The Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924, passed soon after the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922, provided it with a statutory basis.

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 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.