergin | Lieutenant GeneralApril 1992 | December 1994 | 2 years, 8 months | ![]() | |
22 | Gerald McMahon | Lieutenant GeneralFebruary 1995 | August 1998 | 3 years, 6 months | ![]() | |
23 | David Stapleton DSM | Lieutenant GeneralAugust 1998 | 24 September 2000 | 2 years, 1 month | ![]() | |
24 | Colm Mangan | Lieutenant General25 September 2000 | 20 February 2004 | 3 years, 4 months | ![]() | |
25 | James Sreenan | Lieutenant General21 February 2004 | 28 June 2007 | 3 years, 4 months | ![]() | |
26 | Dermot Earley DSM (1948–2010) | Lieutenant General28 June 2007 | 9 June 2010 | 2 years, 11 months | ![]() | |
27 | Sean McCann | Lieutenant General9 June 2010 | 12 August 2013 | 3 years, 2 months | ![]() | |
28 | Conor O'Boyle | Lieutenant General12 August 2013 | 29 September 2015 | 2 years, 1 month | ![]() | |
29 | Mark Mellett DSM (born 1958) | Vice Admiral29 September 2015 | 29 September 2021 | 6 years | ![]() | |
30 | Seán Clancy | Lieutenant General29 September 2021 | Incumbent | 2 years, 10 months | ![]() |
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "Official Defence Forces website - General Staff > Chief of Staff". Military.ie. 6 October 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2012.
- ^ "Annual Report 2013" (PDF). Department of Defence and Defence Forces. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 October 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2015.
- ^ "Defence Forces Brigade Commanders". military.ie. Retrieved 11 July 2015.