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The Naval Service

The Naval Service is the State's principal seagoing agency with a general responsibility to meet contingent and actual maritime defence requirements. It is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles.

The Naval Service

The Naval Service is the State's principal seagoing agency with a general responsibility to meet contingent and actual maritime defence requirements. It is tasked with a variety of defence and other roles. Defence roles include defending territorial seas, deterring intrusive or aggressive acts, conducting maritime surveillance, maintaining an armed naval presence, ensuring right of passage, protecting marine assets and contributing to a blockade if required. The Naval Service must also be capable of supporting Army operations by sea lift and close naval support.

Naval Service Careers

The Naval Service is an integral part of Óglaigh na hÉireann as the maritime component of the Defence Forces, with a men and women drawn from the 32 counties of Ireland

About the Naval Service

The Naval Service provides the maritime component of the State's Defence capabilities and is the State's principal seagoing agency.

FOC Naval Service

Flag officer Commading the Naval Service (FOCNS) - Commodore Michael Malone

Roles of the Naval Service

The Naval Service provides the maritime component of the State's Defence capabilities and is the State's principal seagoing agency. The Naval Service operates jointly with the Army and Air Corps.

Naval Service College

The primary function of The Naval College is to Train Naval personnel for effective naval operations in Defence of the State's interests.

Specialist Units

The Naval Service has several specialist units that perform essential roles within the Naval Service. These specialist roles are often mentioned in the media, but never directly.

The Fleet

The current fleet comprises four (4) Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV), two (2) Large Patrol Vessels (LPV) and two (2) Inshore Patrol Vessels (IPV). Each vessel is equipped with state of the art machinery, weapons, communications and navigation systems....

Naval Service Weapons

View the type of weapons used on board the naval service vessels